Car AC sealer?

[rossow (mn)]

Has anyone here had good results from using an over-the-
counter sealer in their car/truck air-conditioning system? I
have a slow leak -- can recharge to 53 degrees but doesn"t
last for long. Any success stories on sealers? Brands to use? I
don"t want to clog up the system, but the repair shop wants
$370 just to evac and recharge, not counting any parts and
supplies. OUCH!

 

[Greenday]

Depends where the leak is. If it is the shaft seal on the compressor you will have to replace.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Yes, I have had pretty good luck, but would not recommend if you might have to take it to the shop later. A lot of shops don't like to work on them (if they know) after you use an over the counter stop leak. The stop leak plugs up their machines, and they have to have a costly repair to fix. Just found this out last year. Told the mechanic what I did and he was really appreciative that I told him. He had not had a problem, but knew of some that had. They will still work on them the same way we do with single can method.

 

[John T]

The leaks are often the compressor shaft seal and Ive tried the snake oil "leak sealers" and NEVER had them to seal a leak yet.....I guess its worth a try as its not all that expensive compared to a rebuild, but I wouldnt hold my breath waiting for it to work...

John T

 

[Dick2]

I shopped around to get an AC compressor re-sealed; got prices anywhere from $150 to $600. Went to a known AC specialty shop; they resealed the compressor for $75 after I took it out of the vehicle.

 

[glennster]

i wouldnt use the sealer. its a short term fix at best, and it can plug up the system. to locate a leak, stop by napa and get a dye kit. it will have a small can of refrigerant dye, a u/v flash light and a special pair of glasses. about 35 dollars. charge the system and inject the dye according to the directions. run the system for a couple days, then go over all the system with the u/v light and glasses. they dye will show the leak. it may just be an o-ring at a fitting, or, like the other folks said, a compressor seal.

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 09:51:53 05/17/12) The leaks are often the compressor shaft seal and Ive tried the snake oil "leak sealers" and NEVER had them to seal a leak yet.....I guess its worth a try as its not all that expensive compared to a rebuild, but I wouldnt hold my breath waiting for it to work...

John T

eflects my experiences, too.

 

[Brokengun]

You’ve been given some good advice.

Stop leaks do work if the leak is small and “NOT” a shaft leak at the pump.

Personally I would try to find the leak. You can either use a sniffer type leak detector or you can use the refrigerant dye.

There is a brand of R134 that contains R134, stop leak and dye, I think the brand name is inter dynamics

P.S. it is possible to have the stop leak plug off the Receiver drier. Normally you can add stop leak one time and be ok.

 

[Owen Aaland]

I just got done cleaning out the damper orifices on my gauges after having them connected to a system that had sealant in it. I have no way of knowing if the product was used correctly but it caused me problems when I service it.

 

[tomtirediron]

rossow, If your anywhere near Akeley,MN There is and excellent ac shop there. Used him several times in the last year for various repairs. Rates seem reasonable too. 218-652-4996

 

[LJD]

I've had to fix all kinds of AC leaks and never found a sealer to work. Porous rubber hose wall, o-rings, compressor shaft seals, etc. I've had a few with very slow leaks that might take two months to get low enough to disable the compressor. No different with any sealer I've used.

Why on earth would anybody spend $370 for an evac and charge? You can buy a cheap vacuum pump for $150 and 134A costs $5 a can or $5 a pound. Do it yourself and the vacuum pump pays for itself the first time you use it.

 

[Hobo,NC]

(quoted from post at 17:32:32 05/17/12) Has anyone here had good results from using an over-the-
counter sealer in their car/truck air-conditioning system? I
have a slow leak -- can recharge to 53 degrees but doesn"t
last for long. Any success stories on sealers? Brands to use? I
don"t want to clog up the system, but the repair shop wants
$370 just to evac and recharge, not counting any parts and
supplies. OUCH!

I have had 3 vehicles in the last 2 years were stop leak stopped up the expansion tube,,, the only fix I know of is to replace the complete system

I have a 04Dodge Ram 3500 in the shop now,,, it was brought used and later found the compressor was leaking... I normally inspect the expansion device before any repairs but this one is captured in the liquid line between the condenser and evaporator... At the end of last year I filled it and found a massive leak at the compressor shaft seal,,,It cooled good to good that throws up a flag... he did not want to spend money on it at that time so now he want's cold air... Knowing it cooled good and no visual signs of compressor frailer I installed a new compressor and accumulator this morn... While their I cut the liquid line and fished out the expansion tube,,, it takes a good hard hour just to get the liquid line off..... its stopped up with sealer



I spec over the winter with no gas in the system the sealer set up,,, their was another flag the sealing rings hose manifold to compressor had a green RTV sort of sealer on them that I suspect is AC sealer... This is going to get real expensive...

I brought a kit to detect sealer buts its to time consuming to check for sealer so I went ahead and brought sealant filters for my AC machine $500... If I detect sealer are the owner tells me he brought refrigerant and added it I tack $25.00 onto the job to cover for the sealant filters...

Sealant is nasty stuff I would shy away from it...

 

[Jon Hagen]

If the shaft seal is leaking, you have to replace it.
If the leak is a shrunk up hose or seal/ Oring , then "seal and Oring conditioner" will help I have had good success with it,

Stopleak, no I tried that once and never again.

 

[ASEguy]

We replaced a lot of evaporators in those Dodge trucks. Chrysler evaporators went out all the time. The trainer in a school I went to said at that time Chrysler was putting dye in some of their systems from the factory so we could find the leaks easier. Shake head here.

 

[ASEguy]

I wouldn't use sealer. Fix the leak and if you are not using R-12 get someone else to do the evacuate and recharge. That is way too much for that service.

 

[Anonymous-0]

My granddad was an old-school mechanic, and he had little use for what he called "mechanic-in-a-can" fixes. May as well find the leak, and fix it right. That's what granddad would have done.

 

[Hobo,NC]

What vehicle is it ,,, for you GM guys this is what I replace those leak'n HT3 pressors with... Don't forget to use the spacer kit that comes with it...






http://www.apairinc.com/detail.asp?Part=509-650

 

[Bob - MI]

As others have said you should find the leak and repair it. Depending on what vehicle brand, you may already have dye in the system (Ford). A black light will find the leak quickly. My guess would be that your compressor is leaking. Look for oil around the pulley area.

I replaced a compressor and the drier unit on a 1999 Taurus for about $350.00 a few years back. Took me the better part of a full day but it wasn't a horrible job and the results were excellent. I bought a full A/C kit from the local auto store that came with a flushing solution, expansion tube, drier, and compressor. Had to buy the special tools that disconnect the lines but that was under $15.00

I bought a set of gauges and a vaccuum pump (under $50.00 total) from Harbor Freight and for the one time that I needed them they were just fine. Dollar General has freon about as cheap as you will find.

$370.00 is a rip off for evac and charge. You are evacuating the system every time it leaks down. As long as you hold some pressure in the system your drier should be ok.

Shop Ebay for parts.