A/C evaporator leaking?

30

Asked by Perman Apr 10, 2010 at 09:51 PM about the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My a/c cabin cooling begins to degrad 4 to 5 days after a recharge.  The dealer recharged with a UV leak detector after pressure checking but could not immediately detect a leak anywhere.  They said to brig it back after a week and they'd recheck but it probably was the evaporator and it'd cost app. &1200 to replace a $140 part due to labor intensity of removing dash, instrument cluster, heating and a/c controls, etc. My UV light only showed the leak detector around the boss at the fill site.  I don't know if that's from spill over or the boss is actually cracked all the way around.  If the evaporator is leaking wouldn't I see signs of leak detector in the air vents.  Anybody got any experience with this phenom?

2 Answers

125

If you have a leaking evaporator and they charged it with dye you can put a piece of cardboard under the ac vent and let the water drip on to it. If it glows when you shine the light on it then you have a leaking evaporator. Best to do right after it is charged so dye is still in the system.

9 people found this helpful.
30

Thanks John, I got similar advice elsewhere and unfortunately it was glowing green under the uv lite. The dealer worked with me and let me do the dash rip-out to save on labor cost. I should get it back tomorrow good for another 100K.

3 people found this helpful.

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