Leak Free Joints Inside the Passenger Compartment

If a refrigerant joint/connection is made or disturbed inside the passenger cabin the following steps shall be followed by the technician to ensure the joint/connection is leak free.

1. Shall clean all dirt, grease and debris from and around connection joints before disassembly/assembly of refrigerant connections.
2. Shall be advised to carefully inspect the joint/connection seal surfaces for signs of deformation, contamination or damage after disassembly.
3. Shall be advised that Seals/O-rings shall never be reused, but replaced with all new parts.
4. Shall be advised to ensure proper alignment of male/female portions and seal so there is no misalignment and stress on the fitting connection.
5. Shall tighten the joint using the proper torque.
6. With full refrigerant charge installed and the vehicles HVAC blower motor set on its lowest speed, A/C switch off and air distribution set to floor. The technician shall insert a SAE J2913 compliant electronic leak detector set to high sensitivity (4 grams/year leak rate) into the center of a floor duct outlet, as far as possible. The technician shall monitor the electronic leak detector for 5 minutes or until the detector alarms.
   • If electronic leak detector alarms, recover the refrigerant and repair the leak.
   • If after 5 minutes there is no alarm, there is no indication of a leak in the passenger compartment and the repair can be completed.
7. If vehicle is equipped with an auxiliary evaporator, monitor the air downstream from the evaporator at the outlet duct closest to the auxiliary unit under the same conditions and set up as step 6.