Radiator Fluid Leak When AC on?
- Thread starter Wildboar
- Start date
My apologies...I was not clear what my concern was. Understanding that the AC will produce condensation that will drip out the bottom I am good with that and I get it. But what is dripping out of my truck appears to be a combination of water and a green oily substance. I am assuming that this is radiator fluid...or could it be the refrigerant? Because as I mentioned, I only see the oily substance mixed with the condensation.
As a side note, my coolant did need topped off recent. But only needed about a half a quart of coolant.
The big question is if it is actual coolant....where the hell would it only leak when I used the ac?
Thanks!
Well if you had to add coolant then you have a leak. If it's really only happening when the AC is on you do have a head scratcher there. Refrigerant and the PAG oil in the AC system are both clear (not green colored) for coolant leaks examine the usual suspects for evidence - the throttle body heater and both ends of the heads.
Damn...it is a head scratcher then. Nothing drips (no really....) when I don't use the AC. The coolant has needed topped off/burped for a while as I can hear water sloshing through the heater core.
I guess what I am asking from an engineering perspective is my that AC refrigerant and my engine cooling system have no physical capability to come in contact with one another. I am wondering if I have a coolant leak somewhere in the vicinity where where the evaporator releases condensation. So the mixture I see of water and coolant occurs from two different sources.
I guess what I am asking from an engineering perspective is my that AC refrigerant and my engine cooling system have no physical capability to come in contact with one another. I am wondering if I have a coolant leak somewhere in the vicinity where where the evaporator releases condensation. So the mixture I see of water and coolant occurs from two different sources.
I was thinking that too. Maybe coolant is pooling somewhere and evaporating except when the AC is on the condensation washes it down but I've never looked to see how or where the AC condensation comes from or what it's path to the ground is.
From my experience slow coolant leaks can be quite deceiving as they may take a circuitous route from their source to where you finally see them.
From my experience slow coolant leaks can be quite deceiving as they may take a circuitous route from their source to where you finally see them.
Radiator gets really hot, so AC lets fluid out to keep you cool. That's why important to top off hot radiator with nice cold fluid.
Why not a single manufacturer came up with a way to use AC to cool the radiator fluid escapes me. Seems like an obvious solution.
Ok, so the AC system holds at max 2lbs of R134a and there is max 2 pt's of PAG oil. If there is a leak in the AC system you will loose all the refrigerant pretty quickly. 1) Because once the AC system is compromised it leaks whether you are running AC or not, and 2) The PAG oil usually makes a big mess because it is escaping under pressure. The idle pressure in an automotive AC system is around 100 psi, when the system is on low side is around 40 psi and high side around 200 psi, these are guide line numbers I don't have a PT chart write here. So if you still have working AC it isn't leaking refrigerant. Most likely condensate mixed with gook from the heater matrix, possibly a heater core leak.
Even if that were so, as noted above, the system would have been completely discharged and no longer functioning if there were a leak and it would have no bearing whether it was ON or OFF or even if the engine were running for that matter.
Guys, are you all serious?
It's coolant, pure and simple. The truck is running hot, and the head gasket starts to leak at the back of the block.
Sorry, your truck cannot possibly run between 119F and 127F. Is it 219F and 227F? Then I believe - and yes, it does run very hot.
A properly running D1 should only hit 224F going fast uphill at 110F outside, and cool off to below 210F as soon as the road levels off.
EDIT: it does not mean your truck overheats - yet. It will - around 234F the temp gauge needle will race up to the top, making you wonder what happened. Your head gasket is not "blown" yet - it just leaks coolant from a really narrow strip near the coolant passage in the back of the block/head. It may even never blow - it may be leaking coolant like that for years. But it is in your interest to lower the average running temperature of your engine - I believe (this is more of a faith thing than science) that most leaky heater cores are leaking because of many years of over-pressurized cooling system.
A properly running D1 should only hit 224F going fast uphill at 110F outside, and cool off to below 210F as soon as the road levels off.
EDIT: it does not mean your truck overheats - yet. It will - around 234F the temp gauge needle will race up to the top, making you wonder what happened. Your head gasket is not "blown" yet - it just leaks coolant from a really narrow strip near the coolant passage in the back of the block/head. It may even never blow - it may be leaking coolant like that for years. But it is in your interest to lower the average running temperature of your engine - I believe (this is more of a faith thing than science) that most leaky heater cores are leaking because of many years of over-pressurized cooling system.