Tony

yeah..gee..thanks Nicole. How will you ever sleep at night

SteveG

It's funny to you. I have a sea wall to replace in about 5 years.

Tony

I have beach front property purchased out side of Parhump, NV

the quicker CA falls into the ocean the better

JHowell37

Actually that happened because smug is just as bad for the ozone layer as CFCs.

Randy V

That's some weighty experience, Bob!

Bill51sdr

I wouldn't go the 134 route yet. I've posted a thread about a product called FR-12 & am hoping to get some input there.

Abby Normal

Totally agree. My 134 converted Shark would blow you out the car on the hottest and most humid days New Orleans has.

Nicole

Well, I talked to San Carlos Radiator today. They don't do the evaporator replacement. But interestingly, he recommended to get a new evaporator, rather than putting one in that has been in a car and subject to pressure and vibration before. The reasoning is that it's just too hard to get to, in case it fails again... The trouble is that this part costs somewhere around $800, IIRC. My head is hurting right now...

Mrmerlin

well then Nicole ther is always 240 air thats 2 windows down and 40 miles per hour

ROG100

So back to the evaporator - are you sure its leaking???
Very rare for it to leak. A manufacturing defect or damage. Both unlikley.
I would want to know it was leaking before replacement.
Can you get help to remove the expansion valve and pull a vacuum or pressure test the evaporator?
Can Bill help you do this?

dr bob

Nicole--

I'm pretty sure we've had this discussion before.

ANY (!!!) freon leak around the expansion valve will appear to be from the evaporator airbox if you use a sniffer. The gas falls into the box and sits there unless the fan is blowing, beyond a few seconds. The Evaporator might leak because of damage done to it, but most 'failures' happen after years of adding freaon to a fully discharged system without evacuating and/or replacing the drier. It's moisture that accumulates inside the evaporator that forms a little acid and eats through the aluminum there.

Nicole

Well... I'm pretty clueless when it comes to AC systems, and due to my new job won't have time to fiddle with this much myself before Sharks at the Lake.

I need to find someone who will at least help, or completely take care of the issue after between Sharks in the Park and Sharks at the Lake.

Please send applications with compensation requirements my way!

Schocki

Hello from Germany,

Put some AC UV dye in the system and search for the leak with a UV light. The sound that you hear is most likely the expansion valve working in a system low on charge. The system cuts out sometimes due to the pressure changes caused by different ambient temperatures. The low pressure protection switch is doing it´s job if the system is low. You might be right on the edge...

http://www.mastercool.com/pages/hvac_uv_kits.html

Otherwise I agree with Roger

Nicole

Quite a few years ago, as I was driving, I heard the dreaded noise for the first time. It's not your usual cycling noise - it's like air escaping through a tiny hole. WhenI turned off the AC, the noise went away, and came back after turning the AC back on. After a short time it disappeared and there was no more cold air, and no more Freon.

I had it fixed with an additive, and it lasted for quite a few years. Then I removed the center console to replace vacuum actuators, and in the process sprayed a cleaner on the evaporator (from the center vent). Next time I drove, I had the dreaded "air escaping" noise again, exactly as described above.

Both times it was traced to the evaporatof, and additive closed the leak temporarily.

Now I experience this for the third time, and want a permanent fix - for the sake of both the environment and my wallet.

It would be wonderful, if it's just the expansion valve -- but if that's the case, why did spraying the evaporator trigger the leak last time?

Bill Ball

Nicole: I'll certainly help you. We need to be sure it is the evaporator. It's likely, although Dr. Bob has a good suggestion that we may be able to use to prove it's not the expansion valve junction. I should have time by the end of the May to spend some time on it.