AC diagnosis steps and procedures. Find a leak + testing

Video one performed a visual inspection
confirm customers complain no cooling
Use electronic refrigerant leak detector to find leak at evaporator

Second video operating vehicle as arrived with the state of charge of 3.6 ounces inside to confirm operation complaints of Poor cooling performance. Add a trace line UV dye to aid in finding leaks in the future or anything big enough and obvious immediately if applicable.

Third video performing refrigerant recovery in preparation to do complete vacuum and recharge for the next video showing operation pressures and temperatures with a full factory charge of 550 g by weight

Fourth video system fully recharged with 550 g R134.
notating and showing pressures and temperatures of vehicle operating with the proper charge to perform a fully functional test on the compressor the expansion valve and all controls door flaps heating and cooling mode.

 

I have not advertised in 30 years and when I did it was only for 2 1/2 months and then I pulled my phone number out of the Yellow Pages took down all my signs stop passing out business cards had too much work.

Yes there are competent technicians at a few small private shops stay away from the dealerships.
When I started in my own business 30 years ago there was literally 30 air conditioning and radiator specialty shops from San Francisco down our peninsula that only specialized in heating and air-conditioning. Jump to 2020 there is only one left.
The one thing I notice about a decade ago is air conditioning specialty shops turning away hybrid vehicles after they’ve made a few very expensive mistakes and decided not to work on hybrids.

 

It’s OK I completely understand no need to apologize.

I just see a lot of people having problem trying to figure out the Prius air conditioning systems and a lot of false information about pressures and temperatures. A lot of rule of thumb information being passed around that is not set in stone when it comes to the sensors and a computer taking over and changing the pressures and temperatures at will that do not correlate with the old fashion compressor Systems that just ran off a simple single pressure switch or a simple single thermostat sensor.

So I try to post as many videos as possible showing different scenarios in different operating conditions how widely the pressures differ from one vehicle to another.

I have one video posted showing 420 or 440 psi pressure. And just by adding or subtracting the amount of refrigerant that fills one refrigerant hose on the gauge set able to drop it by nearly 100 psi that’s how sensitive the system is.

I have another video of my own Prius driving down the street with wireless pressure gauges on the ports while monitoring the pressures and temperatures while driving and my high side pressure dropped as low as 66 psi and that is considered normal and good under those operating conditions.

I’m just trying to get the information out there if people see enough of my videos just on Prius they will come to realize there is no one set rule of thumb when trying to fill them up with little cans of refrigerant.
It’s sad seeing customers come in with damage compressors because they followed some bad advice that just works sometimes for some people.

 

good quality UV dye must have the right UV light or the shop is just waisted the customers time and money not finding the leak.

There are 4 or five different UV LIGHT spectrum wave length. 95%+ of shops only buy one of them.
Then why are they waisting waving around a UV light doing nothing no hope to find a leak even if it was sitting right in front of them.