What to do to stop freon leak?

[cantdrv55]

What's the one main thing that can be done to minimize freon loss? Replace hoses, maybe?

[slodave]

Remove the entire A/C system.

[cantdrv55]

I want cold air.

[jsteve340]

I don't want to sound too obvious,but you have to find the leak.Don't just start replacing parts.It could be a hose,but why guess?
You will probably be better off taking it to a shop and have them identify where the leak is and then you can replace the bad part yourself if you want.
An hour of labor paid to the shop could save you money rather than just throwing money at replacing perfectly good parts.

[whiteSC59]

borrow a leak detector and some hot shot, its cheap...

[Rick V]

Originally Posted by jsteve340

I don't want to sound too obvious,but you have to find the leak.Don't just start replacing parts.It could be a hose,but why guess?
You will probably be better off taking it to a shop and have them identify where the leak is and then you can replace the bad part yourself if you want.
An hour of labor paid to the shop could save you money rather than just throwing money at replacing perfectly good parts.

And there it is

[cantdrv55]

I should've phrased the question better. What is the most common cause of freon leak? It was just a general question. My AC system is just needing a charge now after five years of ownership so I'm happy with it. I found a local shop that'll convert it to R134a and charge it up for $375 plus tax.

[Green 912]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

I should've phrased the question better. What is the most common cause of freon leak? It was just a general question. My AC system is just needing a charge now after five years of ownership so I'm happy with it. I found a local shop that'll convert it to R134a and charge it up for $375 plus tax.

What will they be doing to convert? Will they be replacing the evap and condenser? Removing the old oil and cleansing the system for the new non compatible oil? If not you might be disappointed in the slightly cold air that comes out. R134a is about 20% less efficient than R12. 911 AC is marginal at best to start with.

[cantdrv55]

They did say it won't be as cold as r12 but what's the alternative - no AC? This is my wife's car and is for street only so must have air con.

[midlife]

If it took 5 years to leak down, I would just use duracool, and not worry about the leak. The cooling will be better than R134A, and at about $8 a can, you can refill it every few years.

[tonythetarga]

You don't say which year car you have and the systems vary. Most of the pre-90 cars had questionable a/c systems. Start with having a look at the underside of the engine lid. If you see a thin black line of oil sprayed above the compressor location, that means your compressor is leaking. There may be other leaks (hoses, connections, etc.) and the drier should be replaced regardless of a leak if you intend to recharge. You may be able to get a 'newer' or aftermarket compressor that will work better if the rest of the system is sound and you do the system clean out as suggested.

[yelcab1]

Originally Posted by tonythetarga

You don't say which year car you have and the systems vary. ....

Chris has the G50 Carrera, with the crappy AC

[T77911S]

the evap is a common source for leaks. also the line connections. look for the wet spot, well, look for greease and dirt collecting at the connections. if you find one that is very dirty, could be the leak. my money is on the evap.
this also depends on how fast it leaks. very slow may not show itself.

we just put freeze 12 in my brothers 930, he is happier than a pig in mud.

i would not convert. there is plenty of r12 out there. fix the leak, put in r12 if you do not want to use a drop in replacement. iv got about 9 cans. timc may sell his.
i also know people that have just vacuumed it down and put in 134, and still going.

[ERN911]

Well don't condemn me for this but I converted mine to 134 simple conversion and put in a can of stop leak, it worked well till one day I decided to remove the compressor just to lightened the rear a bit, but otherwise it cooled enough to keep me comfortable in Florida.

[Miguel Antonett]

Duracool is the way to go. Using it for 10 years = great stuff.

[T77911S]

DO NOT use duracool. it has dimethylmethane, or propane, in it. i did not see a can, but if the can says "flamable" do not use it. it has propane in it. there are other options just as cheap that are safer.
read the MSDS sheet for duracool.
not to promote freeze12, but it is made up of r134 and r142,

[Brorag]

I went through this on my '87 carrera cab (wretched excess, A/C in convertible).
I could charge the original system for a while but it would loose gas. Went through a couple compressors, vacuums, refills, checks, rework for new freon etc.
I investigated and found the original reqd topping off `every 2 yrs.

I also found that the quality of most repairs sucked. Most people just cycle your car through without finding the root cause.

I finally bought the kit from Texas that included evap, condensor, hoses and cleaner, and installed it myself, filled it to test for leaks with some cans of freon I had laying around.

I then took it back to a car A/C guy and had him vacuum and fill with the new freon.

This is the third summer with the new system and there is no degredation in the cooling performance. It does well in NC. Installation was easier than I figured; I just took my time, assuring that the o-ring seals used at all the joints were appropriately lub'd and torque'd.

The sam guy in tx now sells the front condenser also--wasn't available at the time.

[kuehl]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

What is the most common cause of freon leak?

Compressor
Hoses.
If you have a 86+, then the evaporator.

Don't use "liquid sealers", you'll gum up the system (reference previous studies by MAC).

[ChkbookMechanic]

The problem with checking for leaks in hoses is that two of the hoses go from the engine bay to the bottom of the car and it is hard to check for leaks where you can't see them when they make the transition.

I just replaced all my A/C components and when I pulled out the hose that went from the rear condenser to the front condenser it had a gash in it about 1/2" long where all the refrigerant was leaking out.

[kuehl]

The stock hoses permeate refrigerant at low rate through their wall (you can't detect it with an electronic leak detector because the parts per million is less than the avg. detector and leakage rates increase with pressure and time).

The evaporator to compressor hose and the deck lid condenser to front condenser or drier (early models without front condenser) typically get crushed from lift pads.

The compressor to deck lid condenser hose sees heat and flexing, hence cracks.

The hoses at the drier are prone to tire rubbing.

Bottom line, just replace all the hoses with barrier hoses and move on.