jbridwelltransam

iTrader: (12)

Well Thursday my AC was blowin cold as could be and friday it is blowin out straight fire air. I believe it has leaked out all of the freon, but the question is where are the most common places for these systems to develop a leak? Also is it possible that it could be something else simply because it happened so quickly?
Thank you
Justin

penningta

iTrader: (3)

Yes it could of all leaked out or it could be as simple as a clutch cycling swithc. The only way to really tell when working on a/c is to get some manifold gauges on it and see if there is pressure and go from there. If pressures are close to ambiant temp it is probably pretty well full charged. If that is the case see if compressor clutch is kicking in, If not jump around the switch on the low side line and see if it kicks in. And go from there. I have seen a bunch of compressors on LS motors mainly on Tahoes and Suburbans blow the high side switch out of the back of the compressor. Never seen it on a f body though. But I dont work on near as many f bodys as Tahoes and Vehicles like that.

zachrywd_01TA

this may be irrelevant to your situation but I'll tell my story anyways.

Well the mounts on my LS1 were blown at the time and every time the motor torqued around the fitting for the EGR/AIR check valve would strike the A/C line that connects the collector to the condenser and knocked a hole in it. So I ripped out all the EGR/AIR components and got on the internet for a new A/C line... So $55 and 2 weeks shipping from China later I had a new A/C line to bolt on... That's right, my big, proud, bad ***, All American Muscle Car has Chinese parts on it.

If it does turn out to be an A/C leak you'll have to have it recharged and filled with Dye. So when it leaks you can put your CSI goggles on and shine a florescent light around to see where your system has spooged it's freon in all it's pleasure.

best of luck.

****EDIT****
Additionally if you're system has leaked out all it's freon the clutch on the compressor wont kick in.

TxAgWS6

iTrader: (1)

x2 on the above posts, I do commercial HVAC for a living so the stuff on cars is usually a cakewalk. These systems in cars will leak around the rubberized washers that are used as gaskets wherever you see any refrigerant line that has a flange bolted to a piece of equipment in the AC system. For example, where the lines go through the firewall to the evaporator, where the lines tie into the filter dryer, or even the block that bolts to the back of the compressor. The rubber just gets old and leaks sometimes.

If you can get a set of manifolds and check pressures to see if the gas is indeed low that is the place to start. Also, like penningta said, if you can jump out the low pressure cut out switch to see if the clutch will kick in that is a common problem. Either the switch or the clutch could be bad.

IF you are chasing a leak, and the system is dead flat, see if you cant rig a refrigerant charging hose to an air compressor to put pressure in the system. That way you dont have to keep paying for cans of freon to put pressure in. Then you can spray all the line connections with soapy water to find the leak. Once the leak is fixed, dont forget that the system ABSOLUTELY has got to have a vacuum pulled on it prior to refilling it with freon. Leaving air trapped in the system causes more problems than the original leak.

Sorry for the long post, but hope the info helps

zachrywd_01TA

TxAgWS6 you seem to be a pro at this,

What do you think about that stuff called "RED ANGEL" the leak/lubricant additive for freon systems. I self charged my A/C system after I replaced the line to see if it would hold a charge. And it appears to not be leaking as it consistently cools to the same temp. But, as you mentioned I need to have the system Vacuum purged after having the system opened to the atmosphere.

So my question would be. If I have the system Vacuum purged and recharged, would I be best off having "RED ANGLE" added to it?

formula vincent

iTrader: (1)

I have a 94 formula .the compressor used on LT-1 motors is the HD-6 .they are
notorious for leaking out of the center seam where the to halves are joined together
dont buy a used one because it will leak eventually. go with a new one.