Freon all leaked out. Letting AC compressor sit causes seals to shrink and dryout. I live in Dallas and I leave the AC on year round, I just adjust the temperature. This keeps the seals from during out.

 

@bman400 Thanks for the great info. So filling up the 1234YF freon would recover the system right? Awsome. I'll order the right freon to try this way. Thank you. 👍

 

@NatureNRoad Is the compressor even clicking on when you switch to MAX AC? But my guess is the lack of Freon. Refilling it will not help since you already might have a leaking system.....It's only going to leak again. So you might be better off taking it in to have them check everything out before refilling.

 

Is the compressor even clicking on when you switch to MAX AC? But my guess is the lack of Freon. Refilling it will not help since you already might have a leaking system.....It's only going to leak again. So you might be better off taking it in to have them check everything out before refilling.

The compressor kicks in but it's not strong as before. To find the leak I was going to try dye freon before filling it up

It could also be as simple as a bad compressor relay. I had one go bad on my '17 last fall. The a/c was doing exactly what the OP is describing.

I was looking for a relay for the AC system but I could not find one on 2019 Forester. Previous gen clearly indicated AC relay but not the 2019 and +

Thank you.

 

It could also be as simple as a bad compressor relay. I had one go bad on my '17 last fall. The a/c was doing exactly what the OP is describing.

 

I believe it is recommended to run the air conditioner once a month even when not needed for keeping in good working order. It is a pain turning it on at -3 oC outside temp up where I live in the winter but we got to do what we got to do.

 

@Zukker57 Just turn the temperature up, nothing wrong with running the AC when it's -3C as it dries out the air in the vehicle. We run with AC on even here in Texas when it's -15C, so I do not understand the aversion of turning on the AC up north. My point being do not view the "AC" as only used for cooling, it's also used to dry out air etc....But yes, you suggestion of running it once per month is pretty much the only way to prevent the seals from drying out and leaking freon.

 

The A/C compressor will run anytime the windshield defrost/defog is used. The only way it would not be run all winter would be if the windshield never fogged up, or had frost/snow/ice on it. I can't say that I have ever been lucky enough to not have the windshield fog up or have some sort of frozen moisture on the outside. If there are people breathing in the car with the windows up in cold weather, the windows will fog.

The compressor running in defrost mode has been a feature on cars since at least the 1980's. To both help clear moisture, and keep the seals in shape.

I would think Georgia is every bit as humid as Ohio, if not more so.

 

Most car these days have a low pressure cutout on the compressor to protect it and if you are low on Refrigerant then the compressor may start fine but soon cutout as it does its job and creates a low pressure on the suction side. Then after being off it will equalize and start up again. The newer refrigerant 1234yf is very pricey so you may want to check the system before buying any and wasting it. I would not use leak detector on it yet as if it does have a leak you may be able to find it by a bubble test by spraying a soap solution on the outside of the fitting on all lines.

 

That's a great info to try before put the leak stop dye into the system. I already ordered one but I'll do bubble test today to let you all know how it goes. Best👍

Thank you.

 

@NatureNRoad I would stay away from adding a leak stop to the system as yes it might stop a leak but it also will plug things up that you do not want to plug up. And once in there it is hard to get out. If the leaks are at a fitting or seal then adding refrigerant will not stay long as it will just leak out again until you find and fix the leak.

Hope that it turns out to be an easy fix for you.

 

I think it was more of a "mistype" than actually intending to use stop leak, but more of intending to type "refrigerant dye".

 

Sorry guys I was out of town. I just tested with a bubble water with each connection I can think of and I did not see any leak sign. Should I just try refilling a 12346f freon now or try a leak stop?

Thanks

 

Adding leak stop to the system is the last thing I would do as it will gum up everything and not easy to remove. I would make sure that the compressor engages when turned on and stays engaged. You say the compressor kicks in but not as strong as before. Not sure what you mean by that but if the compressor has an issue (bad wiring, bad clutch, bad thermostat) that part needs fixing before adding refrigerant to the system. If the compressor does engage and seems to slip lots then that may be a bad clutch.

Very hard to tell without being there.

Sometimes it is cheaper to have a knowledgeable person check it out then spend money on hit and miss.

Hope that helps.

 

Maybe wait until a dealer or reputable shop has a promotion on A/C check ups etc.

Sometimes you get lucky.


About 7 years ago I needed some A/C work done, and then a local shop offered an evac, leak check and recharge for $50.

I had the parts, so I replaced the damaged lines, gaskets, and installed the dryer just before I took it.

It passed the evac leak test, so they charged it. It was still blowing cold when I sold the car 6 years later. So that worked out perfectly. At that time it would have been over $200 for the same service.

 

some reasons I couldn't log in back to this forum for a while so there's was some slight delay. After I reconsidered putting in a stop leak I decided to buy a 1234 yf hose and 1234yf refrigerant. I found out that freon gas level was between red and green meaning it was almost at the bottom level. Therefore I put 3/4 of 1234 yf freon gas and ac was blowing a cold air again. It's been about 5 days and it seems still blowing cold air. Once the freon gas is gone then I'll do a stop leak method and refilling a 1234 yf freon gas. I'll keep posting here.

Thank you very much for all your advices.

 

Can you share which hose and refrigerant you used? I am in the same boat as you.

 

@droopal I'm assuming your question is for @NatureNRoad. He last signed onto the forum a week ago. You could send the member a PM - Private Message... now called a "conversation" on this new site. The member is optioned to receive an e-mail notification, so you could receive a reply to your question.

Bobby...

['07 FSXT Member Journal] ['03 X Member Journal]

 

I reply back my answer back to the conversation thread.

Updates: after 6 weeks, my ac is still blowing cold / strong