I charged the system back in the summer and it was blowing cold air. We had one miraculously warm day here a week ago and when I turned it on it was completely warm again. Pretty sure I have a refrigerant leak. The stuff we added had the dye in it. I'm just wondering what kind of light I need to see it and if it would still be noticable this long after. I'm guessing it's the condensor as I've seen these leak from rock chips before. Thanks

 

If it was UV dye you should be able to find it with a black light.
Most parts stores [or Ebay] sell UV LED battery powered flashlights.
Check all line connections, pull the elec connector off the pressure switch to look in there, and shine the light up the drain tube.

 

Good post answer Honda Dude

 

Thanks. I just picked up a UV flashlight on ebay for $17. Says I can also hunt scorpions and check for semen stains with it. What a fantastic multi-use tool!! LOL

 

So I got my light and poked around the engine bay but nothing shows up obvious to me. It does rain a ton here so if I filled it last summer is it possible the rain may have washed all evidence of the dye away? My guess would be the condensor as they are prone to rocks and my last Accord had the condensor replaced for the same reason. However, I don't see any dye on it though I do see slight evidence of rock damage. I have my cracked radiator out right now and am seriously considering throwing in a new condensor at the same time to save me the hassle later. $60 for one on RockAuto.com.

Where does the drain tube exit from?

 

Passenger side of the engine bay. On the firewall.

If you look under the passenger side floor board, you will see the a/c evaporator and drain hose. You can follow the a/c lines back to the fire wall and find the drain tube as well.

 

After opening up the system to replace the condensor, I'm guessing I can't just refill it with the bottled refrigerant but will need to take it in to have the system vacuumed and filled properly, correct?

 

Yes, although you can purchase a small harbor freight vacuum pump for what a shop will charge.

You likely have leaks in the evaporator (orings/fittings). They tend to leak w/ age. It's not hard to remove evaporator and this should be removed, orings (pressure feedback and expansion valve) replaced.

Condensors do occasionally leak but they are not as vulnerable as you suspect. If you don't see a dirty/oily smudge spot on the condensor, it's probably OK.

Install a new receiver/drier since you plan to open system. Also suggest blowing out all lines and condensor, and replacing your PAG. You can buy moisture resistant PAG (double end capped PaG). check ackits.com for this and other parts you may need.

If condensor or evaporator are punctured, suggest used OEM parts from ebay or car-part.com.

good luck

 

I removed the condensor last night. When disconnecting the first line I had a pretty good pop as high pressure was released. This makes me wonder if I jumped the gun a little assuming I had a leak. Would I have that much pressure if there was a slow leak? Again, I haven't filled it since early last summer. When I did get the condensor out it looked pretty good and there was no evidence of oil anywhere on it. I could only find one very small rock dent on it and it didn't look punctured. When I bought this car last summer it would not cool and the AC pump would not kick on. We added two bottles of refrigerant after after which it cooled pretty good. But I always thought if it needed that much it must have a leak somewhere. Sure enough, a few weeks ago, I tried it and again it was not cooling.

 

What do you think about this vacuum? Pretty cheap.

Vacuum Pump - AC Vacuum Pump w/ R134A & R12 Connectors