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Black Light

curtie94 on Tue April 03, 2012 4:11 PM User is offline

Is it possible to buy a black light bulb for a shop light and find uv dye or do I actually need a uv light and glasses.

I also have a pair of yellow safety glasses.

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1991 Honda Accord 173,000 Miles

bohica2xo on Tue April 03, 2012 6:49 PM User is offline

Try one of these in your droplight:

CFL UV lightbulb

B.

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"Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest."
~ Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi, An Autobiography, M. K. Gandhi, page 446.

curtie94 on Tue April 03, 2012 7:01 PM User is offline

whats the difference between that and an incandescent.

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1991 Honda Accord 173,000 Miles

mk378 on Tue April 03, 2012 7:44 PM User is offline

The incandescents emit very little UV. Definitely use a CFL type. You can find them in the light bulb section of Lowes and Home Depot.

curtie94 on Tue April 03, 2012 7:52 PM User is offline

Ok I bought a bulb and now what exactly am I looking for. Any pictures or videos

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1991 Honda Accord 173,000 Miles

mk378 on Tue April 03, 2012 8:02 PM User is offline

Once you have the dye installed, take off one of the service valve caps. There will always be dyed oil in there, so you can look with the blacklight and see what you are looking for. It looks bright yellow or yellow-green.

curtie94 on Tue April 03, 2012 8:15 PM User is offline

I added dye last year and it all leaked out in 3 days will it still be visible

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1991 Honda Accord 173,000 Miles

curtie94 on Tue April 03, 2012 8:42 PM User is offline

what are common leak points on my car, it is a 1991 honda accord. I thought it was the condenser, but I can't see any dye.

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1991 Honda Accord 173,000 Miles

bohica2xo on Tue April 03, 2012 9:47 PM User is offline

Wait for dark.

Like 378 said, pull a cap off of a service port for a reference sample. You should see a glow inside the service port.

Go over the system slowly. Check each joint or seal. Check the compressor at the fittings, and around the clutch. Check the condensate drain for the evaporator.

If you have teenagers, I do not recommend checking their rooms the same way...

B.

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"Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest."
~ Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi, An Autobiography, M. K. Gandhi, page 446.

emsvitil on Wed April 04, 2012 2:34 AM User is offlineView users profile

Looks something like this:



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Ed
SoCal

HECAT on Wed April 04, 2012 1:05 PM User is offline

Quote
Originally posted by: curtie94
what are common leak points on my car, it is a 1991 honda accord.

The o-ring where the high pressure line connects to the compressor.

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HECAT: www.hecatinc.com You support the Forum when you consider www.ackits.com for your a/c parts.

FLUSHING TECHNICAL PAPER vs2.pdf 

curtie94 on Wed April 04, 2012 3:09 PM User is offline

Heres what I see:







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1991 Honda Accord 173,000 Miles

Edited: Wed April 04, 2012 at 3:10 PM by curtie94

curtie94 on Thu April 05, 2012 5:57 PM User is offline

does it look like that o ring was leaking

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1991 Honda Accord 173,000 Miles

mk378 on Thu April 05, 2012 6:17 PM User is offline

It can be hard to tell months after the leak because the dye washes away and/or gets covered over. If the pressure is zero now, go ahead and take apart the connection, check for corrosion and fit a new o-ring. Like HECAT said, the o-rings on both ends of the line from the compressor to the condenser are prone to harden and leak because that line runs hotter than any other part of the system.

curtie94 on Thu April 05, 2012 6:39 PM User is offline

Can bad dried o rings cause all of the refrigerant to leak out in a couple of days.

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1991 Honda Accord 173,000 Miles

mk378 on Fri April 06, 2012 10:33 AM User is offline

Yes it can all leak out in a couple of days. Or at least enough will leak out that it stops cooling, which only takes a few oz in some cases.

In a system that is known to leak rapidly, the most effective test is usually a static check with an electronic leak detector. Put in a small amount of R-134a to get a pressure of about 50 psi. Then without running the car go over all the likely leak points with the detector.

Edited: Fri April 06, 2012 at 10:36 AM by mk378

curtie94 on Fri April 06, 2012 1:28 PM User is offline

I don't have any access to that equipment. Heres a question would the seal swell I added of fixed the o rings or can they be old enough to not swell?

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1991 Honda Accord 173,000 Miles

mk378 on Fri April 06, 2012 3:32 PM User is offline

Magic in a can seldom works.

curtie94 on Fri April 06, 2012 4:10 PM User is offline

ok thats all I was wondering. Will it do anything if I change the o rings, and reciever drier then recharge or shoul I remove the "magic"?

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1991 Honda Accord 173,000 Miles

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