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It's my understanding most of the oil is supposed to stay in the compressor, but it circulates with the refrigerant. I've had a leak for about 9-12 months (not sure when it actually started leaking...). Recharged it last fall (when the snow flake icon started flashing due to not enough pressure) with A/C Pro (contains 3 ounces of additives, ACP200-6), recharged it after evaporator repair (SuperTech R-134A) with some A/C Pro PAG 46 (oil 20ml or so), then again recently after the condenser repair (SuperTech R-134A) which I added 15ml of oil. I tried a test on my Kia Forte which had its engine block replaced under warranty 5 years ago or so, and the A/C tester looks the same... I ordered a Lichamp AC Oil Injector. I may inject another 1/2 ounce else just leave it alone. Really hard to tell how much oil was lost due to the leak and recharges/fills. You can see some of it leaking across the old condenser which is why the lower left is darker and the plastic holder looks a little oily.
Anyways seems like those oil testers are a waste of money at this point. Probably get similar results with a paper towel and screwdriver lol If I had some dye in the system, maybe it would be more helpful, but then throws up the oil of the oil condition...
Thanks for explaining further. I wonder why that recirculating oil does not completely "foul" the dessicant in the drier, rendering it useless.
I won't fully appreciate what you are saying until when, not if, I have to replace major components of our vehicle's AC. Because I'm old and not getting any younger, I must say that I'm really not looking forward to that day.
Thanks for explaining further. I wonder why that recirculating oil does not completely "foul" the dessicant in the drier, rendering it useless.
I won't fully appreciate what you are saying until when, not if, I have to replace major components of our vehicle's AC. Because I'm old and not getting any younger, I must say that I'm really not looking forward to that day.
Not sure, seems like driers use many different designs. I do know the desiccant is at the top of the drier.
Ended up stretching the clip a little and put some super mole skin on the pipe to reduce any friction. Not sure if that’s a legit repair, but felt like I had to MacGyver something to reduce the friction on the pipe.
Also installed new clips to hold the cover down. Good as new Unless I add a little more oil, I think this case is closed!
Ha, my filter was getting pretty bad too, went with the Bosch HEPA filter too. Pretty good product. Got it all back together, sniffer still goes off some in the vent… stuck it in the fan by the filter and it goes off there too, thinking its some sort of false reading some how. Let’s see how long the system holds I guess…
Good call on the compressor. NW Chicago burbs here. I recharged in the fall. Was fine, but when it got warm in the spring the charge lost almost all pressure…
Hi, Truwarrior. I hope your AC is still blowing ice cold.
I'm posting today because I ran into something I had never heard of until today -- spray foaming cleaner for AC evaporators. Because a video is worth a million words, here's a video of the stuff:
I was thinking of injecting the foam from where the cabin air filter is inserted, but the following photos show that this may not be a good idea. You can see the cabin air filter through the housing on the right. The evaporator is in the part of the large housing on the left.
I'm thinking that the foam should be sprayed in through one or both of the middle ac outlets on the dash.
Alternatively, do you think that it would be possible to drill a, say, 1/4" hole into the front of the white housing righ in front of the evaporator and spray it right in there? I don't know if that part of the housing is even accessible without removing a bunch of stuff. You are the expert on this. After the cleaning, one could just dry the plastic area just outside the hole very well and put a pice of black Gorilla tape over the hole, or plug it with a rubber plug.
What do you think? Would you use it at all and, if you would, where would you spray it in?
Hi, Truwarrior. I hope your AC is still blowing ice cold.
I'm posting today because I ran into something I had never heard of until today -- spray foaming cleaner for AC evaporators. Because a video is worth a million words, here's a video of the stuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE0msNKgC54
I was thinking of injecting the foam from where the cabin air filter is inserted, but the following photos show that this may not be a good idea. You can see the cabin air filter through the housing on the right. The evaporator is in the part of the large housing on the left.
I'm thinking that the foam should be sprayed in through one or both of the middle ac outlets on the dash.
Alternatively, do you think that it would be possible to drill a, say, 1/4" hole into the front of the white housing righ in front of the evaporator and spray it right in there? I don't know if that part of the housing is even accessible without removing a bunch of stuff. You are the expert on this. After the cleaning, one could just dry the plastic area just outside the hole very well and put a pice of black Gorilla tape over the hole, or plug it with a rubber plug.
What do you think? Would you use it at all and, if you would, where would you spray it in?
Thanks.
It says to use the drain, can you do that from under the car?
It says to use the drain, can you do that from under the car?
Ideally the foam is supposed to be injected up through the condensate drain hole. The problem for me would be locating exactly where the drain hole is under the vehicle. I suppose one could jack the car, get under the vehiicle and have someone squirt some water or foam into one of the AC vents, as shown in the video, and the person underneath locates exactly where the hole is and then, after the flow stops from the hole, insert the flexible plastic line into the hole and blast away. It's going to definitely be easier to squirt the from in from the top than from the drain hole. Also, there's a plastic cover under the vehicle and maybe it obstructs view of the hole.
(Edit: After some searching, I found the following short thread about locating the condensate drain hole on an '03 Outlander. I'll take a look on our vehicle to see if it's the same arrangement. If it is, I think that it may be very difficult, or impossible, to get the foam hose into from underneath the vehicle. https://mitsubishiforum.com/forum/mi...er-pics-36424/ )
The other question is how effective the foam will be at cleaning the evaporator. You just fill the evap compartment with foam, let it sit and then drain. It's not going to be like using a brush, that's for sure.
While I'm typing, as I look at the two photos of the HVAC assembly removed from the vehicle, I'm not exactly sure how air flows through it, but I'll take a shot at it.
The squirrel cage fan sucks into its center either outside or inside air through the cabin filter. It seems there's a flapper above the air filter that can move so that the incoming air is through those windows or through that insulated chute that, presumably, is connected to a plastic inlet through which outside air passes.
The fan blows out outside or recirculated inside air through the passage that connects the two halves of the assembly into the compartment where the evaporator resides. After moving past/through the evaporator, the cold air is directed to all the vent openings in the dash.
Where is the heater core in all this? Is it also somewhere inside the plastic assembly or completely separate from it?
Last edited by Outlaander; Jul 14, 2024 at 03:26 PM.
Ideally the foam is supposed to be injected up through the condensate drain hole. The problem for me would be locating exactly where the drain hole is under the vehicle. I suppose one could jack the car, get under the vehiicle and have someone squirt some water or foam into one of the AC vents, as shown in the video, and the person underneath locates exactly where the hole is and then, after the flow stops from the hole, insert the flexible plastic line into the hole and blast away. It's going to definitely be easier to squirt the from in from the top than from the drain hole. Also, there's a plastic cover under the vehicle and maybe it obstructs view of the hole.
(Edit: After some searching, I found the following short thread about locating the condensate drain hole on an '03 Outlander. I'll take a look on our vehicle to see if it's the same arrangement. If it is, I think that it may be very difficult, or impossible, to get the foam hose into from underneath the vehicle. https://mitsubishiforum.com/forum/mi...er-pics-36424/ )
The other question is how effective the foam will be at cleaning the evaporator. You just fill the evap compartment with foam, let it sit and then drain. It's not going to be like using a brush, that's for sure.
While I'm typing, as I look at the two photos of the HVAC assembly removed from the vehicle, I'm not exactly sure how air flows through it, but I'll take a shot at it.
The squirrel cage fan sucks into its center either outside or inside air through the cabin filter. It seems there's a flapper above the air filter that can move so that the incoming air is through those windows or through that insulated chute that, presumably, is connected to a plastic inlet through which outside air passes.
The fan blows out outside or recirculated inside air through the passage that connects the two halves of the assembly into the compartment where the evaporator resides. After moving past/through the evaporator, the cold air is directed to all the vent openings in the dash.
Where is the heater core in all this? Is it also somewhere inside the plastic assembly or completely separate from it?
The heater core is in front. The evaporator is behind the heater core. Should be easy to find the drain. Just run the A/C then jack it up. Should find the water dripping. Maybe you can inject it where the resistor goes. It’s cooled by the heated sink and air flow so probably can’t run it long.
Unless I add a little more oil, I think this case is closed!
