PDA

View Full Version : A/C Freon Leaks-1997

Hutch
08-21-2004, 07:51 PM
A/C Freon pressure drops from 40lbs to 10lbs in two days. My mechanic has recharged the system, twice, and installed a dye to trace any leaks. After the second re-charge, my mechanic used an infrared light to check for leaks. No leaks found. He now says the freon must be leaking from the part of the A/C system that is located inside, under the dash and it will cost $1300 to fix. $400 for part and the rest for labor. What part is under the dash? and is it recommended that a "trained" mechanic replace or can it be done by a home mechanic?
bimmerboi318
08-21-2004, 09:34 PM
a general rule we use is if there is no leak in the engine compartment, its under the dash. the part that is under the dash is the evaporator, its kind of like a heater core...but cold. i havent had to replace mine yet, but on dodge cars and trucks, the entire dash has to come out. and ac components are generally very expensive. i believe a condensor was about 400 bucks for a ram truck i did last week. the evaporator was about 300. so interpret that to bmw prices. even if the part WAS easy to access...you need a special machine to recover, vacuum, and recharge the ac system. so i dont recommend it for the home mechanic.
Jeff Spooner
08-23-2004, 02:21 AM
your leak is probably the expansion valve which bolts to the evap. core. I believe the exp. valve can be replaced with out removing the entire box. but if the core is leaking it will not be cheap. Just did one last week on a 325i we charged 14 hours labor. The job is very labor intensive, take it to a good BMW shop, they are familiar w/ how a BMW comes apart and take the time to put it back right.
2ndBimmer
08-23-2004, 03:10 AM
My car is having the same problem. :headfone:

2 months ago I had the system charged. Now it barely puts out anything. Mechanic checked it out, found no leaks, thinks its the core :sadblink:

Since its almost fall... Im just gonna wait on this one.
ClubSport332ti
09-29-2004, 02:22 PM
My car is having the same problem. :headfone:

2 months ago I had the system charged. Now it barely puts out anything. Mechanic checked it out, found no leaks, thinks its the core :sadblink:

Since its almost fall... Im just gonna wait on this one.

Damn that really sucks! How much will it cost just to replace the core? I assume if a DYI can take out the dash, then it should be too hard right?