suggestions for tracking a leak

[guzman_marcos]

Every 3 weeks I am charging 12 ounces of r134 to my system and I can't find the leak; where should I be looking for? regards, Marcos got two consoles in my expedition (97)

[Pestco1]

One of the easiest ways is to look for oil. Oil leaks out of the system with the freon. If the hoses in the engine compartment are oily clean them with brake cleaner, then keep an eye on them for the next few days. Other methods include using dye in the next freon charge and looking for the leak with a blacklight. You might also be able to find an electronic leak detector that someone will loan or rent to you. I would concentrate on the fittings, both behind the compressor and at the connections for the other components. They use the same high pressure fitting that is used on the fuel system. Sometimes the o rings crack and you can get a leak this way.

[svt_sc_f150]

the most common place for leaks on these a/c systems is the front compressor seal. Take off the small 8mm bolt on the front of the compressor, take off the clutch and look inside where the shaft is. More than likely it will be wet in there. Good luck.

[coolsystems]

I use the UV dye.it works great.I am a professional A/C tech,on commercial,& residental systems,but they make the UV dye for 134a for automotive use.you gan get it at autozone or wal-mart.they make a special Uv light,but you can just use a normal black light to look for the leak one night.

[FordMasterTech]

one good source of a cheap blacklight is the blue LED stylus streamlight penlight.
I too am a certified HVAC and for $20 or less on a blacklight that can get into many places a big bulky blacklight can't you might want to investigate the stylus if you need an affordable blacklight.
Remember, the blue LED model is the one.

FordMasterTech