[artsound]

So I live in Miami---It's HOT HOT HOT. You need working ac down here!
Just bought the focus had my ac guy fill it up and add dye. it blew cold for 5 days and then although still working it was obvious that each day it was blowing less cold. We got out the black light and special glasses(felt like the 70s for a minute) but we found no leaks--he even tried some mactools refridgerant detector tool but could find nothing. Then he added more dye and r134 and now we wait for it to slowly leak out--hopefully leaving a psychedelic stain around some cheap to repair o-ring fitting.
Any Ideas?

 

[slevane]

Some ideas. Did you check inside? Did you check drain hose? May be coming out of the condensor and venting into the car. Also are you sure it isnt coming out of the low or high pressure fittings?

Scott

 

[Humphrey]

Was in vacuumed? Mine is doing this as well and was told that if you don't vacuum the system then bad things could happen.

 

[artsound]

Some ideas. Did you check inside? Did you check drain hose? May be coming out of the condensor and venting into the car. Also are you sure it isnt coming out of the low or high pressure fittings?

Scott

checked drain hose and fittings--we looked all over--including fittings

 

[artsound]

Was in vacuumed? Mine is doing this as well and was told that if you don't vacuum the system then bad things could happen.

well it was just low on r134 when we started so we did not put pump it just added gas. I dont believe you need to vac it if it still has higer pressure than outside--I could be wrong

 

[amc49]

Generally that is correct...............

 

[tmittelstaedt]

Did you put a set of gauges on it when you first added refrigerant, and record the pressures, then check a few days later to verify they are lower? I would make sure it IS leaking.

Usually when they can't find the dye with a blacklight the leak is in the evaporator which means tearing into the dash. It takes a lot of leaking for the dye to make it's way out the evaporator water drain and be detected there. Also for the dye to come out of the drain you have to have condensing water on the evap and if it's leaking then it might not be getting cold enough for that to happen.

This is why I use an electronic leak detector. So far I have not run into a leak that wasn't detectible with the electronic leak detector that I had to use dye to find. You can get used ones pretty cheap. Refrigerant is heavier than air so if you put the car in a garage, make sure that it's system is filled with refrigerant, shut everything off and make sure that there is no air movement in the garage, the refrigerant will fall straight down.

 

[artsound]

Did you put a set of gauges on it when you first added refrigerant, and record the pressures, then check a few days later to verify they are lower? I would make sure it IS leaking.

Usually when they can't find the dye with a blacklight the leak is in the evaporator which means tearing into the dash. It takes a lot of leaking for the dye to make it's way out the evaporator water drain and be detected there. Also for the dye to come out of the drain you have to have condensing water on the evap and if it's leaking then it might not be getting cold enough for that to happen.

This is why I use an electronic leak detector. So far I have not run into a leak that wasn't detectible with the electronic leak detector that I had to use dye to find. You can get used ones pretty cheap. Refrigerant is heavier than air so if you put the car in a garage, make sure that it's system is filled with refrigerant, shut everything off and make sure that there is no air movement in the garage, the refrigerant will fall straight down.

Yes -low and hi side guages, my fear as well is that it is in the evap coil. But no dye in drain and lots of water condenseing and going out tube--it's miami so usually 99% humidity. Maybe the leak detector
's not working well--I'm waiting till it leaks more and then we will look again.
I would rather it's compressor than evap coil

 

[tmittelstaedt]

If you have dye in there and a leak, there's dye somewhere outside.

Your mech's blacklight may be crap. If he's using the fluorescent tube that you use at parties or on Halloween then get a real light.

Here's a whole bunch of 'em to choose from, these are the ones cops use, many are very cheap:

http://www.batteryjunction.com/flashlight-uv.html

Probably don't even need the glasses, just a dark garage. Hit it with one of these and it will light up like Vegas.

 

[artsound]

If you have dye in there and a leak, there's dye somewhere outside.

Your mech's blacklight may be crap. If he's using the fluorescent tube that you use at parties or on Halloween then get a real light.

Here's a whole bunch of 'em to choose from, these are the ones cops use, many are very cheap:

http://www.batteryjunction.com/flashlight-uv.html

Probably don't even need the glasses, just a dark garage. Hit it with one of these and it will light up like Vegas.

Afraid thats not it- it's a good uv light--you can see the little bit of dye we dropped very well with the light and glasses--its not a flourescent tube--its a pistol grip type you connect to the battery