Leak in A/C condensor hose

So I have a deposit on a 2008 Toyota Tacoma with 77K mileage with a dealer from MA. On Saturday I had an independent mechanic look over the truck and he told me there was yellow dye on the hose from the condensor which would indicate a leak. I told the dealer and they said they would fix this, to which I then signed the Purchase Agreement. On Tuesday I was told by the salesman that the service department didn't find any leaks. My assumption is they wiped off this fluid and will tell me there is no leak, only to have a no A/C in the summer, as it's pretty cold in New England this time of year and it's no noticeable. Is there any way to check for leaks again before I drive off with the truck? I think I'm screwed at this point. I would really like to tell them no and close the deal. Of course the General Manager would "call me back" and the used sales manager is "off today." Unbelievable....

 

I wouldn't drive it off.

 

Get pressure readings from them. Low side should be at about 30psi and high side should be around 215-230 psi.

 

You'll need a temp chart lot colder here in the north east. Make them stand behind it in print if they think it's fine.

 

Agreed. Idle pressures vs temp will not give an accurate charge for R-134a. I would make them give me a one year warranty on the a/c system in writing. The only way for them to be sure is to extract the refrigerant into a clean, in a vacuum, approved recovery cylinder and weigh the recovered charge. And I would still then (if the weight came out exact) make them pull and hold for at least thirty minutes a less than 400 micron vacuum on the system and weigh-in virgin R-134a.

There are some very good Toyota Techs on this forum that can give you their advice since automotive air conditioning is something they have to be able to handle daily.

 

Thank you everyone for the advice. I've never used a forum before and as soon to be first time Tacoma owner it definitely makes me rest easier to know people are so helpful. I'm dealing with a shady dealership now and I signed the purchase contract with the expectation they would fix a leak that a third party said seemed to be a legitimate concern. I don't know what sort of leverage I'll have with them at this point because I already signed the contract. The contract does say "Mis Repair A/C Possible Leak," but if it's my word against theirs if they tell me they wont do the pressure test you guys mention or give me a one year warranty on it I'm not sure if I could walk from the deal at this point. I signed Saturday and wanted to pick with repairs on Thursday. I just expected they would do what I asked them to as part of the agreement but I guess I wasn't specific enough.

Thanks again for the advice.

 

Your mechanic should have tested to see if it was a leak or just residue possibly from a previous repair. He should have also stated it COULD Indicate a leak, not that it was or would indicate a leak.

They very well have checked and not found a leak. You Assumed that they didn't check it and lied to you. Then in your last post you say:

" I'm dealing with a shady dealership now and I signed the purchase contract with the expectation they would fix a leak that a third party said seemed to be a legitimate concern."

This would be based on your supposition that they didn't check it?[FONT=&quot]

Wow! Jump to conclusions much?
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Then why wouldn't they explain to me they ran a test like mentioned above and not just briefly say they looked at it and it's fine? And after getting a second opinion from a friend who is basically a gearhead and works on tons of vehicles he agreed. Yellow dye leaking from an A/C condensor (I was told) could indicate some sort of leak (this is why I had a third party mechanic check the truck over in the first place). Would you just take their word on it with no gurantee which is basically what they're telling me? I should have just asked them to deduct the money for a repair from the cost of the truck in the first place and avoided this whole process...

 

They could have used an electronic leak detector to "Attempt" to check for leaks but anyone that uses one daily knows that this is hit or miss, and if the shop ambient temp is low the lower refrigerant temp will not aide in the search. The only one I ever trusted was an old GE H10. GE sold the right to it and I think Bacharach bought the rights. They are about $400.00 wholesale. Refrigerants are heavier than air and fall so you start at the top and work your way down in a windless (if possible) area. It is standard practice for good techs to clean the repair area with a dye remover IF dye is in the system.

The other best way to leak check is with nitrogen where you can take the static pressure up high enough and then use a liquid leak detector to look for bubbles. Sometimes in a quiet area you can hear the nitrogen escaping to help you pinpoint the area. By law you are allowed to use a small amount of refrigerant with the nitrogen to aide with electronic leak detectors. But then the refrigerant is contaminated and must be recovered and turned in for processing.

 

Most people don't care about the details and wouldn't understand the details even if they were told.

Is the yellow dye still leaking or is it just residue?
Did you ask for a warranty on their check? If so did they say No?

Deduct money for what repair? You don't even know that it is leaking.

Why did you sign the contract before you were satisfied? They may make it good even if it is leaking, which we don't know yet. Even then with a signed contract they don't owe you if it was sold "as is".

Lesson, Never sign a contract until you are completely happy.