How To Find and Repair AC Leaks - EricTheCarGuy
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 พ.ค. 2012
- Visit me at: www.ericthecarguy.com/
How To Recharge an AC System: • How To Recharge an AC ...
Basics of AC: • AC System Basics - Eri...
AC Performance Test: • AC Performance Test - ...
I suppose this has been a long time coming but for me I wanted to make sure that I made a video that would be useful to you as well as emphasized the importance of good practices when working with AC. Keep in mind refrigerant is a CFC meaning that it pretty much kills the ozone layer and if you don't respect that you WILL cause environmental damage even a little adds up so please follow the precautions in this video when working on an AC system. The other thing about AC is that it involves a lot more than just shooting a can of refrigerant into the system when it's not working right there are many systems that come into play that you need to consider such as; the health of the cooling system, cooling fan operation, the mechanical operation of the components of the system, the operation of the HVAC inside the dash, and the electronics so keep in mind if you're having a problem with your AC it could be much more than just a simple leak. I'll get off my soap box now.
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Stay dirty and stay cool
ETCG
Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. EricTheCarGuy assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. EricTheCarGuy recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not EricTheCarGuy. - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
You are too real Eric. No editing the silly parts and mistakes. Learning a lot from your effort. Saves me a lot of time and mistakes on my end. I do residential hvac and never put a vacuum on a system with a known leak as it will suck air through the leak into the system and allow moisture into it. To verify a leak I pressure the system with nitrogen & look for a drop in pressure. Congrats on a million subscribers.
Man you could've done alot of other fun things with your time, but being the awesome guy you are, you decided to help out your fellow man. Your the best bro. Thanks a mill for your vids.
I am an Certified Auto Electrician for years. Listening to Eric the car guy it's amazing and I am doing very good so far thanks so much. I will always watch your videos
Eric is the best. Smart. Articulate. Helpful. Knowledgeable.
And he cracks me up.
Gv
great how to, thanks,,,
Is so clear that you explain ! I never find a professional like you. Complement from Italy!
Thank you. You helped me find a leak in my dash in my 2009 Doge Journey. I previously attempted to find the leak with dye and was frustrated. I them bought a detector after watching your video and sniffed the AC lines with nothing found until I sniffed the vents as you instructed and the sniffer went crazy. Now to access the AC core in the dash to replace it... Yay 😖!
Just found your videos. Very helpful and easy to follow. I do all my own car repairs but have never had to deal with AC issues til now. This 30 minute lesson is a great resource. Thanks!
Great Video. A/C was always a mystery to me, and although I do a lot of work on my vehicles, I have always sent this work out. I will try it myself the next time. Thanks Much!
thank you very much for doing these kind of video, they are so helpful.
Thanks Eric for creating this video. I love this kind of practical DIY guide, especially on a difficult subject like the AC system.
This certainly raises some topics that I should keep in mind. I thank you for pointing these important areas out to me and all that would undertake A/C repair. JD
Man this is awesome! I love how you show all the missteps . As someone who's been trying everything , this was the best video for an inspiring DIYer with some general knowledge. :) A/C go go go
I have been ASE certified on AC/ Refrigerant for years. This is an absolutely amazing video, Anyone actually listening to Eric is doing it right. Of All the test i've had to fail people on in this, its one thing...SAFETY GLASSES. Keep it up Man.
Excellent video Eric. Very helpful. Shows to persevere to find a leak. Thanks for being a good technician and adhering to the EPA 609 standard.
Thank you for all your videos posted and the ones to come. Im currently studying for auto technician. Your videos are very informative. I've been able to associate class with your videos and its helped me a lot. Thanks Eric. Its people like you that make a difference.
Eric, remember for the next video that the yellow hose need to be vented at the mainfold when you plug the refrigerant can in order to vent the remaing moisture thats trapped inside this hose !
BTW great video !!!
But that would have blown most of the dye out!
Great video. And as a professional tech im glad to see these kind of videos so consumers can understand the difficulties of Ac work. Just a couple of thoughts. Why not bench test the line before installation As brazing is a industry approved repair. With the vacuum pump and a couple vacuum plugs you can pull a vacuum on just that line and it is quicker than pulling vacuum on the whole system. Also with that said you can isolated the whole system line by line and confirm evaporator leaks before pulling dashes. Take that electric leak detector and throw it in the trash it can be set off by anything as your video shows. Keep up the good work
this video is freeking awesome, its just what i needed for my 97 honda accord. thank you Eric.
Hi. Thanks a lot for all your videos! You have helped me many times. I agree that A/C work can be challenging as replacing freon and dryers can add up in cost if different problems come up after fixing one thing. Thanks.
Another great video Eric. Just a tip... if there's a leak in the system, stay away from SEALANT(s). Usually they never work and clog the expansion valves (also ruins recovery machines), so please take it to a shop to have a certified technician work on it, if unsure.
Hey, I really got to thank you cause I learned so much! JD
Very helpful video, particularly when combined with others from Eric and elsewhere. This is no Ph.D. program on HVAC; but, thank you to the author for putting this material and himself here for our benefit.
George Clooney with a ponytail! Seriously, you rock man! I'm am amateur mechanic and your videos are easy to follow and super informative for the DIYers out there. Great video quality and editing btw. Keep up the good work!
Also keep in mind that if the compressor doesn not crank for a long time it will break (the shaft seals) so it is really worth checking if it's ok. I bought a car that had a leak in the system that nobody bothered to fix for years and I had to change the compressor too.
I am buying a 2005 PT Cruiser from a used car dealer and we are going 'round and 'round with AC issues. I am a woman. Think what you want. Say what you want. We are usually at a major disadvantage when it comes to car talk. I watch you, I quote you and I get respect. Thank you. Ericthecarguy!
Good job researching the issue.
PT cruisers are notorious lemons, perhaps a toyota camry or honda accord would be more reliable
+Justin Duncan I second the Honda Accord.
You are so right on us women getting respected when it comes to "the car stuff"
run fast. the PT cruiser is crappy car.... to much suspension issues and engine.. they are my favorite cars to make money on..
Go toyota or honda
@@SoulSearch11110 i also vote accord. Although my AC just went out in mine lol
I love you showing this Eric! Can't wait for your next video on AC
Best AC repair video I've found.... nice that you explained how "NOT" to over tightening things.... Thanks
Great Vidio, well done.
Take us to tamorrow-morrow land.
very impressed. Thanks so much. This video will be archived . Hope your wife truly appreciates you!!!
+David Fenderson Unfortunately, they never do...
I've been waiting for a GOOD video on AC work and I'm very pleased to see that you posted this as well as your other AC videos. Thank you!
Great video. Like the way you take your time and slowly go through everything so we can understand the entire process.
Ok, you added dye into the yellow hose and then connected it to the refrigerant can. Knowing you don't want to introduce air into the system, aren't you suppose to purge at the shrader valve on the manifold until you see refrigerant coming out so you know you've pushed out the air in the yellow supply hose? But, since you've added dye first into the hose, you'd also be spraying out dye when you're purging it, which I imagine could get a little messy. Wouldn't an injector that allows you to push dye or oil directly into the low side port be a better option. Just wondering because I'm going to try to help a friend find a leak in her AC system very soon. Thanks!
*Update, I read through the comments and I've found Eric doesn't respond much to questions, if at all. Anyone else got an answer for me.
@@hondahoodgarage6357 Precisely. He does that in his video on evacuating the system and recharge
They make a threaded tube that you can add refrigerant oil to a system you can do the same thing with the dye you just have to make sure you fill it up where the dye comes completely out of the holes no air in it you put that between the line in the manifold Lower Side open the manifold gauge app on both side the high side will drive it into the system you're done I've made one out of refrigerant tubing it's kind of a pain in the ass to fill up though works
@@hondahoodgarage6357 exactly! I thought it off at first. But then concluded the obvious answer was charging up with dye to find the leak... Then fix the leak, pull vacuum. And then once leak solved purge out the air under vacuum and holding then introduce freon.
I replaced the compressor myself on my old Acura Legend about 8 years ago, got the system recharged, and it worked for a couple years. The expansion valve then failed along with the condenser, so I replaced the expansion valve, condenser, and receiver/drier then took it to a shop to have it recharged. $800 later in parts and a recharge, and I had a working system. It's now empty again after a few years, and the UV dye appears to indicate bad o-rings on the hoses at the compressor. Smh. The good thing is that R12 is still available, and I'm stubborn about converting to R134A. Vacuum pumps are available on loan at Autozone.
I've had many Acura Legends and I don't know why you're hesitant about switching it over all you have to do is Pump It Down well first put the new fittings on which are 20 bucks and you are converted. It's pretty simple to do or am I missing something here
R134a doesn't circulate R12 oil properly and burns out the compressor and replacing the oil entirely is such a big job its not worth doing. The best cheap way is to run propane/butane mix. There is a guy that made a great post about it, I think his website name is possum living. If you Google it, it'll be one of the first to come up. It's better than 134a cause it circulates the oil, readily available and not harming to the environment. I personally run straight propane in modern R134a systems due to higher efficiency and lower cost. Never had problems
@Jay Fox multiply the weight of r134a by 0.4 and you get required weight of pure propane. If you need other gasses you can look up the weight by volume at 25°c and divide the new gas by old. This gives you the value you can use to multiple the old gas weight by like the 0.4 above
Couldnt you just fill it by pressure? Whhy does weight matter?
@@weneedtermlimits because once 10% or so gas is in the pressure doesn't change until its grossly over filled. That's why ac charging is always done by weight. Also if a top up is needed, the present gas is pumped out and new refilled cause there is no way to tell how much is already present
Good job E. I like the...."you'll freeze your eye out kid" sentiment. Classic stuff bro.
Thank you for a clear,easy to understand, profanity free video. Very refreshing.
Before you start charging the system and after you connect the freon can to the yellow hose, you should have loosened the yellow hose at the manifold end to purge the air from the yellow hose. You should do this for a second or two after you hear air from the connection, then close it.
+Michael “Carnac the Magnificent” Karnish I think he didnt purge because he poured refrigerant coulerent in the hose
He didn't cause this was leak process diagnosis
irony is poking your eye out with the safety glasses.
Even better than getting choked with a seatbelt!
i've literally shot my eye out with a bb gun richocet by accident before, always wear safety glasses!
so it's a BIG trick :)
thank you for the info, actually i haven't yet met one of those running with propane but i used to hear about them though, the trick also is the lower pressure point of condensation is; the better freon is, especially on cars as the horsepower is one of the important arguments.
Excellent video, excellent presentation. To the point but thorough...thank you Chris!
I chose to smash my car into a tree so I could certainly identify the AC leaks. (I didn't. but I have two cars with zero AC and I'm $1,400 in on one repair where we replaced the whole system and it failed after 1 year. so i certainly feel like driving that one into a tree.)
Lol what car??
Leave the trees alone they dont hurt acs
Probably have a leak . Look at scannerdanner a/c video
Hey Eric, I just changed my A/C compressor, condenser, & drier/accumulator and both of my lines lines, but it looks like I've still got a leak. I am going to do a leak test tomorrow. I've got a ford ranger and it looks like the evaporator core is under the hood. Will the dye test work with that? If that doesn't work I'll have to buy or rent one of the R-134 leak detectors. And last my question is can I still re-use my drier, if I just changed it? The only thing I've done at this point is put a vacuum on it. So I believe the only moisture that's been put in the system is coming from the leak and I guess drawn in by the vacuum pump that I ran on it.
Not cool you hit no answer. Hate that for you. Hope you were able to get it all running ok. I know it was a long time ago.
@@benicio1967 I got it fixed. It turned out to be an o-ring that needed to be changed. I think it was at the condenser. It's been a while since I did this, but I think I did a leak test to find it. Thank you for the reply and the concern.
Great video. Just learning how those vacuum line gauges and the recharge canister work was worth the price of admission. Would never attempt a repair like this myself (too much additional equipment needed) but it might save me some money when I take it into an A/C specialist if I understand the lingo beforehand.
Thanks Eric,
I'm a tech of 30 years, that was/am weak in AC diag, because I've always done mostly engine performance and diagnosis. I have to say nice job in many ways. Nice to see a video, that makes sense, and isn't full of blah blah, irrelevant stuff. Keep up the good work.
I just replaced my compressor and I didn't have refrigerant at the time but I did have propane. This works just as well right?
some cars DO explode
Yoga flame. If you ever vacuum it out, keep cigarettes away from the pump.
Propane can have moisture in it so do you really want to chance it ?
BTW some so called alternatives to freon are hydrocarbon products but do you really want an explosive gas in your AC system ?
I do not !
Its 88 today. Im gonna have to do it. On my way to Harbor Freight..
Don't forget the compressor oil and refrigerant. I'd buy my gauges at an auto parts store in a kit that comes with refrigerant, if there is such a thing.
I got the refrigerant with the oil already added.
It also come with its own gauge. Thanks!
It hurts me to buy anything at that place.Such crap. But I suppose for a one-off it might be best.
@@tmst2199 harbor freight has improved over the years I feel. I haven't had any issues with anything I bought from there!
@@amendes6410 The last thing I bought were some snap ring pliers. They were basically worthless for even slightly challenging snap rings.
Your right, a a/c video would be hard, there are so many variables, I’ve been doing a/c work for20 years or more and still get curly ones, it’s not a one size fits all job, hands on experience goes a long way. Great video
This is a great and informative....I always look forward to a new ETCG video!
134a is an HFC, no chlorine. Zero negative ozone impact. Calm down.
Right. It's not a CFC. Still, it's considered a potent greenhouse gas and has already been banned in the EU. Potential alternatives include CO2 as refrigerant of all things. LOL.
It is something like 1300 times worse than CO2 pound for pound as a green house gas.
You are correct, zero impact on ozone.
Filled a few details about dye that I wasn't sure about how to use it and put it in.. thanks. Need to know more but maybe another video is in your vids about diagnosing gauge readings and what they mean.
Thank you for this video Eric. Very helpful to an AC noob like me. Gives me hope that I might actually be able to fix stuff without feeling lost in the process.
I love AC! Already worked with an AC tech (residential/commercial) and starting technical college in Sept 2012 for HVAC/R.
Thanks Eric, you have taught me a lot and saved me even more, thank you
This is one the most valuable vids on Eric the Car Guy. This vid has answered a lot of questions i've had with AC systems. Thank You Eric!!!! Also another thing with AC compressors is that they also have sensors inside which prevent the AC compressor from running when there is absolutley no R-134A in the system. The compressor only runs when the sensors detect refrigerant.
Marc
thank you Eric, another awesome informative video!
Benefit a TON from the info in this! Looking forward to the next video for sure!
Love the videos, very easy for new mechanics to follow. Keep it up!
Helped me out... Appreciate you taking the time to share...
Good explination, Eric. Thank you!!
You teach Very well and you are Very Specific on detail and I have learned a lot From You today about Servicing AC System.
Thank Eric Thecarguy.
Eric You are the Man! I wish all my teachers were explaining so easy to understand as You! I was asked If I can find a leak in A/C on GMC Arcadia. Piece of cake!:)
Perfectly clear. Thanks Eric!
I've been watching a whole lot of video's on this subject and this one is the best I've seen. Love it! Using this info to find the leak in my 05 Sienna. Thanks so much!
Great video Eric! Thanks for your time.
Got the job done. Thanks for the help Eric.
You are awesome i have the greatest respect for you Eric and your vids are so helpful thank you
The best video are in English. Great information. Greetings from Mexico.
As an apprentice mechanic I love all your video, teaches me a lot and keeps me interested.
Thanks dude....im in Phoenix so AC tips are always well recieved.
eric my aircon alwas work dont need to fix it but watching you is so rewarding,you are a good man thank you
thanks eric, you've been helping me fix my honda accord and you don't even know it! Next up is the AC
Eric, i know that my ac system has a leak and i want to add some UV dye to it, do i need a vacuum pump to create vacuum and that add the dye (using your method with gauges set and dye into the hose and gas can) ? If there is no pressure on my AC system can i add the dye without the vacuum pump? Will the AC system be able to suck enough gas from my 12 litre gas tank and get the compressor started , or do i need to have a vacuum on my ac system first ?
You showed me more than what I expected. Appreciate that!
Thanks Eric, you honest and details.
great info thanks. especially how the gauges work. always enjoy learning from you. Thanks....
Excellent video, explanations very helpful, much appreciated. Thankyou for sharing. 👍🏻🖐 🇦🇺
very useful lecture, Eric.
Thanks
Since Eric goes to Harbor Freight , I found in the flashlight section a small hand held black light flash light, around $10 bucks.
I knew that solder wouldn't work auto leaks of any kind are sooo resiliant ; they work their way through the tiniest crevices .Even exhaust leaks.
lot of good concepts here, thank you...
Outstanding video-very very informative
another detailed video to the point and answered every question i spent hours trying to google!
at 8:30 i had a very vocal "ahhhhhh, i learnt something today" moment. cheers
this is right on time man im trying to study the a/c system more cause i wanted to take the A7 test
That was great. I always wonder how that vacuum pump could suck all the moisture out of the system. When in fact it boils off. I look toward to the next video. Great info that can really help guys like me who like to do thing on my own cars when I know I'm not in over my head. Thank you Eric
Thanks boss you're the best car guy on TH-cam
for evap leaks shut the car off and stick the detector up the drip hole or let it sit for a day and check the floor where the evap is . usually on the passenger side. you was just picking up air at the vents . you can blow on the tip of your detector and set it off. you could sand that hose for one or two inches from the hole solder more surface space then liquid steel it all around the liquid steel that takes 24 hr to dry completely
Outstanding video, you bet. Thank you
Very exciting work. Just want to know how it work.
Thanks
Good job explaining how the use the UV die with a gage set. It was a great help.
Thanks Eric for the information. very comphrehensive and thorough, with good advice for amatuers to let a pro do it.
That was helpful.Thanks.. I just need to find my leak. I think it is on the evaporator but have not torn the dash apart yet.,
Hi Eric, very useful videos! I was wondering if you could do a video on removing an evaporator core from the front of an 04 Chevy Venture minivan? I was able to remove and replace the one in the rear along with the heater core and expansion valve but would like to do the same in the front. I am having a hard time figuring out how to get the blower motor assembly out to get to the evap core. Thanks for any help.
Very informative and detailed, thanks a lot
sir wonderful lecture thank you so much
thank you for your excellent info to make things easy
Great vid! i'm about to go through this on my jeep.
nice tutorial, thank you sir !
very informative, I just had to watch to see if your fix did work. Cannot tell you how many times I've been down the same road. Your one cool guy, keep the vids coming. And don't let the tough times kick your butt. Take care
it's 2022 and I am still watching this...one of the best ac videos still!!!