At NEBF, jr's3800 was very nice enough to recharge the A/C in the 95 Bonne. It took the charge and went down to 40 degrees F. That lasted 18 days so I obviously have a leak. Boosty was nice enough to give me some Freon while down at ONBF and although it was my first time charging the A/C and I went through about 5 cans as well as a can of stop leak/dye, I managed to get it down to 40 degrees again. This time it lasted only 8 days and I do believe that the gauge was in the blue area at around the same level as when Don recharged it. I searched high and low and couldn't see any signs of the pink dye that was supposed to show leaks, but I did notice that there was oil leaking from the switch/sensor that attaches to the upper passenger side of the dryer.

Questions.
Why did the A/C last half as long as the original charge even after I installed stop leak?
Why can I not see the pink dye that was injected at the time of the second recharge?
How do I throw this car off of a cliff with nobody getting hurt?
Disregard previous question/ How do I correct the leak if I can't find it.

Have you checked your A/C compressor, the condensor, and the evaporator for leak evidence yet? If not, that might explain one of your questions.

A common candidate for leakage is the compressor, especially at this age. If the compressor seals were going, the leak would get worse rapidly. That would answer another one of your questions.

This is not to say that the compressor HAS to be the problem, but based on the size of the leak, it remains a very likely candidate.

Honestly, your best bet MAY be to have a qualified shop leak test your A/C system and identify the problem area or areas.

An area that can leak and not be easily visible is the evaporator core. To see these types of leaks ...once recharged.. look at the water draining out for signs of watered down dye.

Lash, the most noticable leak was from oil leaking at the switch/sensor that attaches to the upper passenger side of the dryer. The oil has dripped down a plastic cover and when I brushed my finger underneath the insertion point, I had oil drip down my finger.
The compressor has very minor oil/liquid discoloration, but I couldn't see behind due to the starter etc. I checked the condensor (looks like a rad located in front of the rad) and found no leaks. What and where is the evaporator?


BillBoost37 What does the evaporator look like Bill, and what part should I look at?
I'm wondering if I changed the compressor, condensor, evaporator, dryer, at a cost of about $600.00 US and I do the labor whether it would be worth it. I know what you're going to say. Have it checked out first to determine where the leak is since you could be replacing unneeded parts.

The evap is located inside the heater box. That big black box on the firewall where the AC lines head inside. It'* basically another heater core like item. or a small radiator. But with cooling properties built in.

So it'* located inside the car on the passenger side behind the glove box?

Not quite.

To get to it..you need to look closely at the box on your firewall from under the hood. See the semi indented or outdented lines that say "cut here" ... yeah..that'* how you replace it.

If you have a good amount of oil leakage both at the pressure switch and the compressor, those are dead straight indicators of good sized leaks right there. Those alone may be the chief culprits. Just imagine the size of a freon (or R134a if you will) particle as compared with the size of a PAG oil particle. In other words, where that PAG oil can get out in any amount the gas can easily escape.

Next thing you will want to do is determine if those leaks are at the seal and/or O-ring connections themselves or if they are from other sources, like the internal compressor seals or weld cracks at the switch joint.

It may very well be that you just need to replace all the o-rings and seals in the system. This can especially be true if the A/C system had not been used for a long period. The seals and o-rings can dry out and create a leak path. Did your A/C system set for a long time uncharged?

As to replacing all the major components for $600 US, I'd certainly like to know where you'll find all those pieces for so little. And if you do, it'* a real bear replacing all of them. It can be done though. You will also have to replace the reciever/dryer assembly once you open the system.

Here'* some pics that should help. it'* the engine bay of a couple cars.. minus engine..

They may not be for the specific year but it gives me an idea of pricing. I believe they're remanufactured. Oh and Bill, thanks for the pictures. they're great.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/95-Po...spagenameZWD1V

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-A...spagenameZWD1V


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-9...spagenameZWDVW


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/94-97...spagenameZWD1V