A.c. leaking

[messi]

Hi guys wonder if anyone can help 

Just found an a.c. leak, is it just a case of replacing the 2 rings? 

[messi]

Oh and how is it done, is there like a tutorial on how it's done??

Thanks 

[dendonc]

Hi, when you say ''I found a leak'' what method or equipment have you used to 'detect' there is an actual leak? all I can see is (or looks like) a dry AC part, have you smelt gas or something? please explain

[messi]

Hi

I took it to an AC specialist yesterday he put that light thing on it but he didn't really have to as you could see oil around the 2 of the bolts pictured on the right hand side of the dryer. He regassed it it for me in May with 700g and just lately it wasn't feeling as cold, he's taken what ever gas was left in it out which was just over 50g left in it(no wonder it wasn't getting too cold) so i cant put replace the O rings. I unscrewed the bolts but I couldn't see the old O ring behind it. I just needed where the O ring is. But having looked at it again, the condenser has oil on it which makes me think it's leaking from the condenser 

[Farqui]

Oil in there is nornal, AC systems are loaded with a given amount of oil for longevity.

When a system is regas'd the oil should be topped up, you often need to guesstimate the amount.

Note that AC o-rings are a special variety, not common ones ;)

[dendonc]

On the one hand my AC >'seems'<' to be working, that is, in winter it demists the windscreen when as it starts to cloud up, if I turn it off then the wind screen starts misting up straight away, on that criteria my limited (very) knowledge tells me the AC is working, but, no cold air whatsoever now the weather has warmed up & external air is drier

[messi]

My one was working fine just until last week, it was blowing cold but not as cold as it was. 

[sorcerer]

2 hours ago, dendonc said:

, but, no cold air whatsoever now the weather has warmed up & external air is drier

Well it's obviously not working then.

Demisting the windscreen is almost a secondary use of AC, the primary goal being to provide cool (cold) air when the weather is hot and also to condition the air. If it was working properly you should be able to get the cabin very cold, in fact, too cold for comfort really - I seem to remember reading that it should go down to about 5C. My old Granada used to form frost on the AC pipes in the engine bay but I've never looked to see if this car is the same.

[dendonc]

15 minutes ago, sorcerer said:

If it was working properly you should be able to get the cabin very cold, in fact, too cold for comfort really

My thinking is/was that if an LS400 AC is short of refridgeration and/or gas that might be the problem >but< after reading about so many, many things wrong with AC's that most of the time it's something wrong with the AC, taking into account the age of the LS's, there's no smell of gas BTW.

 

[dendonc]

22 minutes ago, sorcerer said:

Demisting the windscreen is almost a secondary use of AC,

Well hardly, the windows mist up when driving to high heaven without that on. 

But, if my AC is not working my point is that it should not work  to keep the keep the windows clear >as well as< not working to keep it cool, they have duel function, de-misting and cold

[Malc]

7 hours ago, messi said:

I took it to an AC specialist yesterday

not sure why the specialist wasn't advising you exactly what the issues are and the cost for him to fix 

or am I missing something here ?

Malc

[JamesIS220]

Most likely the same design of pipework as my IS 220D. Looks the same but different pipe layout.

You need to undo the bolt and gently pull off the pipe(s) into the AC condenser without damaging pipe to reveal the O ring. My one pipe at bottom was very tight.

I need to change my condenser on my is 220d and wanted replacement O rings. I went to Lexus Birmingham and was staggered to find the O rings are not available on their own and you had to buy the pipework they were attached to! I'm going to remove the O rings and see if I have any suitable size in my box of 400 as suggested.

Volvo I could buy them separately and told them! The nice bloke said " Yes, more money" Liked the IS300H in the showroom but pricey! Need a lottery win.

Anyone know the O ring size on an 2006 IS 220d? I would much rather order the proper size to save the hour disassembly!

James 

[messi]

I think Halfords sell o rings and rockauto too

[sorcerer]

5 hours ago, dendonc said:

Well hardly, the windows mist up when driving to high heaven without that on. 

But, if my AC is not working my point is that it should not work  to keep the keep the windows clear >as well as< not working to keep it cool, they have duel function, de-misting and cold

No, it doesn't have a dual function, it doesn't work like that.

Ignoring the air 'conditioning' side (drying, pollen removal etc) for the moment, the aircon makes the air cool (cold) - that's all it does.

A motorised flap somewhere in the vent system directs the airflow onto the windscreen or otherwise. The flap itself is not part of the aircon system and does nothing to the temperature of the air that passes over it, it's purely for direction of airflow.

Your screen will clear at a higher temperature (for the sake of argument let's say 17C) than what the aircon will be set at when you want to cool down on a hot day (say, 13C) hence why you think your aircon is 'working' on your screen but 'not working' to cool the cabin down.

Like I said above, you should be able to get the cabin down to uncomfortably low temperatures. If it's not doing that then it isn't working.

[dendonc]

But how do I, or can I, 'know' for sure it's the aircon thats bust as opposed to the system is not just short of gas?

[messi]

Here is a little video of the leak if anyone can help please 

[sorcerer]

2 hours ago, dendonc said:

But how do I, or can I, 'know' for sure it's the aircon thats bust as opposed to the system is not just short of gas?

Well you can't. That's why you take it to an aircon specialist - for them to run a full diagnostic test on it.

The one thing that you can do yourself to give you an indication of gas level, is that they have a sight glass in the system. Here's a guide on using the sight glass but there are also plenty of videos around too - just Google "check car aircon refrigerant level" (without the quotes) to see how to do it.

[messi]

It's leaking from the top here somewhere 

[Britprius]

To me the leak appears to be where the vertical piece of pipe goes into the aluminium block with the holding bolt through it. The pipe is probably cracked where it entres the block. This will need that pipe replacing as it is a fixture into the aluminium block. The "O" ring seal is fitted behind the aluminium block, and can be seen once the bolt, and block has been removed with the pipe.

John

[messi]

Thank you John

[steve2006]

4 hours ago, dendonc said:

But how do I, or can I, 'know' for sure it's the aircon thats bust as opposed to the system is not just short of gas?

Because it was previously topped up with 700g and when returned only had 50g remaining.

 

[steve2006]

Below is the O ring diagram for the AC system, I am assuming that the numbers 1-4 refer to the parts numbers top to bottom so O ring 3 is the third one down etc.

90099-14119

90099-14120

90099-14121

90099-14122

[messi]

From this picture, would I be right in thinking it's the condenser leaking?

[Ben01]

1 hour ago, messi said:

From this picture, would I be right in thinking it's the condenser leaking?

Could be condenser, connection block, pipe itself even, any damaged seal or hair-crack. Unfortunately AC oil is light and under high pressure, it easy flies like thin mist, especially in turbulent air under the bonnet. Very often is SNAFU like your situation, there is an oily surface around condenser, dryer or compressor, but where is the source, it's difficult to guess.

Common practice is to replace orings first, next pipes and connections as John suggested above. It is always reasonable and cheaper way in doubts, better than start with expensive condenser (or compressor, evaporator, etc next time)

[messi]

Found the leak but how do I fix it?