air conditioning!

[jonbeling]

if i need to recharge my a/c every month then is my compressor broken or could there be a leak?

[jduarte]

If when fully charged, the A/C system cools the cabin at an acceptable level, then there's probably nothing wrong with the compressor. Most likely, there's a leak in the system. Usual suspects are the evaporator and the different hose fittings. The compressor may also leak at the body when the main seal is compromised.

[jonbeling]

the screw to the a/c compressor valve did break which led to all the refergant to come out i did put new o-rings on both valves and bought new screws, is it possible that there is a small leak there... i suppose i could just feel for a leak though.

[jduarte]

Yeah, you could check around that area for leaks. If the leak is pretty bad, that area would be a bit oily and grimy to the touch. Otherwise, you could check it the old-school way by foaming up some car shampoo (or any shampoo) and spread the foam over the surface to check for bubbles.

[CJ from Granite Bay, CA]

Two methods are commonly used. Dye and electronic. Dye is most popular but can take several days to appear. Many components are not visible so, the dye can often not be seen. Often shops charge for refrigerant and dye and tell you to come back in a few days. This works but costs you time and more money for refrigerant. Electronic detectors are quicker to pinpoint leaks and minimize the loss of refrigerant.

[jonbeling]

im not going to take it to a pro just becasue its a rip off. I can buy cans of refrigerant for $6 and do it myself. When it stops raining I will take a look at it and see. I was also wondering if not charging enough refrigerant in the system could cause this problem over a short period of time. For example i recharged it in august, and the air was very cold, but is it possible i didnt put enough in and over time it casued a loss of refrigerant. It sounds dumb but I was just wondering.