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A/C drier lines leak

4

4x4JeePmaNthINg

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Colorado
In a stroke of genius I was dropping my trans pan and ended up flexing the a/c lines when pushing the trans dipstick down. Somewhere there was an audible leak.

Now I am completely lost for knowledge here.
Is there a way I should be leak checking this? Is this something I can legally work on?

What's should my next course of action be?


I appreciate any help on this one
 
You either get a "sniffer" or you can add dye the charge.
 
If you have to dis-assemble it to replace parts/O-rings then yes.
 
A/C clutch won't engage due to the system having leaked.
I jumped the ac clutch and added two cans of recharge/dye to which I had no luck finding fresh dye anywhere.
The accumulator seems to have old dye running from the top middle black line. I don't know if this is from when it cracked the other day, or if a shop had done that.

Shouldn't I be able to see new dye, or will it not even make it there if the leak is that bad?
 
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You may have to drive it for a few weeks before you see anything. Just keep n eye on it. You could "illegaly" empty it yourself,replace the line and you should have a shop pull vacuum on the system and rechrge it. Most shop are around 100 to $150 to do that.
 
Is it safe to leave the low pressure switch jumped so the clutch stays engaged?

After two cans it shows no pressure before or after injecting, nor does the clutch activate on its own having put more Freon in.

what would be my next course of action to find where this is leaking?


thanks for the help, im new to working on this area of the jeep
 
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For the dye to be most visible you usually need uv light and special goggles. Ac work is usually where it is worth it to have a shop do it. None of the work is particularly hard but having the right equipment makes a huge difference. You can get gauges and a vac pump from harbor freight but technically you need to be certified for a.c. work and you can't really do recapture with home stuff.
 
4x4JeePmaNthINg said:
Is it safe to leave the low pressure switch jumped so the clutch stays engaged?

After two cans it shows no pressure before or after injecting, nor does the clutch activate on its own having put more Freon in.

what would be my next course of action to find where this is leaking?


thanks for the help, im new to working on this area of the jeep
Click to expand...

No. Thats why it has a low pressure cut off
 
4x4JeePmaNthINg said:
Is it safe to leave the low pressure switch jumped so the clutch stays engaged?

After two cans it shows no pressure before or after injecting, nor does the clutch activate on its own having put more Freon in.

what would be my next course of action to find where this is leaking?


thanks for the help, im new to working on this area of the jeep
Click to expand...


The refrigerant is needed because of lubrication oil mixed with it, lube for the compressor. With no refrigerant to carry the oil thru the system, the compressor will be starved of lube and be damaged. The oil is always flowing thru the system, so long as refrigerant is moved along to carry it.
 
would pumping air into the line be a bad idea for listening for a leak?

it was very audible when it cracked, i fear that its the evap coil, but i cant think of how else one would test to see if this is leaking or rule out any other engine bay portion of the lines.

any thoughts/ideas?
 
That would be a bad idea, you don't want to introduce any contaminants into the system (air/moisture).
 
What is the standard procedure for checking for a leak in the ac system, other than sniffer and dye?
Do I need a shop to remove any leftover Freon in order to work on this, or has it leaked everything out being that it won't build any charge From refill cans?
 
Charge system with dry nitrogen, use soapy water and look for bubbles. This is an antiquated way to check and even discouraged by MACS but I have had success looking for stubborn intermittent leaks at different pressures in heavy equipment.
 
chasdb said:
Charge system with dry nitrogen, use soapy water and look for bubbles. This is an antiquated way to check and even discouraged by MACS but I have had success looking for stubborn intermittent leaks at different pressures in heavy equipment.
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention that. Know a guy who says the same thing. Says the nitrogen will dry everything out in there. He deals with industrial type situations and this is what they do before them pump the refrigerant in at $500 a tank. He told me to come by and he would help me locate my leak. He said we will also throw a small about of refrigerant in there. But he said chances are we will hear the leak. If not the soapy water. And if not then we need to use his sniffer. Why we throw in the refrigerant.

I did not think of this till later so I will ask him but when using the nitrogen what happens to the existing oil in the AC system? Will it need to be replaced or some added?
 
Nitrogen is usually used when doing any service repair to "purge" the system, not when doing general servicing like adding Freon!
 
OK, I know by our nature we are DIY'ers. However, in this case I would suggest you take it to an automotive AC specialist. You can probably find a local place that can leak test your system for a couple of ten spots. Once you ID the leak, you can make the repairs yourself, then take it back to them to evacuate and charge.

I may have overlooked it, but what year is your XJ? I assumed it's '96 or newer since you asked about OBD codes.
 
It might be as simple as a loose connection. Have you snugged up all the fittings? If that is all it is, you can cheaply recharge it in a few minutes.

As far a dye, I like the UV stuff. Fill it at night and use a light while running. The actually colored stuff can be hard to find some times.
 
RCP Phx said:
Nitrogen is usually used when doing any service repair to "purge" the system, not when doing general servicing like adding Freon!
Click to expand...

Yes. The only reason my buddy wanted to add a little freon is if for some reason actually hearing the leak or finding it with the soapy water did not pan out. Then he said he would resort to his sniffer.
 
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