Hello,
In my opinion you should never use Stop Leak for anything unless you are going to throw it away. The reason for this is unfortunately it will coat the inside of the entire system with Stop Leak and there are a lot of small parts especially in an air conditioning system. This can cost you even more money down the road if they get clogged.
When they test these systems, they will first pull a vacuum. I believe it is around 60 in hg, but don’t quote me on that exact number. This means 60 inches of mercury and is how vacuum is measured.
Now that vacuum will be held for a while to see if there is even the slightest change. This allows the smallest holes to be found.
If there are multiple leaks this process will have to be repeated after each repair until it holds a steady vacuum in the entire system for a designated period of time.
The condenser is pretty common. There is a double line on the radiator, and I think that’s where you may be talking about it leaking.
The good news is, there is always supposed to be dye added to the refrigerant. This is used to find leaks. I have included a picture below. You don’t need an expensive one, it just has to be a black light, well technically it’s purple but you get the idea.
Check everything under the hood related to the A/C, paying special attention to lines and their junctions. It can take a long time to find a leak so be patient and thorough. This way if there are multiple leaks you can address them all at the same time.
Quick-Tip: If the car is running and the A/C is on and the compressor turns on and off frequently, more often than not there isn’t enough refrigerant in the system which could indicate a leak.
When you use a can of refrigerant from the auto parts store it is impossible to put the precise amount, your A/C system requires to run properly set by your vehicle’s manufacturer.
The best way to avoid issues is to go to a shop and have them charge the system for you. They will always pull the vacuum first so if you find a leak in the condenser and replace it, this will test the system before they try charging it.
I am including a spec sheet that contains all the information on your A/C system like capacities and oil types. I also included an exploded view of the parts contained in your A/C system that are under the hood. You will see a box with a number 5 with a double hose and 2 O-rings. This is a very common place for a leak. It attaches directly to the condenser.
Also, I added a couple diagrams that show the components in the system. These are just generic and don’t match your vehicle specifically but show the components and the relative location. A/C systems can be intimidating to some, but they are pretty straight forward once you understand how it works.
One more thing, if you find a leak at a junction and go to replace the O-rings always get the ones from the dealer. You get the wrong kit of O-rings, and you will be chasing all leaks for days.
**Before performing any work on your A/C system go to a local shop and have the remainder of the refrigerant recovered from the system.
If I can help in any other way just reply back.
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Friday, June 17th, 2022 AT 12:33 AM
