A/C leak

[Tom_G]

Aloha all!
My 99 Ranger has developed a bit of a refrigerant leak. Normally, I put a can in somewhere around August or September, and the A/C blows cold for a year. This year, I put it in a bit earlier than usual. The A/C blew nice and cool for about a month. So, I put in another can. Again, I got about a month from it.

It is a 99, so I'm not surprised. However, I did do something different this time around; I turned the can upside-down. Historically, I leave the can rightside-up, and wait the freaking hour it takes to drain. After watching a few YouTube videos, I noticed that everyone turned the can upside-down. Come to think of it, the guys at service stations use those devices that puncture both sides of the can, so they're clearly not worried about orientation. It definitely accelerated the filling!

I'm in a quandary about how to move forward. If I take it for service, the best case scenario is going to be a few hundred bucks, right? Labor to locate the leak, parts to fix it, then purging and recharging the system. But it is a 99, so worst case could easily be that the repairs exceed the value of the truck.

Question 1: did my change in method cause the leak, or was that coincidence?

Question 2: is running a can of refrigerant plus leak stopper worth trying?

Mahalo!
Tom G

 

[Uncle Gump]

Liquid charging on the low side wouldn't have caused a leak... it was already leaking.

As for adding stop leak... I'm not a believer.

You can most likely do a visual inspection and locate the leak... not always. You should be looking at all connections... when you see one with a bit of residue... dirty/oily... chances are that connection is leaking. This also goes for the condenser. Before you open the system to make repairs the refrigerant should be removed for recycling... I would make repairs and also replace the accumulator and the orifice tube. The system would then need to be put under a vacuum to remove air and moisture before recharge. You may be able to rent a vacuum pump or they make an air operated one for cheap... but I have never had much luck with them.

Living where you live... I can't imagine not having A/C.

 

[MikeG]

Get the refrigerant with u/v dye in it. That's by far the easiest way to find a leak.

 

[55trucker]

The easiest way to find where a leak is coming from is to make use of an electronic leak detector, but that's not the sort of device everyone has in their possession. They are not exactly *cheap*, if you want to do the entire job by yourself & plan to do so many times in the future then purchasing one might be the route to go. I also agree with UG, anything that can be entered into the system that *swells* the seals is undesirable, and after 20 odd years a complete O-ring overhaul is worth looking into along with a general servicing.

 

[franklin2]

Looking for any oily spots is the best thing to do first like Grump said. If you see a spot with some dirt stuck to it, that is suspect. Look behind the pulley on the compressor. Is there a lot of oil on the front of the compressor? If so, it might be the front seal of the compressor leaking. Look the coil over behind the grill with a flashlight. Look for oily spots.

You can fill the system with the can upside down, but it's risky. If you get too much liquid going into the system, especially on a cooler day, the liquid can make it's way to the compressor and lock it up. Usually it just makes the belt squeal and scares you to death, but in rare cases it can cause damage. What I do is turn the can upside down for a instant, and then turn it back up. Then turn it upside down and turn it back up. This sort of regulates the liquid going in so it's not all at one time.

 

[JerryC]

Get the refrigerant with u/v dye in it. That's by far the easiest way to find a leak.

Also tighten the schrader cores on the high and low side connections. You can check them by putting a little soapy water on them and look for bubbles. If it is not those then go looking for the UV dye leaking out.

 

[Tom_G]

Just sharing the outcome. I found a well-reviewed mobile mechanic who does A/C repairs. He spotted an obvious leak at the condenser. He gave me the option of replacing just the obvious fault, or since we were talking about a 20+ year old car with original components, going ahead and replacing the major components, or anything in-between. Since I plan to keep this truck until the end of time, I opted for the "buy once, cry once" approach and had him replace the works. Two hours later, bam! Conditioned air! Under $1500 (not a lot under, but under).

 

[6herald6]

Get the refrigerant with u/v dye in it. That's by far the easiest way to find a leak.

A black light is also required and test is performed in dim light, right?