Hey Guys, So here is my predicament. I have a '96 Honda Accord. Last summer I found that the A/C didn't work. It had a slight chill to it, but it was not even remotely close to being something useful. So being the resourceful individual that I am (or like to think) I looked into getting it fixed. Lo' and behold you can get the coolant off of ebay to recharge the system, hallelujah! I thought. Seeing as I wouldn't have to spend a small fortune for a shop to do it, I bought the kit and recharged the system. Ice cold A/C, woo hoo! So last summer came and went. And perpetual winter set in until last month (Yes, July). And just this week I had to turn it on... only to find it was not chilly cold air, but lame warm gross air. What the?! I thought. So, listening carefully to the car when I turn the A/C on, I find it is indeed running the A/C, its just that its not cold, like before. When I bought the recharge kit, it came with 2 additional bottles of coolant (R134A, 12oz) So I figure, heck why not? I'll dump another 12oz can into it and see if it leaks out. Now this recharge kit did come with the pressure gauge, so I could check to see if the system was to low or high. It was low and so I put the can into the system. Ice cold A/C once again! Now it is fine, or is apparently fine. So the gist of what I am gathering about this, is that the system is leaking. Very slowly, so slow that it seems to take months and months for it to discharge. Problem is that I wont be able to tell if its out in the next 3 months. As it would be freezing outside. So I get online and find very vague info on a resolution to this, other then a highly expensive shop OR buying the pump, condenser, and evaporator and doing a home a job. So my second thought was this. On ebay there is a oil/stop leak kit. I am, however, leary of this. As I dont know if the crap would do good or bad (there always seems to be a downside to 'stop leak' solutions) So, what do you guys think? The leak is very slow, and the oil/stop leak kit seems feesable as it is not leaking hardly at all. The parts themselves are not terribly expensive, but tearing apart the entire car is more then I think I want to do. And a shop just seems to be out of the question as summer here is nearly over (and our summers are mild at best) and the cost of this is insane. Thanks for all and any input, its appreciated!
There used to be a UV-reactive diagnostic gas that you can stick in there, then just pass a UV lamp over it. Beyond that you'll need to find another method.
I had this problem with my car recently and just a heads up its expensive to fix cost £300 for the tube to be replaced, so do what you can yourself as long as you feel confident, I think you should be able to pick up the replacement tube from a scrap dealer or what ever they are called in the states for a small ammount some may even be nice and fit it for you cheapish .
How expensive was the kit? I mean, you're only gonna need it during summer right? So if the kits costs, say $30 and the cost to repair it is $300 you might aswell just stick with having a slow leak.
Thanks for the input guys. I did see the UV stuff, might have to check into that. Im concerned that the leak could be in the condenser inside the car and will not be detectable. Yes, the kit was cheap. A bottle runs about $6-8. Its more or less that it could develop into a larger problem. Again thanks for the input guys. If ever I move to a more hostile climate, I will fix it for sure. Its still running cold too, so far so good!
