AC Leak - 06 sport - seeking opinions

[jon55nj]

I have an 06 sport w/ 225,000 miles. At the end of last summer the AC wasn't working, blowing warm air. I took it in and they charged it up and added some dye. Of course I didn't go back until this spring and the dye was not visible. So a month ago I brought it back, charged it up again and added the dye. The AC has been working fine for the last month with a decent amount of usage. Long story short, they found 2 leaks. One requires taking apart the whole dash and 6-8 hours of labor. All in 1500 bucks.

I am looking for opinions on whether or not I should do this or just get replacement refrigerant every couple months during the summer. Anybody have experience with any of the Leak Stop products?

It seems to me that if my AC is lasting this long after the charge the leaks must be small.

Thanks in advance.

 

[scw1991]

$1500 will buy you quite a few cans of R-134

 

[jon55nj]

That is what I was thinking. Doesn't look too hard to refill and maybe the leak stop will work.

 

[toyo]

What are they saying needs repaired or replaced? To remove/replace the heater core which is just about the worst thing you can do behind the dash is 6 hours labor. I'm using this as a comparison.

 

[toyo]

Take a look at this so when you ask him you will have an idea.

 

[black4vcobra]

No chance I'd spend $1500 to fix the AC on a 225,000 mile vehicle. A few weeks ago was the first time I've needed AC in my 4Runner since buying it in November. The AC blew cold on the passenger side and warm on the drivers side. After a little research I found that means that it was low on refrigerant. I went and got a gauge and a 20 oz bottle of R134 and recharged it. It was very easy to do since there were instructions on the bottle and now the AC works great.

If you pop the hood on your 4Runner and look just in front of the airbox, there is a silver metal tube with a plastic cap on it that has an "L" on the top. This is the low pressure port on the AC system and it is where you add refrigerant. Many refrigerants include a stop leak so maybe that will buy you some time, otherwise you might just have to fill up a couple times each summer.

 

[tattooedblade]

Leak Stop is really designed as a stop gap measure, like fix a flat. the problem with leak stop is that is can gum up the work and cause more problems later on. Also most shop will not want to work on the system with that stuff in it unless it gets a full flush or replace everything, it can cause damage to the Ac Evac and Recharge machine. If you do it yourself to get by try and stay away from any chemical that is used to " stop leaks". Yes 1500 is a good amount of money, so search around for others that can do AC work and get a better deal. If it is the heater core that is leaking, that price sounds about right. 5.9 hour for just that. and most places will want to replace the dryer/accumulator, expansion valve/orifice tube and then do a evac and charge system.

 

[jon55nj]

They said the leaks are on the high side line and the evaporator. quoted $1640 + tax, but said it may be a couple hours less labor.

I took it home and will just fill with 134 when it gets low. It has been 5 weeks since the recharge and is still blowing cold.

I guess I will avoid the leak stop for now.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[toyo]

Leak Stop is really designed as a stop gap measure, like fix a flat. the problem with leak stop is that is can gum up the work and cause more problems later on. Also most shop will not want to work on the system with that stuff in it unless it gets a full flush or replace everything, it can cause damage to the Ac Evac and Recharge machine. If you do it yourself to get by try and stay away from any chemical that is used to " stop leaks". Yes 1500 is a good amount of money, so search around for others that can do AC work and get a better deal. If it is the heater core that is leaking, that price sounds about right. 5.9 hour for just that. and most places will want to replace the dryer/accumulator, expansion valve/orifice tube and then do a evac and charge system.

Good points you mentioned. One thing, the heater core has no bearing or function with the A/C in regards to freon. I would bet he has a leak in the evaporator or the connections going into it. That really sucks.

 

[preacher35]

Last year, I had the same problem: Freon charge, followed by about 5 weeks of cold air, followed by a few days of warm air out of the driver side and cold out of the passenger side, then no cold air whatsoever. Every time I recharged the freon, the period of cold air became a little bit less. We did the stop leak deal, which didn't do sh!t. Tried the dye, blah blah blah. By the end of summer, the charge of cold air would only last about a day. My SE only had 95k on the clock at the time. Being that I have three little children, and we live in the southeast Texas inferno, I bit the bullet, and had my mechanic do the job. He tore out the entire dash assembly, right down to the damned fire wall and replaced the evaporator. One year and $1,200.00 later, and I have cold air. Still, helluva a hit to the wallet.

 

[bspurs]

Old thread here, but thought I'd chime in.

I have an 07 Sport with 120,000 miles. Started blowing warm air last summer and got the system vacuumed and recharged. This summer, blowing hot air again. Vacuumed and recharged again. Blew cold air for a month, and hot again. This time, just added refrigerant with dye, and it only blew cold for 5 days. Going back to the shop tomorrow to see if they can locate the leaks.

I'm fearing worst case scenario and the need for a full replacement as mentioned above. I'd be fine with adding my own refrigerant every now and then, but not if it only lasts 5 days at a time...