ac no good
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 34,479
Likes: 532
From: Central PA. - - My AR15 identifies as a muzzleloader
I believe in the Beer Fairy
Look, a Dye test is one thing but that's not always going to tell you where the leak is. You really need to take it to somebody who has a Halon detector and at least partially charge the system and then check for the leak. You can also put dye in at the same time. That will show you if it's somewhere you can see. But if it's the evaporator, even with a Halon detector you need to leave the system sit with the car off for about 15 minutes and then check the vents when you turn the car on. Mine was such a slow leak that you really had to let it build up a bunch of refrigerant before the detector would even see it. If you have leaks out by the compressor or the condenser then those you can see just with a UV light. At night time is Best of course.
I did an evaporator and compressor on my own with tools I bought from Harbor Freight. The car worked fine for another six years so I guess it was a quality job. I would never have paid the labor for someone to do that. It was a royal pain in the *** but no way was I paying thousands of dollars for somebody do that.
I did an evaporator and compressor on my own with tools I bought from Harbor Freight. The car worked fine for another six years so I guess it was a quality job. I would never have paid the labor for someone to do that. It was a royal pain in the *** but no way was I paying thousands of dollars for somebody do that.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8,900
Likes: 1,074
From: Wisconsin
Look, a Dye test is one thing but that's not always going to tell you where the leak is. You really need to take it to somebody who has a Halon detector and at least partially charge the system and then check for the leak. You can also put dye in at the same time. That will show you if it's somewhere you can see. But if it's the evaporator, even with a Halon detector you need to leave the system sit with the car off for about 15 minutes and then check the vents when you turn the car on. Mine was such a slow leak that you really had to let it build up a bunch of refrigerant before the detector would even see it. If you have leaks out by the compressor or the condenser then those you can see just with a UV light. At night time is Best of course.
I did an evaporator and compressor on my own with tools I bought from Harbor Freight. The car worked fine for another six years so I guess it was a quality job. I would never have paid the labor for someone to do that. It was a royal pain in the *** but no way was I paying thousands of dollars for somebody do that.
I did an evaporator and compressor on my own with tools I bought from Harbor Freight. The car worked fine for another six years so I guess it was a quality job. I would never have paid the labor for someone to do that. It was a royal pain in the *** but no way was I paying thousands of dollars for somebody do that.
Last edited by JR-01; Apr 11, 2019 at 09:51 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 34,479
Likes: 532
From: Central PA. - - My AR15 identifies as a muzzleloader
I believe in the Beer Fairy
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8,900
Likes: 1,074
From: Wisconsin
Leaks tend to leak out to the atmosphere so the dye should be visible most of the time. Most shops can determine where the leak is before charging or throwing parts at it.
Last edited by JR-01; Apr 12, 2019 at 07:46 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 3,767
Likes: 940
From: Orlando Florida
So all this being said, a set of H/F gauges and a little google research can be very educational and even a little entertaining. I paid someone else to change my compressor on the C5, but have learned much working with my 92 Toyota. Low pressure switch, low pressure/high pressure differences. How fast the leak is. We tend to forget it for test, but compressed air can be used to leak test too.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 2,764
Likes: 375
From: Central Florida
So all this being said, a set of H/F gauges and a little google research can be very educational and even a little entertaining. I paid someone else to change my compressor on the C5, but have learned much working with my 92 Toyota. Low pressure switch, low pressure/high pressure differences. How fast the leak is. We tend to forget it for test, but compressed air can be used to leak test too.
I’m not telling anybody it is rocket science but don’t be fooled into thinking it can’t be difficult. It’s like anything else there are always tricks to the trade. I would not hesitate to have a pro shop diagnose and repair my cars ac and I’m a 25 year hvac tech. As I said before take it to someone the pros use, not just a mechanic, but someone another pro refers to like a good body shop that subs that work out...
remember time is money too....
jmho
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8,900
Likes: 1,074
From: Wisconsin
nitrogen should be used not compressed air but I suppose if it is flat, it already has moisture in it....I don’t work on car ac but a good electronic leak detector can be used to locate a leak way faster than dye. There is more to charging/ diagnosing than trying to achieve a certain pressure low or high. I suppose you could wing it with some rule of thumb knowledge as long as there is not other underlying problems. Restrictions, dirty coils, non condensables, bad valves low capacity compressor.
I’m not telling anybody it is rocket science but don’t be fooled into thinking it can’t be difficult. It’s like anything else there are always tricks to the trade. I would not hesitate to have a pro shop diagnose and repair my cars ac and I’m a 25 year hvac tech. As I said before take it to someone the pros use, not just a mechanic, but someone another pro refers to like a good body shop that subs that work out...
remember time is money too....
jmho
I’m not telling anybody it is rocket science but don’t be fooled into thinking it can’t be difficult. It’s like anything else there are always tricks to the trade. I would not hesitate to have a pro shop diagnose and repair my cars ac and I’m a 25 year hvac tech. As I said before take it to someone the pros use, not just a mechanic, but someone another pro refers to like a good body shop that subs that work out...
remember time is money too....
jmho
