Freon leak

[cossie]

I've been chasing a small freon leak for quite some time now, a full load of freon would last 4-5 months. I have dye in the system and found a leak from the drier plug, all sorted out but there seems to be another source since it still loses freon. There is no trace of dye from the condensation but I just recently noticed that the vent on the right side tunnel has dye traces. I have replaced the evaporator last 2016 and the car ran less than 3K miles since then. Can a relatively new evaporator go bad that quick? Are there any other possible sources of the leak that can make the dye visible only in the right side duct?

Appreciate your inputs.

 

[alabbasi]

Do you run your a/c all year around? in many cases if you don't, the seals with dry out and cause minor leaks. It's a common issue on UK forums where the owners think they may save a few pennies on fuel by hitting the EC button during the winter months. Bad idea.

 

[cossie]

Do you run your a/c all year around? in many cases if you don't, the seals with dry out and cause minor leaks. It's a common issue on UK forums where the owners think they may save a few pennies on fuel by hitting the EC button during the winter months. Bad idea.

The car is rarely used, about once a month. In these occassions, AC is always used. There are no traces of dye in the engine compartment. The dye is only visible inside the footwell vents via a UV light. Can the expansion valve leak from the inside (evaporator side)? From the engine side there seems no visible leaks from the expansion valve. Evaporator is barely 3 yrs old.

 

[gsxr]

The expansion valve is located outside the firewall, behind the power brake booster. It would be nearly impossible for a leak from the expansion valve or O-rings to enter the heater box.

What brand evaporator was installed? If it was Behr, do you know if it was made in China or not?

 

[JC220]

I suggest cleaning off all old dye and verify it is gone with a UV lamp. Then check again in the coming weeks / months if new dye appears. The Dye you can see might be from the old parts already replaced.

And get yourself a freon sniffer tool available on ebay etc for about 30USD. This would confirm presence of even very low levels of freon in the air of suspect areas which will rule out potential for reading old Dye stains. Before delving in there again I myself would "want" to see fresh dye and the sniffer detecting freon then you know there is a new issue.

 

[maw1124]

Subscribed... I’ve a similar issue the last couple of years... I’ve had to top the Freon twice even though the car isn’t driven much (driven much less the last few years)... only difference is, I haven’t changed the condenser (yet)... reading between these lines the consensus seems to be the condenser is generally at fault... and if you have problems after a new condenser you probably got a “bad” new condenser... am I reading correctly?

If so, what are the “good” new condensers? Yes I know it’s covered elsewhere on the forum but I want to know if that information holds true for 2020.

Cheers,

maw

 

[gsxr]

maw, if you have a consistent small leak, you really need to add dye to the system to pinpoint the leak source. While the evaporator buried in the dash (not condenser, located next to the radiator) is often the top suspect, the evaporator is NOT always guilty. The dye pinpoints the source. The compressor shaft seal is another possibility. Using a chemical sealant like CryoSeal or ClipLight can often fix the evaporator, but these sealants cannot fix a leaking compressor shaft seal. If it's the compressor shaft seal it's probably easier to replace the compressor than to replace the seal.

 

[maw1124]

Thanks, GSXR. Compressor is what I meant. IIRC the guys already did the dye test, found traces on the compressor, advised of options and I said, “yeah let’s fill it again and see.” I want to see how long that lasts. In the meantime, I’ve also had to refill the M3, so I think I’m confusing cars and I’ve only refilled the 500E once (8+ years / 25k miles). I’m starting to lose track as to which car needs or has gotten what, as I haven’t spent a lot of time in either car the last couple years.

For instance, I finally got around to removing the heim joints and refreshing the rear suspension this summer... and haven’t driven the car since so I have no idea what it feels like. Put a new Alpine in, and barely spent enough time with the car to confirm it works. SMDH.

But I digress...

While we’re on topic, how often are folks here having to refill their Freon? I know, YMMV. But is once every 5 or 10 years too much?

maw

 

[gsxr]

While we’re on topic, how often are folks here having to refill their Freon? I know, YMMV. But is once every 5 or 10 years too much?

Topping off every 5-10 years would be fabulous. I have a few cars (one 210, couple 124) that have started to lose charge enough to no longer cool after a few months; i.e. recharging twice per year. I'm working on pinpointing the source on these, right now I'm still not sure.