Hi all,

I know this forum is mainly US based and I'm in the UK, but there's not many Accord forums for UK cars! Mine is a 2000 6th Gen 1.8 VTEC SE Executive and I'm having a problem with the air conditioning system leaking.

When I got the car, the AC didn't work at all - a regas later and it was fine...for two weeks!

So took it to a local bloke who does AC repairs and he looked it over, couldn't see anything obvious so filled it again but put fluorescent dye in it too. After a week or so, it stopped working again so took it back to him. He couldn't find a single spot of dye anywhere around the system under the bonnet.

The only thing he could think of was the O rings for the evaporator, as it's the only bit he couldn't get to easily with the torch. So I picked up the O rings from honda and took it back to him yesterday to fit them, but after he got the evaporator casing out he calls to say there's absolutely no sign of any dye in the casing either.

He said the only part of the system that doesn't look perfect is the condenser which is slightly discoloured on the bottom corner, so he advised that's the thing to replace. But he's absolutely baffled at the lack of dye so it would definitely be a replacement by trial and error, which I'm not keen on! There's definitely dye in the pipes, so its not that there's no dye at all.

The only other thing i could spot was a bracket for the cruise control throttle cable was rubbing against one of the rubber AC hoses and has worn it down a bit, you can just see the metal lining of the pipe. Surely if it was that, it would be covered in dye though?

So any thoughts on where to go now?

 

There aren't many spots for it to leak. If it is losing R134a, then it has to be leaking from somewhere.

I would have him look at the drain tube for the evaporator. Maybe the condensation washing out the dye?

 

That was my thoughts exactly, it has to be going somewhere!

Good thinking about being rinsed off - where would the drain pipe be? Presumably getting under the car with the torch is the next step

 

This is the cooling unit in the USA Accord, sorta above the passenger's left foot.
The round seal #20 presses against the firewall & that's the drain. It may not be much of a "TUBE" but rather an opening that drips water.

Since yours is right-hand-driver, I really don't know if they put the AC unit over on the other side?? I would GUESS that they do, to make room for the steering column. So I'd probably look above the passenger footwell. Maybe remove the glovebox to get a better view. It'll be a low point to funnel the water down & forwards.

 

unwrap the insulation from the lines that go to the compressor in the engine compartment,,,,,i have seen those lines leak and cannot see dye ( especially the high pressure line ) , found dye once we unwrapped insulation.Also i have seen more than once evap leak and no visual dye was coming from the drain tube..
So, if there is no leak in engine compartment at all,, it has to be a leak in the evap,,, freon and dye is absorbed by the evap case foam insulators thus the cause for not seeing it come out from drain tube ..

 

Thanks for the good suggestions guys

The evaporator unit is behind the glovebox on the passenger side, looks like this:
http://www.hondaoriginalparts.com/ho...&block_03=7036

The whole unit has been out and examined - not a spot of dye in it

 

Found it!!

There wasnt tape around the pipes that go into the compressor, but they are metal pipes crimped onto rubber ones. Apparently the pipe that goes from condenser to compressor is prone to failure, an lone behold - a little pool of oil around the joint. Lights up like a christmas tree under UV

Shame the pipe is about the same price as the condenser! But at least I've found it