Compressor noise and warm air

[jlong]

I know I have a leak because I had to add Freon over the last summer. Well it's been about 8 months or so and it's not blowing as cold again. I've also noticed a noise now coming from the compressor, A wine like a bad idler pulley. It's not that loud though. I'm assuming it's because of low Freon so I hope it goes away when I recharge it.

 

Does the system come with dye in it from the factory or do I have to add dye? Are there any common leak points to check for on the fusion or in general?

 

Also does the noise indicate low Freon or does it mean the clutch is bad or worse?

 

Thanks,

John

[akirby]

Noise means the bearings are bad - refrigerant won't fix that. Also - it's refrigerant or R134a. Freon hasn't been used in a couple of decades.

[jlong]

Ok, you know what I mean lol.

 

So it was 80+ degrees today and the. Compressor didn't sound like it was coming on. I added some R134a and now it's blowing cold. As I was adding it the compressor was cycling because I could hear it and the pressure gauge would move.

 

One thing I noticed is the fan wasn't on or cycling, though the AC is cold and the engine temp is fine. So I'm wondering if the noise I heard was the fan going out and not the compressor bearing because I didn't hear any unusual noise from the compressor while I was under the hood.

 

I guess it's time for a fan assembly.

 

So, the urgent question is how do I locate the leak. Is there already dye in the system or do I have to add it.

 

One other bit of info. I didn't add quite a whole can of R134a, a regular size can. I guess it wasn't that low.

Edited March 18, 2017 by jlong