I recently repaired the AC on a 97 Spyder. The liquid line had a hole corroded in it
about 8" East of the battery. (8" to the right, in a bend on the firewall). I replaced
the liquid line, evacuated the system for ~60 minutes, and let it sit for ~30 minutes.
It held 29" of vacuum. I charged the system and it worked great. A week later, I had
the car for another problem and the AC worked perfectly.
Now, 4 weeks later, the AC is dead. The system charge is Zero. 0psi. No fluctuation
with temperature, just NADA.
That sounds like a big leak. Easy to find, right? Nope. I pull a 28"vacuum and it
holds for an hour. (I'm not more patient than that).
On the previous repair, I injected UV dye into the system. There is no trace of UV
dye anywhere. (Even in the evaporator drain, before you ask. )
I'm suspecting the compressor shaft seal. They usually don't reveal dye unless they
are leaking pretty bad.
Any thoughts or opinions? Experience is very welcome!!
Stewart DIBBS - 08 Jul 2007 19:34 GMT
> I'm suspecting the compressor shaft seal.
Did you replace the oil in the system before you recharged it? The corrosion
hole likely took most of the oil with it when the charge leaked out. Low or
no oil will destroy compressor seals very quickly.
SD
Tom Adkins - 10 Jul 2007 05:33 GMT
>> I'm suspecting the compressor shaft seal.
>
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> SD
Yep. It was flushed, new oil, new dryer...