Leak Testing for Car Air Conditioning

One of the most common causes of Car Air Conditioning failure is lack of refrigerant in the air conditioning system. It’s quite normal for some gas to naturally leak out over time or it may be due to a leak from one of the components in the system i.e. pipes, hoses, condenser, compressor, receiver drier, expansion valve, evaporator etc.

There are various methods of leak testing including:

• Oxygen Free Nitrogen (OFN) Pressure Testing
• Electronic Leak Detecting Equipment
• Ultra Violet Dye

Oxygen Free Nitrogen (OFN) Pressure Testing

When the air conditioning system is completely empty of gas, Nitrogen can be introduced in to the system under pressure.  The technician will then inspect the system listening for an escape of gas or watching the gauges for any drop in pressure.  This method is particularly effective in finding major leaks and can also be successful at finding smaller leaks.

Electronic Leak Detector

This method detects leaks by utilising a highly sophisticated piece of equipment.  The Electronic Leak Detector is a hand held device which is held in close proximity around the air conditioning components, pipes and hoses. The unit is able to detect any leak of gas (HFC’s) which triggers an alarm.

Ultra Violet Dye

As some leaks are caused by extremely tiny perforations in the components or pipes it can be difficult to always locate by simply using Nitrogen Testing or the Electronic Leak Detector.  Where Ultra Violet Dye is present in the Air Conditioning System then the technician can use a specialist UV dye detecting torch to locate even the smallest of leaks.   Some vehicle manufacturers add the dye at point of manufacturer however this is not always the case.
Air Autos always add UV dye to any regas / service to assist the customer save time and money in future fault finding if needed.

Air Autos utilises all three of these specialist leak testing methods as appropriate as part of the regas service.