Automotive Air Conditioning Information Forum

Hi All,

I've got a 2003 Honda CRV with a substantial refrigerant leak. I have pushed UV dye through the system and am still having trouble finding the leak, but it's audible while the system is under pressure. It will not hold any vacuum on the low side for more than half a second, but the high side holds just fine. Is it possible that there is an internal leak inside the compressor that I can't see with the UV dye? The compressor kicks on and runs fine while pushing refrigerant through the low side port, however it leaks out so quickly that the system does not stay pressurized for more than a second or two.

Any ideas on possible culprits would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Connor

The only possible leak that is somewhat hidden is the shaft seal. In order to see it you must remove the clutch plate and some may have a wiper also which a wad of felt material.

Find big leaks statically-- that is with the engine off. Inject a small amount of 134a into the low side and listen for where it is coming out. An electronic leak detector is useful here. If you use one, inject only tiny amounts of refrigerant so it doesn't flood the whole underhood area and cause false alarms.