Here's an update...Earlier this week I replaced my fan clutch so I could at least drive the truck to work and back without worrying about it overheating. I used an Imperial brand clutch from AAP, it is made in the USA and so far it is doing very well, running nice and quiet but I will need to see how it does when the hot weather really gets here.
Yesterday I put in my bone yard compressor, new drier, and new condenser. Flushed out the lines with a can of AC Pro Flush aerosol. I had second thoughts about that compressor I bought at Kmart, so I returned it and used a coupon to buy a small 100 psi hot dog style compressor and a 25 foot poly-material hose at Harbor Freight. I used the flush spray and blew out my AC lines with the little compressor. It did a pretty good job for a $50.00 1/3 hp compressor.
I bought a set of AC line coupler tools at Autozone, but could not get the lines loose from the evap inlet and outlet tubes at the firewall. I pulled and tugged but I was worried I would break my evap lines so I just flushed it from the one line at the drier and at the orifice tube coupling. I used an old Tupperware pitcher to catch the spray from the lines but I did not see much dirt or metal flakes in what came out of the lines, it was pretty clean for having a bad compressor. Later I found out I did not have the right size AC line tool, I had bought the generic universal set of 4 tools, but AAP sells a set of 6 tools that has the one for the fittings on a Dakota. If anyone needs to know, it's the blue one.
I also had a problem with the fixed orifice tube. I got the old one out easily enough but the new one would not go in all the way. I broke the first replacement tube trying to wiggle it in place, got another one at Napa and spent a long time trying to get it in the line. Finally I figured there must be something wrong with the line. It has an aluminum-wrapped insulation foam on the outside so I could not tell much from looking at it but I could not see any debris or anything inside the line that would block the tube from seating. I put everything back together and took it to the shop, the guy popped off the line and found that the tube was twisted slightly, probably from taking the tube out last Monday and again yesterday. That was why the tube would not go in like it should. The lines are aluminum and can easily get bent or kinked.
Yesterday I left my truck at the shop, they kept it overnight, the tech was able to straighten the kinked AC line to get the orifice tube reinstalled but they charged me half an hour's labor to do it. Total bill today for that and recharging the freon was $196.00. They also put in a dye to check for any leaks in the future. I used AC Pro PAG 100 oil with the ICE 32 additive in the compressor and drier, it does make the compressor run smoother with less noise and the system does seem to cool down faster when the truck is first started.
I picked up my truck today and I sure enough have some cold AC now...42.5 degrees at the center vent on my infrared thermometer gun, about the same reading on my analog dial thermometer with the long probe on it. And that was at idle in my driveway after driving the truck home from the shop, about 3 miles from here. Outside temp was about 85 or 86 degrees when I tested my center vent temp.
So I spent about $550.00 total fixing my AC and having it charged. That is a lot better than the $1,100.00+ estimate for the shop to do the entire job. I was disappointed in myself for not being able to get the AC line loose and fix the kinked line but for $40.00 and not having to order a new line from Mopar I guess I can't complain. I should be OK now as long as my bone yard compressor holds out. At least I did about 80% of the work myself and it cost a lot less than if I had just had the shop do the whole job..
Thanks to everyone here who helped me out with this problem.
