In light of new information, I'm posting back.
Firstly, thanks for thoughts registered by Hop, Rascal, TIA, Ray, Miggity &
Bob.
A soap bubble test I attempted turned up no information. All joints seemed
to be fine.
I then took the Dakota to a shop that - for $65 - finally isolated the leak.
It was NOT the evaporator (thank you Jesus), nor the compressor, nor any
hose fitting. It turned out to be 2 of the many 180-degree fittings welded
on the ends of the parallel tubes running thru the condenser! Tiniest leak
you ever saw. You had to look really close to see the intsy drop of green
fluid at the joint. Another clue was the black paint that had peeled off
ONLY these 2 fittings (R134a seems to go to work on paint).
So, now I pose a question I think I know the answer to:
Could the condenser be removed, CLEANED and taken top a good aluminum welder
for repair of these joints?
OR
Should the condenser be wholesale replaced?
I know what the mechanic told me but I wondered what the savvy DML guys
might say.
BTW, assuming I should replace, can anyone salute the ACI unit shown here:
http://cpwstore.carpartswholesale.com/catalog/details/Dodge/Dakota/ACI/A-fs-C_Condenser/1997/Sport/P40116P.html
Seems like a good one for the price.
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