Going to try an AC recharge kit, should I add oil or UV dye?

[SubieRubyRoo]

Consider replacing both the low and high side Schrader valves first, then have a competent shop recharge it. My Impreza hadn’t held a charge for a few years, and since I was not using it as my daily I tossed a couple cans of stop leak at it. My son has been driving it lately and it’s been a humid summer, so he took it in for diagnosis.

Long story short, the entire system was fine with the exception of the low side Schrader, which was sticky and leaking. For $90, he got diag, new valve, AND a recharge. 4 weeks later, the AC is still so cold he could cut peepholes in the side windows, IYKWIM…

It may really be that simple, so let an honest pro give it a look. You may be pleasantly surprised!

 

[Nukeman7]

On Odysseys, I believe some of the AC clutch relays are suspect quality. And I think that they may be swappable for another one of the relays. So you could pop open the underhood fuse box and swap the AC relay as an easy troubleshoot.

For troubleshooting, I suggest watching the video below and swapping the positions of the 3 black relays, then checking the 7.5 amp (red) A/C clutch fuse and both of the 30 amp (green) cooling/condenser fan fuses.

 

[John105]

get a plain old can of R134a and a hose and add it to the system. Don't ever put stop leak in a A/C system.

You can add dye if you want to help your A/C guy determine why the system was low but at this point in time you're not really sure why it's not working so that step is entirely up to you.

Again... no stop leak.

Agreed....I tried to recharge based on a hiss I heard, and I borrowed some gauges, etc. I think this is not worth it and best left to those with experience (I really couldn't seem to get consistent readings). On Youtube, I had found people DIY with a can and it comes with a hose. That's worth a shot imho. If it doesn't work, then take it to a shop.

 

[jayjr1105]

Good responses. I do have spare relays in the glove box knowing that honda's sometimes have this problem and I have swapped the 2 main relays and checked the 7.5a fuse to no avail. Also both fans seem to be moving with the car running so probably not the fan fuses.

 

[D60]

Good responses. I do have spare relays in the glove box knowing that honda's sometimes have this problem and I have swapped the 2 main relays and checked the 7.5a fuse to no avail. Also both fans seem to be moving with the car running so probably not the fan fuses.

Jump the clutch w vehicle not running. It should click. If not, this is problem #1. Bad clutch, bad wiring or gap too large

 

[50yr Street Mech]

2005 Ody ? Probably lost freon in old , dried out A/C hoses. Kinda weeped out over time. That's a lot of years on one charge. If it was sudden, you have a major leak somewhere. Gradual, meh, weeping hoses. Eyeball the hoses for any damp spots, especially at the crimps. If it was gradual, I would just throw in 1 lb of R134A.,,and see what that does. My 03' Toyota did the same thing. No visible leaks. Put in 1 lb and it's still ice cold. That was 3 years ago. No dye, no stop leak, no oil. Works great now. Mine is so old, it has a sight glass on the high side. It was cloudy, meaning it needed freon. 1 lb cleared it right up. Sight glasses use to be common back in the day for DIY'ers. They did away with that too

 

[brages]

Little rant here:

For some reason, posters just assume that the first fix for any A/C problem is to add a lil Freon. A/C systems can have some complications, but the principles are simple enough that you can do basic troubleshooting. In this case, it's been shown that there's enough refrigerant that the compressor ought to be compressing, but it's not. Further troubleshooting could nail down the specific cause: pressure sensor, clutch, clutch relay, etc.

Yet people are still posting to the thread assuming that it's a leak!

Every mechanical problem is a puzzle, a mystery that can be unraveled through finding clues and deducing their meanings. To me, this solving of the puzzle is the best and most interesting part of car repair - you always learn something when you piece together the clues. Engage that inner Poirot and use the "little grey cells"!