Help! Green Fluid - Small Amount Currently - See Pictures, Please

My Tacoma is a 2011 2.7 access cab, 4x4. Double radiator system. Auto trans. 131K

Yes, I am not that mechanically inclined as you can tell by my description. However, this is why I joined the forum so I could learn more. I have learned a lot so far, thanks to all!!!

I have some green fluid dripping just before/after a metal line enters/exits the front portion of the radiator (oil cooler maybe) on the bottom. It's dripping on a portion of the frame but not enough to overflow onto the ground. I noticed it when I was doing an oil change a few days ago so I cannot confirm exactly how long it has been occurring. No drops in my driveway, yet. It may be minor but I frequently drive 500 miles in one day so not looking to take any chances.

The pictures were taken laying on the ground looking up to the sky.

Any input would be appreciated. If more pictures are needed please let me know and I will be happy to furnish them. Thank You!!

 

That is PAG oil with a fluorescent dye added to help with leak detection. That is a leak in your air conditioning system. There are a pair of o-rings on those refrigerant lines and it would appear that you have a leak where that connector block bolts to the condenser which sits in front of the radiator. To fix, you will have to recover whatever refrigerant is left, then open the system and replace those o-rings, then bolt it back up and evacuate/recharge the system. Quick job if that is the only place you see the green fluid. If you have a UV light (black light) wait until it is dark, raise the hood and shine the light all around the A/C lines from compressor to firewall. You will see an obvious glow where it is leaking.

In looking at your photo, can you check the torque on that bolt on the connector? It almost looks loose to me and that would certainly enable this kind of leak. In any case, you can see a small split between the two pieces of aluminum. If you remove that bolt, that will break apart, it is sealed by a pair of o-rings (sometimes a single part of course) that are clamped between those two aluminum blocks by the bolt you see there.

BTW that also suggests you are leaking R134a which will result in reduced A/C cooling over time.

 

Great, thank you so much for the response.

Your answer is very clear and concise, thank you. That said, I have a couple novice follow up questions. So, for now will it be fine and not something I have to get repaired right away? However, I am already having a front bearing replaced tomorrow at a small shop in town, should I have it fixed right away?

If I had the garage do the work up, how long should it take, approximately?

I just went out and tried to turn the bolt, no luck, it is tight... I have a UV light for work and will check the rest of the line in a couple hours, great tip, thank you.

 

Funny story, I got on here this afternoon to research a problem I was having on my truck. It just so happens to be the exact same leak in the same spot on basically the same truck (2011 2.7 access 4x4 man 70,0000) and I just found it during and oil change too

So thank you ty for doing the hard work for me, and thanks Robert for the very clear and fast answer

 

That is pretty funny actually... If you have a silver color truck (my color), that would be scary?!?!

 

Here's a really rough breakdown.

to replace the o-rings, excluding anything else, probably 15 minutes.

But prior to that, a shop will have to recover any R134a in the system, which is maybe 30 minutes max, and then evacuate and recharge which I would generally allow an hour as you are supposed to evacuate for 30 minutes at least, then let it stand for a bit to make sure vacuum doesn't show any leakage. So maybe 2 hours total.

The only question about "now or later" depends on how fast it is leaking. These systems only hold 22 oz of R134a, for every ounce that leaks out A/C efficiency will drop until eventually the compressor will shut off due to pressure being too low. If I were doing this at home, I might well get it done in an hour, total. The only issue is that a shop will charge you what the book says, which is often pretty pessimistic. IE it would take maybe 5 minutes to replace the o-rings, but the book will likely quote a half hour or an hour.

 

I had this exact problem fixed 1 month ago. During my frame swap, dealer wanted to replace condenser for $1500 I ordered a complete A/C system o-ring and gasket kit from ebay for $20 bucks. Went to local mechanic and they charged $100 to drain/recover R134, clean rust of lines, replace gasket, and re-charge the A/C. No leaks and blows nice and cold now.

 

Okay, thank you both for the feedback. All good information. Its a good feeling knowing what needs to be done rather than walking in blind... Thanks again.