2006 Explorer XLT A/C leak

[Scorpion8]

Okay, last summer I had a/c, and this year nothing. Nada. Frankly a/c is only needed by Nanook of the North up here several times a year, but it also works on defrost. Is there a typical a/c leak area on these? My local Ford-certified shop dumped more Freon in w/o leak checking, and it bled off within a week. At least I got my money back, because I specifically asked for a leak check/pressure test and they didn't do it.

The leak detection dye requires a u/v light, no?

 

[Rcflyer330]

The uv dye requries a uv light to dectect but if it is leaking really bad look for a neon yellow spot. Common places for a leak I dont know for this vehicle but common places are at any connection point the high/low valves, compressor seal wear or there could be a hole from a rock or something hitting the front condenser. With the compressor the dye will be on the bottom side right behind the clutch. Also do you have rear ac?

There are a few ways to check for a leak if the uv dye was put in then just use a uv light to look for the bright spots the other way is with a sniffer tool witch requires you to have some r134a in the system where the compressor can run then go around the ac system and see when the tone changes. The sniffer tool can also check for leaks in the evaperator through the car vents. Look up ericthecarguy on youtube. He has videos that shoe how to check for ac system leaks with both tools. If I get time later I will try to post a link to a video.

 

[Rcflyer330]

here is one of ericthecarguys older ac videos but it is still usefull.

 

[Scorpion8]

So the garage diagnosed my a/c and said it's the rear a/c unit that is leaking. I have not had the vehicle up on stands, but I understand the a/c lines run under the vehicle, go up into the right rear quarter panel where the a/c unit is inside that small pop-out door in the rear cargo area, left-hand side? Surprisingly, is there no way to just blank-off those rear a/c lines and have front-a/c-only? Is there a typical spot where the rear a/c lines are under stress or vibration and develop leaks?

 

[Scorpion8]

I found a pin-hole leak in the metal tube right where the rear a/c line turns upward into the left rear quarter panel a/c unit. I'm guessing a/c lines cannot be brazed or soldered?

 

[Big Z]

I found a pin-hole leak in the metal tube right where the rear a/c line turns upward into the left rear quarter panel a/c unit. I'm guessing a/c lines cannot be brazed or soldered?

Yes they can. There are several different flavors of brazing alloys for aluminum, & it's a real repair for a/c lines. An auto shop would probably change the whole line & charge a zillion.

 

[Scorpion8]

That's what I'm wrestling with. I can find the line and change it out myself, then have them service the a/c. To braze up the line, I probably have to remove it from the vehicle anyway in order to properly clean the braze area so it holds and is permanent.

 

[dhoprx]

That's what I'm wrestling with. I can find the line and change it out myself, then have them service the a/c. To braze up the line, I probably have to remove it from the vehicle anyway in order to properly clean the braze area so it holds and is permanent.

I found a similar issue on my 07 Mountaineer, found the leak, under the passenger side rear door, and sealed it with JB Weld. Holding so far, we will see.

 

[pjw73nh]

I had a similar pin hole in the return line to the rear system at the same place. Believe it or not, It would only leak with the rear AC fan on. I was able to remove the clamps that hold it under the rocker panel, and pull it out far enough to make one cut, and then use a 5/8" (I believe this was the size) coupler : http://www.mcmaster.com/#5220k27/=13o161d to solve the issue. It' s held for 3 years now.

 

[Scorpion8]

I had a similar pin hole in the return line to the rear system at the same place. Believe it or not, It would only leak with the rear AC fan on. I was able to remove the clamps that hold it under the rocker panel, and pull it out far enough to make one cut, and then use a 5/8" (I believe this was the size) coupler : http://www.mcmaster.com/#5220k27/=13o161d to solve the issue. It' s held for 3 years now.

That's another idea. I need to check to see if there is enough good pipe before the pinhole to get a grip on from the coupler. It is the 5/8" pipe section on mine also.

 

[pjw73nh]

Here is a link to some pics. The top 3 are pics of how a "major internet auto parts vendor" shipped them to me. (They bent the line so it fit in the box). Yes, I sent it back. Long story. The bottom 3 pics show the line on the right (with the leak) and the two lower left ones show the section I cut out and the pinhole leak. I hope this helps.

https://goo.gl/photos/nwrRDYVQSgq4TuHc9

 

[Scorpion8]

I hope this helps.

Helps quite a bit, because I just ordered that companion part YF3524 from the same place. My pinhole is about 3/4" past the last section of hose, right before it turns down n' up into the rear evaporator. I didn't judge there to be enough tube length to get a compression coupling fitting on (thanks for that suggestion) as the tube starts to flatten out for the bend, so it isn't exactly round there. I may still try Devcon or JB Weld, if that parts place damages my hose.

ps- What's the best cleaner in this spot to get a good bond, brake cleaner?

 

[Scorpion8]

Well, got the YF3524 part in and it isn't anywhere close to the right part. What I got was a short stub tube maybe 30" long, when what I needed is a long tube/hose combo that snakes across under the spare tire and connects up to the rear evaporator. The part #'s seemed like the right piece and it was labeled as the right piece.....

 

[Scorpion8]

Okay, got the right discharge hose for this project, but am having an issue getting the old hose out. I have it all done except for the front connector, which is over the rear transaxle. Very tight spot. Got the nut off, but cannot get it wiggled off where it mounts into the mid-body connector. Any thoughts? Anybody done this spot before?

 

[Scorpion8]

I finally managed to get the mid-body connection block separated, so tomorrow the new hose gets installed. After that, who has a good simple a/c recharge procedure? I think I can borrow a gauge manifold and vacuum pump from O'Reilly's. How much a/c should I have on hand, since the entire system has been bled off by the hole in the a/c hose tube? Or is this part even something I should be thinking about doing myself?

 

[Big Z]

The trim over the radiator should have a sticker that shows the a/c capacity. It'll show 2 different capacities IIRC.. 1 for front a/c only, and 1 for front/rear a/c. I think I've done an '06 and it was 3.5lbs. So, if I'm right you'll need 5 regular 12oz cans. I'm not sure what your local stores are charging but it might be cheapest to order it in. I usually charge outta 30lb'ers on a scale but if it was me using regular cans/minimal tooling-- I'd buy my own can tap & dump 4 in & either estimate the last one or to be more precise-- use a kitchen scale to get 8oz out of it. Close the can tap, leave it on the can & remove the hose when you're done. Use the last bit to top off another vehicle when you get a chance. I'd just buy Plain Jane refrigerant. No sooper dooper ultra maximum oiled stop-leak synthetic miracle tonic. Again I'm not sure how the prices are up yonder, but here I'd be looking for $4-5/can. Maybe I'd pay $6 if I really wanted instant gratification. FWIW, it's about $2/can out of my 30lb'ers.

After vacuuming it I'd shut off the manifold valves, wait to watch for a rise in pressure, switch the common hose to the refrigerant can, open the can tap, crack open the common hose at the manifold to purge the air, then open the manifold valves to equalize the pressure between the can & the vehicle. Then close the high-pressure valve (IMPORTANT--if you think you will forget, just keep it closed the whole time! Exposing the refrigerant can to the high side under high pressure can cause it to explode!), turn the vehicle on, turn the a/c on & add refrigerant as it takes it. The cans will get cold as you add them. They will empty into the vehicle faster if you can set them in hot water. Keep the cans upright while charging. Inverting them charges as liquid which is a no-no when using the vehicle's compressor to charge it (it can be done by throttling the manifold but it's safer to just charge as a vapor with the can upright).

 

[Scorpion8]

Thanks. O'Reilly's kids at the counter didn't know how to spell "a/c gage manifold" or "vacuum pump" and trying to deal with them was an episode of "Dumb and Dumber". So I was unable to get that part of the hardware needed. I'd really like to know if it holds vacuum before I take it to anybody else to recharge the system.

 

[Scorpion8]

Replaced the liquid hose under the rear spare tire carrier, had the system evacuated, and recharged with 47oz of R-134a. No leaks, and I saved a buttload of money doing it myself, 50% by quick calc. Thanks all who helped in this.