HELP: gremlins stealing my r134
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Tuned
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 426
Likes: 4
HELP: gremlins stealing my r134
I've got a crazy one going on with an air conditioner like I've never seen before. I'm hoping someone has experienced something like this and can give me an idea of where to go.
This is on my wife's '94 Ranger. This is the typical Ford accumulator system using R134 refrigerant. It has always been ice cold until a few days ago when she told me it was blowing warm air. When I put the gauges on it, there was no pressure at all. So I pulled all connections apart, cleaned them, and replaced all o-rings. I also replaced the orifice tube while I was at it. I then pulled a vacuum on it for 30-45 minutes, shut it off, and let it set. There was no drop in vacuum reading in four hours. I then filled it with refrigerant and some dye and was getting good cold air (32 degrees).
Twenty four hours later, it was blowing warm air again, and the gauges showed almost no pressure (the AC had not been run during this period of time). When I put the vacuum pump on it, it pulled a good vacuum and held it. There is no sign of the dye anywhere and all connections on this system are very visible. Only the evaporator is out-of-sight.
Questions: (1) Where in the world can the refrigerant be going? (2) What kind of leak can there be that will not open and leak under a vacuum but will leak under the pressure of the refrigerant?
If anybody can give me a hint of what to do or check for, I will appreciate it.
Thanks
This is on my wife's '94 Ranger. This is the typical Ford accumulator system using R134 refrigerant. It has always been ice cold until a few days ago when she told me it was blowing warm air. When I put the gauges on it, there was no pressure at all. So I pulled all connections apart, cleaned them, and replaced all o-rings. I also replaced the orifice tube while I was at it. I then pulled a vacuum on it for 30-45 minutes, shut it off, and let it set. There was no drop in vacuum reading in four hours. I then filled it with refrigerant and some dye and was getting good cold air (32 degrees).
Twenty four hours later, it was blowing warm air again, and the gauges showed almost no pressure (the AC had not been run during this period of time). When I put the vacuum pump on it, it pulled a good vacuum and held it. There is no sign of the dye anywhere and all connections on this system are very visible. Only the evaporator is out-of-sight.
Questions: (1) Where in the world can the refrigerant be going? (2) What kind of leak can there be that will not open and leak under a vacuum but will leak under the pressure of the refrigerant?
If anybody can give me a hint of what to do or check for, I will appreciate it.
Thanks
i ain't rite
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 65,554
Likes: 5,590
From: Marlboro Mental Hospital.
the evaporator core in the heater box is probably cracked.
about the only way to tell for sure without taking it apart is to get your hands on a good A/C sniffer, and start searching all the fittings. of you do not get any hits there, go inside the cab, and sniff in the vents with the fan set on low. i bet it will freak out.
about the only way to tell for sure without taking it apart is to get your hands on a good A/C sniffer, and start searching all the fittings. of you do not get any hits there, go inside the cab, and sniff in the vents with the fan set on low. i bet it will freak out.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 174
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From: brooks a.b.
could be the comperssor seal, they will often hold vaccum but not pressure, if you can find someone with compressed nitrogen have them pressure ur system up and listen for leaks. that's what i have done at the shop and it ussally finds the leak. i would think a good a/c shop would be able to do this test
