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AC lubricant leaking from day old 2002 Ody

1269 Views 7 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  odynick, 
A
Bought a 2002 EX and the next morning when we were warming the engine in the garage with defrost and AC turned off(it gets down to 30 degress F here)we noticed a puddle of an oily-substance. We called the dealer right away since the van was only a day old and we believe this is a problem that originated at the factory. No luck with the dealer who is 100 miles away. Dealer claims that though he had the van on his lot for 10 days before we bought it, he had no idea of a leak. In the 3 weeks that we have owned the van, we have taken it to the closest Honda service center 4 times and left it overnight once. First they said they could not detect a leak. When we insisted that it happened only when the engine was cold and started first thing in the morning, and we collected the oily substance as proof and took it back to the service center, they agreed to put some dye in the engine oil to detect a leak. Now the Honda technician claims that the leak is because the O-ring is missing from the AC lines that run just underneath the hood and the AC line may be damaged. So they have ordered new parts and will have to take the front lights out to get to where they think the problem is. Has anyone else had the same problem?
Weird thing is the service center always gives us a tough time with giving us a receipt for everytime we have taken the van to them. The technicians say "We voided the entry since all we did was let the van sit overnight at the shop to detect the leak or all we did was add dye to the engine oil" . I believe that no matter how small the job they did, they should give the van owner some proof of the van having been looked at by the Honda service center. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Please advice.
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S

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#2 ·
It is probably not AC related. I doubt there is enough AC lubricant in the system to make what it sounds like you are describing. I suppose MAYBE they have more than I'd expect since they probably run another evaporator in the rear.

According to Mr. Helm, a total of about 10 ounces is all you should ever have in the system.

Make them give receipts for everything they do. How are you gonna prove you visited the dealer 4 times if you don't have the records.

See if your AC works, I know it might be hard at the ambient temperatures you are experiencing. If it works, there is NOT any AC lubricant leak. R-134 will leave the system way easier than lubricant.

What color is this fluid?
 
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A

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Discussion Starter · #4 ·
This is a clear, oily fluid leaking from the front right hand side...less than 20 inches from the front of the vehicle. I don't know if this is helpful, but I now wish I knew more about automobiles. Thankyou for all the replies...please send me any more information, if possible.
 
nwf_snake

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#5 ·
Power steering fluid from the '02 standard cooler fittings?
 
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S

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#6 ·
Any idea how much fluid you are seeing each time?

I agree somewhat that if it were a small leak it might last for a little while before the cooling action stopped. I think once the lubricant is gone, the refrigerant is sure to follow. I suppose if the leak were not in a low spot that the refrigerant could leak before the lubricant was gone.

I'll look under my brand new delivered today MB EXL-RES and see what is in the neighborhood of the leak.
 
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J

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#7 ·
It could be hamster urine, if you have not taken the little devils for a walk, lately. With the advent of the higher h.p. motor, this maintenance task will be all the more important, since there are more hamsters and, thus, more "liquid", Hee! Hee!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Jerry O.

------------------
2001 Odyssey GG LX
 
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C

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#8 ·
I find it strange that your dealer service doesn't want to give you work order receipts. Well not really strange, but sneaky. Take SuperDads advice. You're gonna need ammo if it turns out to be a big problem. Hope it doesn't though. Good luck.
 
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