It has a frione leak. I bought the bottle of refrigerant at Autozone, and put it in properly, and it stays cold for about 3 weeks. Then it runs out, and I have to buy a new 22.00 bottle every 3 weeks.
(please don't say "Take it to a mechanic." I can barely afford the can of refrigerant!)
2006-07-04 12:49:20 · 9 answers · asked by statistics graduate 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
You can try to put anouther can of frione with a stop leak in it if that doesnt work look at a price on replacing your a/c unit. good luck
2006-07-04 12:55:40 · answer #1 · answered by gatyam13 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First hit your local Pawn Shops / and then your local Parts Stores and get the following test equipment:
Dye Light (a special black light for leak dye) -- 50 - 150 bucks.
Evac pump -- 100 ; 250 bucks.
Gauge Set - 50 bucks.
Freon Sniffer (both R12 and R134a) - 100 bucks
(assorted Line Wrench's)
Load the system with dye and fresh oil and freon (Oh, get your EPA license if the car is R12 - that only requires a recovery system, about 2,000 bucks)
Use the sniffer and the dye to find your leak; recover your old freon ; replace the line, O-Ring, or other bad part. put the system back together and evac it down to -29PSI for at least 30 minutes; remove the evac and make sure it holds at least -29PSI for an hour, then recharge the system.
If that is a bit more than you want to spend, and you do not want to pay a mechanic (that has all that exp stuff) to do it, then keep spending 22.00 every 3 weeks or less / once it leaks out too fast to stay cool / roll down your windows.
Without all of these very pricey items to do the work you are just guessing; shooting in the dark; and without the recovery (you are venting 100 dollars in freon every time you try and fix something; and evac system you simply cannot do the work - charging the system with air in it is just like not having the AC at all.
(FYI: the avg mechanic owns (or is paying on) at least 35,000 dollars in tools at any given time)
2006-07-05 03:21:31 · answer #2 · answered by theleb63 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not frion....there used to be R-12 sold as "freon" but that's gone. You are leaking refrigerant. You have a bad line somewhere, maybe a crack in the inlet of the evaporator depending on the car. You will have to find the leak and repair it. Look for chafes on the rubber hoses to the a/c. That's all it takes on the high side is a rub and it will leak as a gas. Find your leak and replace defective part. Vaccum and recharge. Never hurts to add an ounce of ester oil....only once though. Good luck.
2006-07-04 20:05:58 · answer #3 · answered by jeff s 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well I hate to tell you but.................take it to a mechanic. he has all the specialized tools to do the job. and if you still have freon in your system, he can use what is called a freon sniffer to detect the leak, he can hook up the the A/C machine that most shops have to reclaim your freon and hold it while repairs can be made. then after the repair is made, he will pull a vaccum test to see if the system is "closed" (no leaks) then he will put your freon back in plus any you may have lost up to the proper charge per your vehicle's specs. The repair may cost more than freon, but look at how much you will save verses buying a can of freon every three weeks. the cost of 4 bottles will just about pay for the repair.
2006-07-11 19:43:58 · answer #4 · answered by bobby 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
generally you'll find leaking refrigerant where lines and hoses connect to each other or connections at components. get the refrigerant kit that has like 12 oz of refrigerant along with dye and a small blacklight with uv glasses. honestly if you're leaking that quickly you should now see an oily residue around the leaking area. o-rings leak and should be replaced when serviced. the front compressor shaft seal also can leak. i am assuming your vehicle is post- 1994 thus contains r134-a. it is important that when you replace a leaking component to replace with one that is rated for the refrigerant you are using. also the refrigerant oil used with 134 is PAG. use mineral oil for r12 and use POE (ester) when retrofitting.
depending on the vehicle you may need to replace accumulator/receiver-drier as well. these collect moisture and may rust inside out, causing leak. at any rate, if you open the system its a good idea to replace accumulator/dryer and apply a vacuum on the complete system at least 15 mins before recharging. the system should hold vac for at least three minutes before you charge the system. hope this helps.
2006-07-04 21:36:48 · answer #5 · answered by stand420 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to find and repair /replace the source of the leak. This is usually done with a leak detector or by placing dyed freon in the system, and checking for evidence of a leak under UV light.
Unless you have access to those specialized tools, a professional would be the way to go. If you can not afford it, keep replacing the freon!
2006-07-04 19:57:36 · answer #6 · answered by fire4511 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes it is very expensive to replace freon. you have a slow leak. have a professional check it out to find the leak and the size before you buy any more freon. the service call is worth knowing at the price you are spending for freon. it could be a simple fix OR it could require a new unit. make sure it is a reputible person not just someone on the side wanting to earn a buck
2006-07-04 20:50:01 · answer #7 · answered by petloverlady 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
replace the seals first pinpoint the leak the seals are usually just o-rings the hard part is to find the leak, it's best to find it after a fresh charge
2006-07-04 19:58:51 · answer #8 · answered by bolandalbaby@verizon.net 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
next time buy a can of the green dye,this will help you find the leak,i hope its not the evap core in the dash,probably a oring,shouldn't be that hard to fix if it is.the dye will find the leak,guaranteed
2006-07-04 19:56:49 · answer #9 · answered by strange_busaman 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋