Name this fluid!
I suppose it could be compressor oil. The prevailing wisdom that I've seen on that topic has been that if oil is coming out, freon must be also and the A/C performance would be degraded.
Was going to say trans cooler line seeping but see you have a M6 car. I'd take some brake clean and clean the area up real good and keep driving, obviously make sure all your fluid levels are right. Leaks in the front can sometimes be tricky to find since the fan blowing can disguise where they are coming from. Clean it up real good and then look for the highest point something is coming from, seen way too many guys in shops do rear mains or timing covers when they didn't follow up higher and then it was an intake or valve cover that was actually leaking.
Was going to say trans cooler line seeping but see you have a M6 car. I'd take some brake clean and clean the area up real good and keep driving, obviously make sure all your fluid levels are right. Leaks in the front can sometimes be tricky to find since the fan blowing can disguise where they are coming from. Clean it up real good and then look for the highest point something is coming from, seen way too many guys in shops do rear mains or timing covers when they didn't follow up higher and then it was an intake or valve cover that was actually leaking.
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Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
As for the oily leak, it certainly could be compressor oil. One of mine leaked in this way, it was a similar type of oily film. Even with that leak, the compressor/AC system continued to work just fine for quite some time before starting to blow less cold.
No, this is not true. Dexcool is not garbage at all, not in this application (though it was known to react poorly with certain gaskets in a few GM engines - this does not apply to the LS1 however.) You will find that the only folks who have issues with Dexcool in their LS1 cars are those who have let the system run low for a period of time (lots of air mixing in), or those with a contaminated system (such as failed PS coolers causing cross-contamination, use of questionable water, etc.), or those who have failed to follow a proper change interval. I've never allowed any of those three conditions to happen with mine, and I've had zero issues after 20 years (cooling system is 100% original on my '98, other than coolant changes.)
As for the oily leak, it certainly could be compressor oil. One of mine leaked in this way, it was a similar type of oily film. Even with that leak, the compressor/AC system continued to work just fine for quite some time before starting to blow less cold.
As for the oily leak, it certainly could be compressor oil. One of mine leaked in this way, it was a similar type of oily film. Even with that leak, the compressor/AC system continued to work just fine for quite some time before starting to blow less cold.
As WS6 stated Dex cool is perfectly fine and the people who claim it's the devil are too lazy to take care of their cooling systems correctly. My duramax has had zero coolant issues since 03 and it's had dex it's entire life. But it's sounding more and more likely that a front seal is letting go and compressor oil is seeping out. Get a black light and shine it in that area, might have to dim the lights in the shop or get some UV glasses and see if it glows, if so you've found your problem. That is if your system has had dye added to it, unless your system has never been touched most oil injected by a shop will have dye in it.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 587
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From: Connecticut SE shore
I'd look at the AC compressor casing seal for the most likely source of that leak. It's certainly the nearest point. My AC compressor started leaking oil/refrigerant around 12,000 miles and 14 years old. Installed a new Delphi compressor to match what came out. If that's what's needed, you need to replace the LP line/air dryer-receiver + expansion tube.
DexCool in my car since day 1....no issues. I'm pretty sure the original factory DEX was in my car when I bought it at 14 years old. Luckily, the radiator looked fine, and there was no sludge visible.
DexCool in my car since day 1....no issues. I'm pretty sure the original factory DEX was in my car when I bought it at 14 years old. Luckily, the radiator looked fine, and there was no sludge visible.