AB-Oz

G'day all,
Has anyone ever used this stuff?



See the bottom of the page - supposed to seal any leaks in the A/C system.

If anyone has used it can you tell me how effective it was? I've got a leak somewhere in the A/C lines...

psychoideas

G'day back at ya from Moyhu. (Wangaratta)

I haven't seen it but WURTH stuff is generally pretty good. I might look into it for my Defender, it has an AC leak somewhere.
My P-car has no AC.

springer3

I have no experinece with AC stop-leak, but even the ad refers only to static seals. If the compressor shaft seal is where you have the leak, I doubt any product designed to plug the leak path will be effective. In my limited experience, it is the compressor seal about 25% of the time. I have had excellent success finding leaks with an electronic sniffer. Try that before spending money on stop leak - you may just need to snug up a fitting.

AB-Oz

Thanks for the replies, but what pray tell is an electronic sniffer?

dfinnegan

This Article has some interesting information in it.

In particular, it indicates that the stop-leak typically reacts with moisture in the air to activate the sealant. If there was air in your system then you could end up with clumps in the coolant.

If your leak is bad enough that there was no coolant in the system, or the coolant level low enough that the compressor wasn't engaging, then you likely have air in the system. If you don't evacuate the system prior to charging (ie if you simply bought a recharge kit), then the air remains in the system.

last toy

I just had some of this stuff put into my system yesterday at my shop. I knew I had a leak around the compressor gasket. They evacuated my system and recharged it with 134a and a sealant. Did another leak check and it seems to be holding.

springer3

Any refrigeration supply house should sell them. It consists of a wand connected by a flexible hose to a very sensitive sensor. A small fan draws air through from the tip of the wand to the sensor. An audible alarm sounds if any freon is detected.

How good? I had a leak that lost only a can per 12 months, and it was easy to find. I had a can from a year ago, and it alarmed when I sniffed the puncture in the top. The can had been open for many months. Just the warmth from my hand was enough to release some gas from a creavice inside the can.

I have a buddy with one, but I would buy one if I did not have easy access to his. You can also try a soap solution, and watch for bubbles (actually a small leak it will look like foam if you leave it alone for 30 minutes or so. Supply houses sell the solution with names like "snoop" or similar.

Gregg-K

I had a very slow leak in my C2, and about a year ago my local wrench sealed it with the Wurth compound. It has worked very well.

I find the guys in the air conditioning business do not like to use the stuff, because they want to $ell you replacement parts and lots of labor.

.. Gregg