A/C Compressor Leaking

[The Grey Ghost]

A quick search brought up several A/C threads, but I never found this issue specifically.

A/C finally started blowing warm last summer. I had to ad 7oz of Freon right before the Vegas rally to bring up to spec and decided to throw in some dye while I was at it.

Today I started servicing the car for the season and found a nice little green puddle on the belly pan diaper under the compressor.

Dye around the body of the compressor tells the story.

I decided to check the bolts holding the case together and got about 1/2 turn out of each bolt. Probably didn't seal it back up, but I'm hoping it slowed it down a little.

 

[twobjshelbys]

Good catch!

 

[Xcentric]

Any chance it is leaking from a hose o-ring and accumulating on the compressor body? If it's for sure a compressor body leak, the service manual solution is short and not so sweet: "Replace compressor." And, if the system is contaminated, "replace suction accumulator."

R&R doesn't look too hard.

 

[ByeEnzo]

Mine compressor leaks oil ever so slightly. I've recharged the system with freon once. There was a small leak thru the fill valve up front under the trunk luggage tray.

 

[The Grey Ghost]

Any chance it is leaking from a hose o-ring and accumulating on the compressor body? If it's for sure a compressor body leak, the service manual solution is short and not so sweet: "Replace compressor." And, if the system is contaminated, "replace suction accumulator."

R&R doesn't look too hard.

The pic doesn't show it well, but it was clean and dry at the hose connections.

You are correct, the accumulator/drier should be replaced if the system is opened up.

With access to an A/C machine, I'll just charge it when needed unless it gets worse.

 

[standj]

My compressor leaked as well and I finally just replaced it, no more leaks.

John

 

[svtowner]

Mine has been leaking for a few years. Not much though, still blows cold though. Wipe off drops during annual service.
One of the benefits of living in MI, you don't need A/C often.

 

[Xcentric]

One of the benefits of living in MI, you don't need A/C often.

Might be one of the problems of living in MI (or any cold place). A/C fails from lack of use.

The unit should be cycled for a few seconds at least every few weeks. How many people ever turn the A/C on in the winter? It's remarkable how reliable these units are, considering the conditions they are typically subjected to.

Seems like periodic A/C cycling should be done automatically in modern cars.

 

[The Grey Ghost]

Might be one of the problems of living in MI (or any cold place). A/C fails from lack of use.

The unit should be cycled for a few seconds at least every few weeks. How many people ever turn the A/C on in the winter? It's remarkable how reliable these units are, considering the conditions they are typically subjected to.

Seems like periodic A/C cycling should be done automatically in modern cars.

Lack of frequent lubrication, got it. Bad problem to have

 

[twobjshelbys]

Might be one of the problems of living in MI (or any cold place). A/C fails from lack of use.

The unit should be cycled for a few seconds at least every few weeks. How many people ever turn the A/C on in the winter? It's remarkable how reliable these units are, considering the conditions they are typically subjected to.

Seems like periodic A/C cycling should be done automatically in modern cars.

Is it not true that most modern vehicles will cycle the AC even in cold weather conditions? I don't know if the GT does or not.

Anyway, it doesn't cycle while sitting in a heated garage. A 15 mile 10 year old car might have some maintenance to do.

 

[KMCBOSS]

I got the same problem. My GT sat for a few months over the winter - power steering pump now leaking also.

 

[SteveA]

Mine is leaking as well and started blowing only cool at last years Vegas rally. Probably going to have the GT Guys replace it at this years rally.

 

[soroush]

this probably doesnt apply but its somewhat relevant here, my compressor would act up when the car warmed up and quit kicking on, it turned out to be the magnetic coil that activates the clutch 35 dollar part that took us a year and 800 dollars later in changing dryers expansion valves and i dont know how many times vacuuming the system and recharging it.

to leak issue there is always a small amount of drip on my compressor as well on both cars.

 

[Joehand1]

Mine stated leaking and was replaced with 2 days left on the warranty...a few years ago...

Again it's related to lack of use my mechanic said..

 

[texas mongrel]

When we ran the Big Bend Open Road Race a couple of weeks ago, being complete wussies, we had the A/C on. Well, after about twenty minutes of running 125-140mph, the A/C stopped blowing cold. Ran the return leg with A/C switched off. On the seven hour drive home after the race, the A/C worked perfectly, so I'm guessing there's some sort of overload cut-out, or I have Soroush's problem with an intermittently defective clutch?

 

[PeteK]

When we ran the Big Bend Open Road Race a couple of weeks ago, being complete wussies, we had the A/C on. Well, after about twenty minutes of running 125-140mph, the A/C stopped blowing cold. Ran the return leg with A/C switched off. On the seven hour drive home after the race, the A/C worked perfectly, so I'm guessing there's some sort of overload cut-out, or I have Soroush's problem with an intermittently defective clutch?

Yes, there is a switch that cuts power to the AC clutch above 1/2 throttle or so. All cars I am aware of have that feature. It's supposed to allow maximum power by deactivating the AC. Not a big deal (not even noticeable) on our 500+ HP monster motors, but if you drive an econobox with barely more than 100HP, you can feel the difference. The engineers figure that for street driving you will not be at full power for more than a dozen or so seconds, so you wouldn't even notice the temp change.

 

[Xcentric]

When we ran the Big Bend Open Road Race a couple of weeks ago, being complete wussies, we had the A/C on. Well, after about twenty minutes of running 125-140mph, the A/C stopped blowing cold. Ran the return leg with A/C switched off. On the seven hour drive home after the race, the A/C worked perfectly, so I'm guessing there's some sort of overload cut-out, or I have Soroush's problem with an intermittently defective clutch?

The compressor will shut off if the compressor housing gets too hot or the coolant temperature is too high. Either or both of these could have occurred while you were racing.

The compressor also shuts off at wide open throttle, but that is not something you are likely to notice.

The PCM monitors and controls all this.

Based on your description, it sounds like normal operation.

Also, for anyone who suspects a leak, the refrigerant has fluorescent dye added at the factory, so you can detect a leak with a UV lamp.