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aircon leak ?

Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 10:41 pm
by M 80NGO
Hi whats the favorite locations on the aircon system for it to leak its gas out of ? my air con was regassed a month ago and has stopped working again so i'm guessing that the system must have a small leak but where ?

Re: aircon leak ?

Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2011 10:44 pm
by missfixit70
Could be anywhere, compressor seals, filling valve, matrix connections, condenser rad, evap matrix, etc, I've heard of leaks in all those places. A decent ac guy should be able to leak detect, & fix the leak dpending on where it is & availability of spares.

Re: aircon leak ?

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 8:57 am
by M 80NGO
missfixit70 wrote:Could be anywhere, compressor seals, filling valve, matrix connections, condenser rad, evap matrix, etc, I've heard of leaks in all those places. A decent ac guy should be able to leak detect, & fix the leak dpending on where it is & availability of spares.
Thanx miss f, its always good to go into a garage armed with some knowledge :wink:

Re: aircon leak ?

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 9:04 am
by mikeonb4c
M 80NGO wrote:Hi whats the favorite locations on the aircon system for it to leak its gas out of ? my air con was regassed a month ago and has stopped working again so i'm guessing that the system must have a small leak but where ?
M 80NGO wrote:Hi whats the favorite locations on the aircon system for it to leak its gas out of ? my air con was regassed a month ago and has stopped working again so i'm guessing that the system must have a small leak but where ?
I've had the impression from old posts on here that part of a good aircon service is checking for leaks, and only regassing if the system is founrd to be leak free.

Re: aircon leak ?

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 9:16 am
by dave_aber
My local mobile A/C bloke does just that. Removes the old gas, pressurises with something inert (CO2 IIRC), checks for pressure dropping. Identifies and rectifies any leaks, then refills with the 'right' gas (modern eco-friendly version of freon or whatever) and some oil.

Re: aircon leak ?

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 2:28 pm
by missfixit70
Usual leak test is to see if it pulls a vacuum isn't it when the suck the old stuff out?

Re: aircon leak ?

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 2:56 pm
by dave_aber
Possibly, but I seem to remember on a Xantia I was having the A/C fixed on a few years ago he pressurised it with something "inert, safe and cheap, to test for leaks" which I seem to remember was CO2. In the end, we left it leaking and not working since I couldn't get a part for reasonable money at the time.

Re: aircon leak ?

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 8:56 pm
by M 80NGO
I believe it was checked for leaks but i think that the leak is so small that its probably hard to trace, its lasted a month since it as last done and the garage are redoing it under warranty :D

Re: aircon leak ?

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 9:49 pm
by Simon Jones
One fairly common place for a leak is the O-ring on the metal union where the pipes go into the rear heater / aircon unit. have a look for signs of dampness around this joint. I used to get a slight drip of green fluid from here until I had the seals replaced.

Re: aircon leak ?

Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 10:38 pm
by M 80NGO
Thanx for all the info guys i'll point the garage in the right direction :wink: