Fluid coming from high side ac / radiator

I have fluorescent yellow/green liquid dripping from the point where the high side ac line goes into the radiator, which is odd as the radiator should have red fluid in it (read: the reservoir definitely has red fluid, pretty sure I flushed the system with red @ 60,000 miles), thoughts? Should I take her in? 2007 4 cylinder 4x4 with 72,000 miles.

 

Looks like your a/c system is leaking. The fluorescent yellow you see is the dye to help find leaks in the a/c system. So either the o-ring/gasket failed or the condenser is leaking. Time to take it in. What's sad is it's probably the o-ring which is easy to replace, but you need the fancy a/c machines to empty and refill the system......

 

Crap... Thanks for the quick response

 

No problem, I work on cars/trucks for a living, 2nd nature. When I read your description I was pretty sure I knew what it was.

 

Exactly what I was thinking off top of my head.....

Agreed, good job on the quick reply!

 

Most likely Oring is bad. Fill system with new ac gas and pressure wash area. Then go to stealers hip to get replaced.

 

Either the connection is loose or you have a bad o-ring. Put some Dawn dish soap (or any brand) around it full strength (DO NOT MIX WITH WATER). Dish soap and water make bubbles so it makes it tough to see the micro bubbles if the leak is very small. The concentrated dish soap will cling better and any bubbles means a leak is present, unless you have lost the total refrigerant charge already.

 

Quick update ; can't see any bubbles, but can't see the top of the fitting (the part in the radiator), dealer told me to expect $250-300 for just an o ring replacement... Going to call around, is that a good price?

 

How many miles are on your truck? Mine was leaking just like this after I took delivery from the dealership. I put a quarter turn on the connecting bolt and the leak went away. Then I had the dealership check the system pressure to be on the safe side.

RJM

 

Almost 73,000 miles... I will have to try tightening the fitting then

 

No go, nut is tight enough I am uncomfortable putting too much force on that pipe it's on...

...All the shops I found around here were closed, anyone know if $250-300 is a good price? Break down: $150 for vacuum & recharge system, $100-150 for labor & parts.

 

??????

Filling the system with a DIY kit is going to introduce stop-leak, which will harden in the compressor when the stealership evacuates the system, and it's going to be impossible to get the proper refrigerant levels anyways.

Save the $40 and just let the dealer handle the whole thing as it is. There's no question of what or where the problem is, and nobody is going to call the enviro-cops on the OP for taking it to the dealer like that.

 

Seems a little high for parts & labor, but that is exactly what needs to be done.
The $150 for the system evacuation and recharge is not too out of line, R134a is not cheap now that they've decided it's a greenhouse gas.

Get a few more quotes, but I'd seriously stick with a Toyota dealership for this one. I got fucked to the tune of $1000 on my Suburban by a "local shop"

 

$1000? The service coordinator was sketchy on the parts & labor, and as his tech was out for the day, couldn't give me a solid quote, just that a typical problem like this ran in that neighborhood.

 

Is the system still working properly?
Looks like a minor leak.

 

Still blowing nice and cold, what's most concerning is I wiped the area clean and the colorant was back the next day....

 

That means it will be empty in no time. You could nurse it along for a little while, but why wait when you already know what's wrong?

 

Mine was a complete system rebuild due to a failed compressor and holed condensor.
The replacement compressor shit the bed within 2 weeks.
The custom lines that I paid extra for (after telling him that I wanted the regular pickup hoses because I never put humans in the back) to make the rear AC work, never did... complete waste of money.

Got it back from the 2nd compressor and the engine started running like shit, lost 4mpg and it continued to get worse.

I managed to dump the thing about 5 months later and bought the Taco.

 

Only waiting because everyone I called was closed yesterday, (I only discovered the leak on Friday) shooting to get it fixed today

 

Update: on-base auto hobby shop will vac/refill for $80, leak test $20, and let me do my own work; i.e. Base shop vacuums the system, I fix whatever's wrong, they fill at a later date, same price!