another AC leak PLEASE help!
05-01-2011, 09:06 AM
#1
another AC leak PLEASE help! ive owned the car for 2 years now. first off everything was ok. ac was freezing 2 months later ac turned hot! did a vacuum and refilled and oiled everything and again it takes exactly 5 weeks to leak everything out! i tested the pipes for leaks and nothing everything is just as it should be. could it be a compressor leak? if so how to diagnose a compressor leakage? i wanna do this on my own i took it to a shop 3 times and they suck! thanks everyone. temperature in summer reach 112 here so ac is a must!
05-01-2011, 12:15 PM
#2
How are you testing for leaks?
There should be dye in the system. Get UV light and some UV safety glasses and have a look. 99% of the time that will locate it. Last resort is buying a refrigerant detector, but they're expensive for a one or two time use tool.
There should be dye in the system. Get UV light and some UV safety glasses and have a look. 99% of the time that will locate it. Last resort is buying a refrigerant detector, but they're expensive for a one or two time use tool.
05-01-2011, 05:20 PM
#4
I'm pretty sure these cars came with dye already in the system from the factory. Even if the refrigerant leaks out completely, oil/dye will remain in the system. AND most consumer level recharge cans come with dye. Basically, the dye is probably already there.
05-02-2011, 12:01 AM
#6
Really, you can give the compressor a once over while you are waiting. Jack the car up, slide under the passenger side and look at the underside of the compressor. If you see fresh oil on the bottom, especially near the center seam, that MAY be your leak.
If it's leaking from some of the hidden components, that would be a little bit harder to visually check, such as the condenser or the evaporator. Remember, almost any area of the AC system can be your leak. Leaks are not confined to bad hoses, leaking crimps, or bad gaskets. You can have a pinhole leak in the center of your condensor, a metal line can have a hole, etc. I had an old evaporator that was leaking in the center of one of the pipes, not even at a bend. That spot never touched anything, so it was really an odd place to have a leak. When you look a part over, you need to look and check the ENTIRE part.
If it's leaking from some of the hidden components, that would be a little bit harder to visually check, such as the condenser or the evaporator. Remember, almost any area of the AC system can be your leak. Leaks are not confined to bad hoses, leaking crimps, or bad gaskets. You can have a pinhole leak in the center of your condensor, a metal line can have a hole, etc. I had an old evaporator that was leaking in the center of one of the pipes, not even at a bend. That spot never touched anything, so it was really an odd place to have a leak. When you look a part over, you need to look and check the ENTIRE part.
. my compressor doesnt look anything like that to start off 
and yea Elthesh i know your point and am afraid of that! i'll see what i can do when am free hope i locate that leak! thanks 