A/C Leaking

[Jeff Wilk]

OK, before anyone goes nuts on me, this is a question for a quick fix not on my Classic 59 & 75 Caddy's but to a leaky under dash evaporator on an 2003 GM Truck that is not worth spending the $1,500 the dealer wants to replace the evaporator.  Question is this.....has anyone used these a/c recharge and dye and stop leak cans before that you can by at any auto parts store with any success?  Again, I am not doing this in my two classic caddies.....just the Suburban that I use to get all the stuff I need to keep the Cadillacs in top shape 8-)

Jeff

[Wayne Womble 12210]

Probably wasting your money.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Never heard of "Stop Leak" for A/C's, seeing as they operate at such high pressures, but I have heard of the Dyes, and my A/C place uses it to find leaks.

If you have a leak, then it NEEDS fixing properly, and there is no reason you can't do the job yourself, with a Workshop Manual in hand, and simply buy the replacement parts from Napa, or some other place that is cheaper than the Dealer.

Don't forget that most of the $1,500.00 will be swallowed up in Labour Time, at something like $100.00 per hour.

Get an A/C shop to discharge the unit, fix it, and then have the same shop recharge it.   And charge you a whole lot less.

Bruce.

[bill henry]

most ac people call that stop leak death in a can because it clogs every screen and filter in the system.

[TJ Hopland]

I also vote for the have it discharged then speed the weekend replacing the part yourself route.   Another problem that could happen is eventually the oil leaking from the leak will coat the outside of the coil and collect dirt to the point you dont get any air flow which includes heat.   

[william_b_noble]

with some research, you might be able to find out what the most common source of the leak might be - on many cars it seems like the AC evaporator is held in place while the car is built around it - still, like a heater core, it is possible to get it out after a few hours of disassembly.  Presuming you have the mechanical skills, you can certainly fix this yourself - and if it has a leak, the system is probably empty anyway - it will use R134 so you don't have to worry as much about venting any residue but I would cover any open connections to keep crud out.

I've changed AC compressors on several Porsche cars and repaired damaged hoses, depending on where you live you may be able to get away without a long vacuum soak when you are done (e.g. if it's dry, then the system won't suck in moisture, if you are in humid country, it will).  If you suspect the evaporator, you can disassemble until you can see it, and use some R134 with dye to charge the system up and then use the UV light to find where it's leaking. 

[mgbeda]

I have a '96 Jaguar that I bought in '99.  It had a leak in the AC, and since it was still under warranty the dealer "fixed" it for free, changing the evaporator.  A year or two later it leaked again, dealer did same fix, also free.  A year or two later it leaked again but was now out of warranty.  I used a can of AC stop leak and it has worked fine since and never leaked again.

For what it's worth...

-mB

[Kevin Bielinski #13320]

The AC stop leak and dye have been known to clog orifice tubes. I don't use either of them. I have repaired well over 100 automotive ac systems in my time and always use my electronic refrigerant detector at its lowest sensitivity.