If you’ve noticed that cold air isn’t blowing through the vents when you turn on your car’s ac, it may be a sign of an ac leak.
A Honda Accord not blowing cold air was one problem we addressed earlier this week. Our Woodbridge mechanics solved the issue by replacing the air conditioning condenser.
You can read about how to maintain the condenser in this article we shared.
This particular car is using refrigerant 1234yf.
Air conditioning condenser problems
With the way certain vehicles are being manufactured, the metal for the condenser is thinner than it used to be.
Depending on the type of metal, we’re seeing that they’re corroding from the inside out. So, it could be the freon reacting to that metal. That’s why you may see certain types of cars and trucks having more problems with condensers than they did previously. We’re seeing that now where – for a specific kind of car – we’re seeing more condensers than we ever have.
Why you shouldn’t fix an ac leak with sealant
Now, you can buy a product that has sealer built into it from the auto parts store. Please don’t use that, because when you come to a shop we have to identify it and that can cause other problems with your repair. If you have an ac problem, just bring it to your service center so they can determine what’s going on and perform the correct repair without using sealant.
If you’re getting rid of the vehicle and you want to seal up a small leak, great. However, when we – as a repair facility – reclaim that freon, that sealant gets into the recycling machine and can contaminate the rest of the freon. It can even gum up and ruin the machine, which costs anywhere from $6,000 and $10,000.
This may also be detrimental, because the sealant is going through the system. If the leak is too large and doesn’t seal up or you get another leak the sealant doesn’t address and the freon leaks out, then the air is now inside the system. So, everywhere the sealant is hardens up, potentially impacting the evaporator, condenser, and other parts. When that happens, you sometimes have to replace components.
You also don’t want to just use the can with the red, yellow, and green gauge, because it can depend on the temperature outside, the humidity, and what RPM your vehicle is running at. The gauge may show green, but there could be air in the system and you could overcharge it.
In a lot of these vehicles that use R-1234yf, they don’t use as much freon as they were. So, you aren’t talking about 2 pounds, it may be more like 0.9 pounds or 1.1 pounds. You can easily overcharge, which can result in other issues, like damaging the air compressor and making the leak larger.
Steve’s Auto Repair & Tire is an authorized Goodyear tire dealer located in Woodbridge, Virginia. Automotive repair services are performed on all makes and models, including BMW and Mercedes. Services include oil changes, brakes, alignments, inspections, and computer engine diagnostics.