A/C refrigerant hose leak at the condenser site.

Howdy ya'll,

I'm new to this forum and have had this Tacoma for a few months. This site has been forum has been a tremendous help. And I continue to need a little help.

I was in my Taco with earlier with the AC on and I noticed an interesting burning smell. I was parked in the movie theater parking lot and I had to get out anyway. I popped the head and took a look under my truck and saw coolant leaking. It is coming out of the A/C refirgerant hose site that connects to the condenser. It isn't a bad leak per say, but it is enough for me to be concerned.

What is the fix for this? And is it safe to drive a few miles back to my place?

I appreciate your help!

Kurt

 

Yes it is safe to drive. It's only refridgerant the AC compressor will shut down when the pressure gets too low. Probably just needs a seal.

 

Is there anything specific I need to do like depressurize it and than take it off? I can I simply just un screw it, put a new washer on and screw it back on?

 

I had the same problem with my previous truck. That's the high-pressure line to the condenser, so the minute you unscrew the bolt, refrigerant will shoot out (first hand experience ). You need to pull the refrigerant out of the system, do the repair, then recharge the system with the right amount of refrigerant mixed with the right amount of PAG oil, to the right pressure. Take it to a shop that has an A/C service cart like this:



The repair involves buffing the O-ring seating surface to remove aluminum corrosion buildup and replacing the O-ring. Just replacing the O-ring without cleaning the surface can cause the problem to reappear in less than a year.

 

You will lose pressure and some r134a. It’s not a undo, replace O ring situation. You need a pro.

 

I appreciate the feedback! This has been very helpful. One quick question, when I recharge it, will I need to add a little bit of oil? I referenced the repair manual and it didn't mention it.

 

Yes, there needs to be xx ounces of PAG oil mixed in with the refrigerant as defined in the service manual. Get the quantity wrong and the A/C system may not work correctly. You need to take it to a shop with an A/C service cart. (Unfortunately it'll be an expensive service visit - $2 for the O-ring and 3 hours of shop labor time, because evacuating the system and recharging it takes time.)

 

If you know the exact amount of oil you lost then add it. Since there is no way to tell and most likely very little was lost, just recharge freon to the specified amount, 22 oz R134A.

 

Should you lose all your refrigerant and feel like taking this on as a DIY Oreillys rents vacuum pumps,flush kit and A/C gauges for free. So .30 cent oring and 20 dollars of R134 and some PAG Oil and your set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdq8JAlct6s

 

The DIY method works half the time, because there's no way to know the quantity of refrigerant loaded into the system. Even experienced master techs like EricTheCarGuy struggle with it when they lack the service cart.