A/C Question (I see the leak!)

[RedBeard]

1995 Explorer

Ok, found the leak on my a/c system... It is leaking at a connector. The line comes from the radiator area and runs to the round cannister (evaporater?) The connector is metal, round, with some sort of clip that holds it together.
My questions are:

-- Is there an O-ring in that connector or is it just some sort of compression fitting?

-- Is this a high pressure line or is it low pressure?

-- Is there a special tool to disconnect/reconnect it?

I'm happy that I've found the leak and that the system works as long as there's a fresh charge of 134a, but I'm clueless about that connector. I've seen that sort of connector on fuel lines before in, ahem, GM cars.

Thanks!

 

[EMG7895]

The connection that you are describing consists of a garter spring inside the round housing you see. It may be under pressure depending on how much it has leaked. You can buy a tool to remove it but its easier just to take an appropriate sized piece of copper pipe about an inch long with a slit down the middle and put it over the line on the side of the fitting that you can see the spring from, then just push it into the housing and pull the lines apart replace the o rings and lubricate them. Then you can reassemble and recharge

 

[jgilbs]

it actually is the same connector as a fuel connector, you will need the appropriate size fuel disconnect tool to remove it (free rental at autozone)

 

[EMG7895]

You dont need the tool, my copper pipe works perfectly. The connection is very simple, if you want i can send you the diagrams from my service manual

 

[Glacier991]

That line is under pressure, DO NOT disconnect it until the system has been discharged. Eyesight is a precious thing. BTW...The location you describe is where the orifice valve is located.

 

[mhn3773]

i wouldnt really worry about eye sight..but it WILL blow sh#t everywhere..and remember freon has an oil in it to lube the compressor that WILL cover everything..even if its in a tool bag (sigh i liked that bag)

if u have to remove under pressure back it off like 1/4 turn at a time

 

[jgilbs]

umm, i WOULD worry about eyesight. You can never be too careful, and from what i've heard, if you get freon on your cornea, it WILL blind you. You can never be too careful. Is wearing goggles really that much of a hassle that its worth giving up your eyesight not to do?

 

[RedBeard]

You dont need the tool, my copper pipe works perfectly. The connection is very simple, if you want i can send you the diagrams from my service manual

That would help me out a lot! You can email me from my profile and thank you very much!

I'm not sure I understand the copper pipe thing... Would a tool be easier for someone who hasn't really messed with these sort of connectors? I can hook up my guages to see if there is any pressure left in there, but I doubt there is. Is that particular line high pressure or low pressure?

Oh yeah... Safety glass are at the ready. I can't make a living without my vision.

 

[EMG7895]

I'll send them when i get a chance tonight but the homemade pipe tool is much easier to understand once you see the diagrams.

 

[Glacier991]

That is a high pressure line - but with the system off, the high pressure side and the low pressure side equalize so there is no pressure difference on a non-op system. If there is a charge, it should be recovered in accordance with Federal law. If you choose to ignore that, NEVER discharge a system by disconnecting a fitting. Explosive discharge is unsafe, unnecessary and wastes oil charge. IF you are hellbent on discharging into the atmosphere, do it gradually via one of the valve fittings.

As for glasses, consider this - one drop of liquid refrigerant on a cornea is surgery time. And you want to disconnect a fitting for explosive uncontrolled discharge too?

 

[ifixairplanes]

hehe. I just had to work on my AC on that same line you are talking about. If you look at that line just beneath the receiver dryer, you will see a metal clamp around that pipe holding it steady. That metal clamp corroded my AC line and caused a leak. What I did was cut off the metal pipe just before the corrosion and just after the metal clip on the other side. I then got some high pressure A/C hose and double clamped each end with c-clamps onto the pipe. First time I did it, I only had the rubber line about 2" over the metal line, i was sitting in traffic then i heard POP!! WHOOOOOSHHHHHHHHHHH. A big cloud of R134a was bellowing out from under my hood and over to cars nearby, i was laughing my ass of cause i knew what it was. But the look and other people faces where priceless! I have since fixed it again and now have nice cold AC and no leaks whatsoever. good luck.

sean

 

[RedBeard]

I pulled that line off (I checked for pressure at the low and high pressure valves) and the leak was not from bad O-rings, it was the connector itself. It was rusted and had a pinhole leak. $40 bucks later at the dealer, and I had a new hose, installed it and charged the system. Still ice cold and my 850 mile trip back to Buffalo was much more enjoyable!

I had cleaned up the leaking hose and installed some JB weld at the joint where the leak was. As it was drying, I called around and found the hose. I think the JB weld would hold since it was such a small leak. I guess I'll never know, but perhaps I have a spare hose now

Thanks to EMG7895 and everyone else for the help!

 

[mhn3773]

umm, i WOULD worry about eyesight. You can never be too careful, and from what i've heard, if you get freon on your cornea, it WILL blind you. You can never be too careful. Is wearing goggles really that much of a hassle that its worth giving up your eyesight not to do?

lol it probably WILL blind u..but i worked on that crap for more then a year and NEVER had anything come even close to my face...explosive disharges and all

 

[Glacier991]

I believe people should have the right to do anythng they want to if the only one who can get hurt is themselves.... true in this situation too. But someone not knowledgeable may not know the risk they potentially face if they get liquid refrigerant in thier eye(s). Once they know, they can decide for themselves whether they choose to use goggles or glasses, or not.

 

[nhut]

Hey guys,I have a problem with my AC.I took it to a Pepboys and they said that they high side valve was leaking and they needed to check the flow vent also.I looked at the high side valve and it was leaking.How do you take one of these out,can you just take the valve out.l had a hell of a time trying to take this out.Now the thing is halfway stripped.Also I bought a replacement high side valve from Autozone but it doesn't look the same as the original,will this work or do I have to buy it from the stealer.One more thing,how can I check the flow vent to see if it is working properly.

 

[Glacier991]

The connectors have a little valve thing (exact replica of a bicycle valve...called a Schrader valve) screwed down into them. Easy to replace with the right tool. They even make a tool that lets you swap em out under pressure ! I'll post some pics. You shouldn't need to replace the entire connector. Not sure what you mean "flow vent" ?

Here's the tools and a sample valve core...

On top is the tool that will allow you to remove a core from a charged system without losing charge (this is the R-12 model) Underneath right is a core removal tool, on he left is a replacement core (works in either system R12 or R 134)

The next two show the core tool and how it engages the core to screw it out (or a new one in.)

and engaged:

Hope this helps

 

[nhut]

Well the answer that glacier991 gave me was very resourceful.However,I went to Pepboys and they said that they needed to know what size valve is it so that they can match it up to the correct tool.Also, they said that it will remove the core,but if the o-ring is bad than i would have to replace the entire valve.This leads to several questions:
1.What is the size of this valve so I know to purchase the correct tool?
2.If it is the valve that needs to be replaced,can I buy this from an aftermarket supplier or does it have to be from Ford.
3.If I have to replace the valve,how is this done because I had a hell of a time trying to unscrew this thing.
Glacier991,
The flow vent that I was talking about was the vent behind the panels.They AC guy at pepboys said that the flow readin on his meter was not consistent when he tested the AC.I don't know much about flow vent so I'm just passing on what he said to me.

 

[Glacier991]

flow vent is a new term to me. Does he mean orifice valve ? What did Pep Boys do ? Did they put a gauge set on your system while it was operational ?

 

[nhut]

This is new to me also.He apparently put some sort of meter that read the amount of flow coming out of the vent.At one point it was reading as it should and at other times it was not reading like it was supposed to.What he said was he needed to open it up to see if there is any blockage behind the dash or check to see why I was not getting any flow consistantly.This is what I could gather from him to the best of my knowledge.

 

[nhut]

I finally got the valve off.It was a pain.Put a new valve on and charged it up.It took almost 3 cans(2 large one and 1 small one).Now AC is working but I don't know for how long it will last.I notice that my AC does not feel as good as other peoples newer cars.Is this common with 94 Explorer.