Can a air conditioning condenser have a very slow leak?

Maintenance/Repairs
1

I have a 2011 Honda accord and the air conditioning stopped working on it. I took it in for a recharge and leak test and they said the condenser was leaking from a hole in it near the bottom. They recharged it but the Freon lasted the entire summer so I thought they were wrong. Now the AC doesn’t work anymore again. So I am wondering if it is possible to have a very slow leak from a hole in the bottom of the condenser that will last the entire summer or if it is leaking from somewhere else. I took it into a place that did some other sketchy things so I don’t really trust their opinion.

I was also thinking of just getting one of those inexpensive Freon bottles that is mixed with oil at Walmart that you can charge your car with since it will probably last me the rest of the summer but I don’t know if doing that is bad for your car, I thought I read somewhere that it was but I don’t know for sure.

2

If the AC system is leaking refrigerant at all, there’s a leak.

Since I didn’t inspect the vehicle, I can’t say where it is.

But confirm where the leak is.

Because it’s only going to get bigger.

Tester

3

Yes. A few years back first day of summer no ac. The shop put in some dye, recharged and said see what happens. They said we have people it can last up to a year, and they would rather recharge than repair. Mine did not make it a week, pinpointed to condenser and repaired.

4

A 10yr old accord could be a nice car. If you fix it.

2 Likes
6

It could be the condenser that’s leaking.

But I’m not the one who looked for leaks.

Do you know how they tested for leaks?

Tester

8

They put dye in the Freon and checked for leaks

9

some ac techs consider a slow leak to be a good candidate for a sealant treatment, especially for a customer with an older car that does not want to spend a lot on a condenser swap.