If I were to take it to an auto shop and pay $100 would it last longer? There are no leaks that I can find.
2007-07-31 17:44:10 · 8 answers · asked by whata waste 7 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I have used a dye and still can't find any leaks. also checked all hoses and fittings
2007-07-31 18:11:45 · update #1
If you have no leaks in your AC, you do not need it recharged every year. R134a doesn't evaporate unless it hits air, from a leak.
Depending on what year and make of car you have, there may be a cabin filter to replace periodically.
If you have your owners manual look at the maintenance schedule. Most never list servicing the AC on a schedule.
If you require a recharge every year, you do have a leak. They are difficult to find as unlike theold R-12, there is no obvious oily spots. We inject a die into the system and recheck it after a couple weeks (unless a large leak) to trace the source of the leak.
2007-07-31 17:53:59 · answer #1 · answered by Lew W 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like a leak to me.If it lasts all summer it must be a small leak.They make a dye you can put in the ac system and check with a black light to find leaks.Also the shop would put a vacuum test on the system to check for leaks.This system is a closed system.I guess what I'm trying to say is if you have to recharge the system every summer its got to be going somewhere.I'm not sure what there going to due at the shop,but due a vacuum or die test for 100 bucks.If they find a small drop in vacuum,or put the die in and charge the system then check for the leak with a black light.Sometimes ac can be a pain and expensive.Sorry you didn't want to hear that.If you like that ac these 2 test usually will find where the leak is.Then you can go from there to deter min if the car is worth the investment.Your not going to visually see a really small leak or probably know you have a vacuum leak.Good luck NOTE if you have an older car from back in the day they used R 12.Good luck again.
2007-08-01 01:31:11 · answer #2 · answered by polar 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your AC system should hold a charge for a good long while if it doesnt leak. So, if you are having to have a charge every year it HAS to mean that you have a leak in the system and that is almost always a hose fitting. A good reputable AC place will be able to find the leak, replace the offending hose and send you on your way for years of cool, trouble free air in the hot summer. Remember that as long as you let this go on you are also releasing harmful refrigerant gasses into the atmosphere. Get it fixed right.....it'll be cheaper in the long run for sure. .
2007-08-01 00:52:29 · answer #3 · answered by Pat B 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
depending on the type of refrigerant(r-12 or r-134a)it should
last more than a year. my 88 lincoln MKVII, 88 gmc suburban
and 83 amc eagle use r-12 and my daughters 96 explorer
uses r-134a. r-12 actually is better as it lasts a long time.
my eagle still blows at 34 degrees and was last charged
in 2002. my suburban was serviced in 2003 and my
lincoln was serviced in 1998. i just charged the explorer
this past sunday and r-134 just doesn't last very long. after about 1 year the r-134 wasn't blowing cold like it should.
if your car uses r-134 you can do the recharge yourself
and save that 100 bucks for something you want. if your
car uses r-12 then you must take it to a facility that can
service your car with r-12.
2007-08-01 01:02:28 · answer #4 · answered by reddogrollen 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The fact that you have to recharge it every summer says that you have a leak. Good quality shops will find them. Cheap shops just take your money with a smile.
$100 would not get it charged in my shop but will give you a proper inspection and $25 back with a proper estimate of repairs.
2007-08-01 00:54:32 · answer #5 · answered by epitt72 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no way that you could see all of the spots where it could be leaking, than again it might not be leaking it could be somthing else. The only way to get it right is to take it to a good mechanic and have it tested and checked.
2007-08-01 00:55:56 · answer #6 · answered by Wayne B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it should but you wouldnt find any leaks you have to put a special dye in it and look at it with a black light but is should last all year and you need to turn it on once a month to keep it oiled properly
2007-08-01 00:53:00 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You have a leak.
Is it a Chrysler product? If so, you need an evaporator.
A GM? You need a compressor.
What kind of vehicle?
2007-08-01 02:05:48 · answer #8 · answered by Frankie Coletta 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋