A problem with the AC

[ilya]

Sincei bought my 525i about a year and a half ago, i've recharged the AC twice. the first time was right after buying it (perhaps the AC hasn't been used much by the previous owner) and the second time in august. now in april it has stopped working again. the air that comes out of the vents is not cold, but rather cool at most. even after letting the ac run for 5-10 minutes, the air doesn't change.
the last time i recharged the AC, i used a kit that had some sealant with it so it was supposed to fill any holes that the AC tubes might have had. looks like that might not have worked that well.
after recharging the ac, it works absolutely great for the first 4-5 months or so but then starts to slow die, so to say.

what do you think could be the problem and how can i fix it?

[Javier]

compressor seals, hole in the condenser, all of them are possible causes, you can presurize de system again (recharge for example), and cover with soapy whater every posible leaking junction, bubbles will show leaks, for the evaporator, and compressor you will need a leak locator. My car uses R12 and they use a butane torch to catch leaks, Don't know about R134.

Javier

[Lennyz525i]

I've got a leaking condenser, not gonna bother fixing it. I need to recharge every month and a half or so. Having to recharge it every 4-5 months isn't so bad! A can of charge is less then $10 and I really don't feel like pulling out the condenser.

[motuman]

My car had the same problem. I was able to put in the glow dye and find the leak with a black light. Fortunately mine was in an easy spot to detect - where the high pressure line connects to the compressor. The glow charge really works, there is no missing it when you hit it with the black light!

[Javier]

Javier

[liquidtiger720]

I've got a leaking condenser, not gonna bother fixing it. I need to recharge every month and a half or so. Having to recharge it every 4-5 months isn't so bad! A can of charge is less then $10 and I really don't feel like pulling out the condenser.


Lenny, you think you could help me re-charge mine? Kinda scared of the AC system, hehe.