Hey guys. My father has an issue I think y'all might have advice on. He has a 96 GMC High Sierra 1500 (pickup) It has the vortek in it. Well he's had a/c coolant leaks for a while now. He replaced the valve in the low side port and the whole high side port since they showed signs of dye after testing. Well now he is showing major deposits around the pressure switch on the canister on the passenger side. He bought a new switch (which pisses me off but that is a different story, I had to replace that on my old 98 blazer and I got ripped). But the switch didn't come with the replacement o-ring. Well now it seems to be leaking worse. We haven't tested to see if it's a jet or just seeping yet (need to get a day when the sun is setting, hard to see the leaks in the noon time sun) But I'm wondering if maybe the canister itself is cracked. Anyone else work on this? Anything to look for. We have checked it and can see major deposits of the dye. Just haven't checked it while running so we know it IS leaking there.

 

Hello,
I've never seen any of the accumulators (Silver canister) crack and leak, but they do have welds so I assume it's possible. If the vehicle has had leak issues, you should replace the accumulator anyway. They are fairly inexpensive (Most parts stores have 'em for $20-40). They have a desiccant inside them to absorb moisture from the refrigerant. That eventually wears out especially if you have recharged numerous times due to leaks. Get some new "o"rings for that as well.