air conditioning has leak - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

glen3527 · 04-10-2005, 01:37 PM

my air conditioning system has a leak. i found out where it was. its leaking right where the receiver tube goes into the condenser. i think i can replace the condenser myself but i was wandering if theres anything else i need to consider before tackling this project. thanks in advance for the tips.

***MR2Jedi*** · 04-10-2005, 02:18 PM

your gonna have to evacuate all the coolant(freon,etc) from the system. it's under pressure-you need the proper equipment to catch it . caution is in order..if leak is small enough, stop leak may work..

triniphen · 04-11-2005, 10:31 AM

how did you find the leak incidently, soap bubbles or a freon dye? if its a small leak i would shoot in some dye and let the car go through a heat/cool cycle whereby it sits overnight and everything cools and contracts. you may have more than 1 leak. besides if you gonna crack the system anyway you might as well fix all the leaks in one sitting. if its 134a just bleed off the freon, its enviro friendly.

as for things to consider... i would recommend a set of gauges in addition to the cantapper filling kit. if theres an obstruction in the system, especially between the high and low sides, bleeding one side wont release the pressure on the other. this can result in a face full of freon and a very nasty experience. wear some goggles. a recovery machine would be the safest and enviro friendly bet though

glen3527 · 04-11-2005, 02:35 PM

thanks for the info. i pulled off my front grill and say the freon bubbling where the tube from the receiver meets the condenser. so it looks like, to me, the condenser will have to be replaced. thanks for the tips. just to be safe im going to take your advice and bring it somewhere and bleed the system, go home and replace the condenser, and then bring it back to the same place and have them refill it.

***MR2Jedi*** · 04-11-2005, 06:13 PM

thats smart... you'll save some $$$ that way....

glen3527 · 04-16-2005, 12:51 PM

i replaced the accumalator and the condenser and got it recharged. it passed the leak test and its blowing cold air. thanks for the input guys. take care

***MR2Jedi*** · 04-16-2005, 01:33 PM

good deal!! how much of it did you end up doing yourself?