Hi

I am going to re-charge my a/c. I usually do it down the shop but this time I want to have a go.

So, should I use a recharge can with leak stopper or not? I last recharged in spring and the air is not as cold now. I guess the gas is leaking.

Also I am confused, should the fan in front of the engine run all the time the air is on? Mine cliks off after a few minutes and will only clik back on when I switch the air off then back on??

Thanks for your help
V 1992 850 GLT auto.

Personally, I would not use a leak sealer. Instead, I'd suggest recharging with DuPont SUVA R134. DuPont makes two types of SUVA -- one with a UV dye and one without. Choose the one with the dye.

-Phil

I am having an issue myself now with the A/C and if it comes to replacing the evaporator or trying a sealer, I will most likely try the sealer. In particular I am interested in the SSR Cryoseal which, according to co. website, actually forms an epoxy seal at areas where the refrigerant finds moisture--actally at point of leak. Per their info, machinery which detects leak detectors won't detect their product because anything other than refrigerant when purged essentially becomes lubricant. Did some general research on the web and this appears to be the best product at this point. I don't know pricing. Here is a link to their site for anyone wanting to investigate further:

http://www.ssrintl.com

any sealer will clog any ac machine in a shop that gets your car afterwards. if they have a sealant identifier, they'll pick it up and tell you they can't service the system. 850 evaps are known leakers, and seem to get worse with age. good luck, chuck.

Sealant identifier? Is that fact or fiction. Sounds a little far fetched.

no fiction. they sell for about 200 bucks. cheaper than a new recovery machine. and so it goes, chuck.

If you are going to use a leak stopper, I would try to get the best one available. Some board members speak highly of cryo-seal, or something to that effect. See if you can find out more in the archives. I've used stop-leak products before in otherwise good systems (I only needed to "top-off", but it was mixed with the freon in an over-the-counter can) and it actually hurt the cooling capacity of both systems I used it in ('97 Toyota Corolla and '94 940). I think it might have damaged the compressors. I used a real cheap additive however, made by interdynamics. If I had a leak, I would definitely try an additive before replacing components. Just be sure to read up and select a brand that gets good results. Good luck!
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'94 854 N/A.

When I bought my car from the dealer the ac only lasted 2 months. So I had a leak and they charged it up for the sale. I bought the kit which included the stop leak. (2 cans and 1 stop leak) Its been 2 summers since and the ac still works compared to the 2 months from when I got it from the dealer.
So I would say yes.. worked in my case

Using a "leak stopper" won't hurt, then again, it probably won't help either. Those products are meant for microscopic holes, not a leaky evaporator.
As for the fan running... no, the temperature will dictate when the fan comes on. The emmission control devices require a hot running motor and the fan running all of the time will cool the motor too much, especially on not so hot days.

Klaus
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98 V70Rawd(101Kmi), 95 854T(85K mi), 88 245(165K mi)