Refrigerent leak advice requested

[preacher35]

So, I have a 2005 SE and for the past couple of months, I have had an a/c mystery going on. I took it to my neighborhood a/c specialist because T4R started blowing warm air our of the driver side (while running the compressor) and cold air out of the passenger side. About 10 days after this started happening, the a/c stopped working outright. I was told that the system was completely void of refrigerant and thus began the search for a leak. They proceeded to run the die through the system and recharged with refrigerant, after which I was told to drive it for a few weeks. No luck as no leak was found in the engine compartment. They, again recharged the system and did an "in cabin leak check" to see of anything was leaking on the cabin side of the firewall and again, no leak was detected. WTF? Have any of you had a similar issue or is there a common a/c issue that I have not heard about with my model year? Any advice is appreciated. Summer is coming and I do not want to bake!

Thank you in advance,
Preacher35

 

[Gatafly]

Had that with my previous truck. Could never find the leak with the dye. I spent a bunch of time looking and found a small hole in the condensor. I think it may have leaked out fast enough that the dye did not get completely circulated, but have no idea.

 

[preacher35]

Had that with my previous truck. Could never find the leak with the dye. I spent a bunch of time looking and found a small hole in the condensor. I think it may have leaked out fast enough that the dye did not get completely circulated, but have no idea.

Was your previous truck a T4R? If so, what year and how much was the repair (if you can recall)?

Thanks

 

[Gatafly]

Was your previous truck a T4R? If so, what year and how much was the repair (if you can recall)?

Thanks

No it wasn't. I just replaced the condensor myself, about a 10 minute job, and filled the system. It worked fine, but I would suggest having a shop do the refill. You need to make sure that any foam insulation that is wrapped around the lines is removed for inspection. A leak can occur at a seam or joint and never be detected by the dye unless it is removed. So many shops just do a quick look for dye and don't really dig into it too deep.

 

[preacher35]

No it wasn't. I just replaced the condensor myself, about a 10 minute job, and filled the system. It worked fine, but I would suggest having a shop do the refill. You need to make sure that any foam insulation that is wrapped around the lines is removed for inspection. A leak can occur at a seam or joint and never be detected by the dye unless it is removed. So many shops just do a quick look for dye and don't really dig into it too deep.

OK, thanks GATAFLY. I will take that under advisement.

 

[stevec5000]

There are sensors that can detect freon coming from leaks. Maybe you could find one of them to use. Also, while I've never tried it I think you might be able to hear the hissing sound from a leak with a stethoscope.