kgsoto
Member
- Joined
- October 2, 2010
- Messages
- 14
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- La Mesa, CA
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1996 Ford Explorer 5.0
Hello all, trying to get my 1996 Explorer V8 A/C working again.
Backstory: A/C worked fine for years, then lost cooling. Refilled with a DIY can and had cool air for few days then back to warm air again. Had so little refrigerant that the compressor wouldn't come on to recharge, had to jump the low pressure switch. Emptied an entire 18 oz can but the compressor won't even click on a few hours later, as if all the refrigerant has already escaped. Time to get serious.
I buy a gauge set, vacuum pump, orifice tube screen and a new accumulator - it looked like the original can with the foam sleeve. I took the accumulator off and stripped the foam away and saw no exterior rust or sign of oil leaking. Replaced accumulator anyway. Pulled orifice tube screen out - completely clean, no sludge, no sign of compressor failure. Replaced it anyway. Visual inspection of the rest of the system, no sign of anything obvious.
Hooked up the vacuum pump to evacuate the system. Pulls vacuum to about 15Hg within the first few seconds but will not pull lower after that, let the pump run for 20 minutes. Turn off the pump and lose all vacuum in a matter of seconds. So I'm thinking I have a substantial leak somewhere. I add some leak detector, hook up a can of r134a and start the engine, A/C on. After a minute the compressor clicks on and begins taking the refrigerant. Takes the whole 12 oz can. A/C blows cool, I get 50F at the vent on a very hot day (90F+ ambient). I check my pressure: low side: 45-50, high side 220-230, seems pretty good, although I know I've got nothing real since I never evacuated the system, just wanted to get the leak detector in the system. I drive it for 30 minutes and blows very cool. Check for leaks and don't see anything. Just because I have it I add another 12 oz. can. Close it up and head in for dinner.
Check under the hood that night with my UV light and funny glasses. I see a little something - specks really - all along the metal portion of the high pressure side tube coming from the compressor to the condensor in front of the radiator. But nothing major, not nearly enough to account for the 24oz of refrigerant and a 1/4 bottle of leak detector lost in few hours. I look everywhere, the compressor backside where the hoses attach and the pulley/shaft area, the schrader vales on the high and low side ports, all along the hoses, the expansion/orifice tube area, the new accumulator, the inlet/outlet of the evaporator, and the condensor. No sign of a leak.
So I'm stumped. Tell me what I should have done, or done differently, and tell me where to look for leaks, cause I'm not seeing it.
Backstory: A/C worked fine for years, then lost cooling. Refilled with a DIY can and had cool air for few days then back to warm air again. Had so little refrigerant that the compressor wouldn't come on to recharge, had to jump the low pressure switch. Emptied an entire 18 oz can but the compressor won't even click on a few hours later, as if all the refrigerant has already escaped. Time to get serious.
I buy a gauge set, vacuum pump, orifice tube screen and a new accumulator - it looked like the original can with the foam sleeve. I took the accumulator off and stripped the foam away and saw no exterior rust or sign of oil leaking. Replaced accumulator anyway. Pulled orifice tube screen out - completely clean, no sludge, no sign of compressor failure. Replaced it anyway. Visual inspection of the rest of the system, no sign of anything obvious.
Hooked up the vacuum pump to evacuate the system. Pulls vacuum to about 15Hg within the first few seconds but will not pull lower after that, let the pump run for 20 minutes. Turn off the pump and lose all vacuum in a matter of seconds. So I'm thinking I have a substantial leak somewhere. I add some leak detector, hook up a can of r134a and start the engine, A/C on. After a minute the compressor clicks on and begins taking the refrigerant. Takes the whole 12 oz can. A/C blows cool, I get 50F at the vent on a very hot day (90F+ ambient). I check my pressure: low side: 45-50, high side 220-230, seems pretty good, although I know I've got nothing real since I never evacuated the system, just wanted to get the leak detector in the system. I drive it for 30 minutes and blows very cool. Check for leaks and don't see anything. Just because I have it I add another 12 oz. can. Close it up and head in for dinner.
Check under the hood that night with my UV light and funny glasses. I see a little something - specks really - all along the metal portion of the high pressure side tube coming from the compressor to the condensor in front of the radiator. But nothing major, not nearly enough to account for the 24oz of refrigerant and a 1/4 bottle of leak detector lost in few hours. I look everywhere, the compressor backside where the hoses attach and the pulley/shaft area, the schrader vales on the high and low side ports, all along the hoses, the expansion/orifice tube area, the new accumulator, the inlet/outlet of the evaporator, and the condensor. No sign of a leak.
So I'm stumped. Tell me what I should have done, or done differently, and tell me where to look for leaks, cause I'm not seeing it.
