Re: HELP....My 90'CQ leaking green stuff and the a/c compressor won't engage.......

[Allan Jones <ampj@tiac.net>]

Michael Benno wrote:
> Did the shop who put the Freon in use a florescent die to trace a potential
> leak? They should have it is the law! If they did....bring it back and they
> will be easily able to find the leak using a black light.

	O.K., here goes...I was charged $100 about 2 years(6/29/95) and 40K
miles ago for a "complete A/C recharge" but lost all of the Freon in a
matter of days, maybe hours! I was very tempted(and was told) to go back
to the shop, but never did since I was quite sure it was a leak and
would require lots of money. I knew at the time that my compressor, or
at least the clutch, was going, and I heard a slight hiss from
under/behind the glove box after leaving the shop w/ the A/C blasting,
so I knew something was broken or leaking. I figured I'd save the
time(and money?) for a diagnosis and just wait until I could afford the
actual repair. I should have demanded my money back on top of a
diagnosis, I know, but....
	Now however, due to the above post, I am wondering if I can still go
back to the same shop and demand a diagnosis on some basis.

1) Is it too late....it's been almost two years!
2) Do they automatically and/or are they supposed to put the tracing die
in before filling or is it mixed in w/ the Freon?
3) If they did put a tracing die in the system two years ago, is it
still noticeable under a black light now?

> Your A/C leak will most definitively be in one of two places: 1)
> Compressor, or 2) Condenser. They typically go bad in Audis of this
> vintage.

	Yes, my C-GT is not the same "vintage" as said CQ, but do the same 2
places typically rear their ugly heads in my '86 C-GT? The evaporator is
under/behind the glove box in C-GTs and that's where I heard a hissing
noise coming from.

4) Do evaporators typically fail?
5) Is it easy to find out if that's where the leak is, or does the dash
have to be ripped apart?
6) Are they easy to replace, or more likely are they hard to get to but
easy to replace? Anyone done this?
8) If there is no Freon, is it legal for anyone to disassemble a system?

	THANKS to all I. A.!!
    _____    _____________   ________________________________________
                                                                       
    ALLAN    ampj@tiac.net      '86 COMMEMORATIVE DESIGN COUPE GT
                              169K and sitting in many, many pieces
    JONES    Burlington MA   with bumper, timing, & valve covers off!
    _____    _____________   ________________________________________