78 C3 Light Corvette Blue

Freon leaked out in less than 2 months

1971corvette

I think I would have dye installed, or a small amount of freon and locate the leak and fix it correctly.while the system was open change out o-rings and filter,flush system.

stop leak in an AC system does not sound like a good idea to me.

jimvette999

On AC message boards/forums I've visited, 95% of the AC Pros frown on the use of sealers. The can cause more problems than they solve. Some/most react to air by hardening which is how they seal the leak and so when the system is eventually opened to atmosphere, they harden and gum up the works. A dye to locate the leak seems to be the best solution. Many sealers say "safe to use" but the Pro's say not so. In fact "they" say that cars with sealers used will not be serviced by them since the sealers mess up their recovery equipment. They do a total system replace when they detect a car with sealer is in their shop.

look in here >> http://acsource.net/acforum/

Wrecked82

I agree. Did a number of the sealant things. Ended up replacing the compressor and drier when it all froze up. Learned my lesson at about a $2K cost.

KapsSA

Feel around the bottom of the compressor for oil.
I've had TWO compressors on two different cars leak from the 2 large 8" or so O-rings that seal the compressor cover to the compressor.

Both times I was able to hold vacuum for 1 hour, no problem.
One leaked out over 2 weeks, the other over the winter.

O-ring kits are available, easy to install with a special puller. I made my own puller.

78 C3 Light Corvette Blue

Thanks guys
Gary

Jack Wood

There are no cheap fixes but there are lots of easy ones that don't work. Use a leak detector and do it right.

heckys66

Two months is a minor leak, it will be difficult to find, most AC systems will shut down when it is only a few ounces low. The fluorescent dye is probably your best bet.
I found that the most common freon leaks derive from the schrader valve pivot.
An easy test is simply put a little spit on the opening and look for bubbles. Good luck.

Aussie79

I just finished converting mine to 134a and then charged it with dye, 4 weeks later the gas was gone, I used the black light to see where it had leaked and it turned out to be three places, all the way aound the body of the compressor indicating shot body seals, not worth fixing. Also the two large rubber hoses coming from the compressor manifold, where the aluminum tube meets the rubber hose, it looks like a good crimp but hey both have fluro dye around them indicating slow leaks, need to replace compressor and manifold hoses but can not afford them yet, I will have to wait until I get some money together.

Cheers, Dennis.

KapsSA

Why not worth fixing? O-ring set maybe $10. I got them from a guy on ebay.
I did two of them over the last year as I mentioned above.
I made a simple puller to pull the shell off out of tubing. If you look in the shop manual you can see what the puller looks like. With mine, you can pull it apart without even removing the pulley like is specified in the manual.
I can post a pic of it but it's kinda confusing without the compressor attached. I wish I had taken pics of it in operation!