re: OT mechanics, DIY'ers. Ever diagnose a freon leak in your vehicle?

No clue on the leak help, in my limited experience once you have a leak you usually have something that broke and basically you need to replace the whole AC system. Its a sealed system, unless you jolted something like a connection loose (very unlikely) then chances are something cracked.

If it uses a dryer, the bag in there will bust and get little chards of crap all through your AC system that need cleaned out. I think what happens a lot is those little chards of dryer crap get in your compressor and cause it to malfunction or somewhere else in your system that causes a major pressure issue that then causes something to blow out.

You can get a complete rebuild kit that includes your Compressor, Dryer, condensor, oraface tube, o-rings, etc. for around $200 bucks. Then you get yourself one of those R-134A refrigerant bottles with the gauge on it, you will probably need a second bottle. You can replace your whole AC system except for the tubes and hoses that don't need replacing anyway for like $250. I've done that 3 times, not perfect but it works great and lasted over 2 years each time.