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I Feel Like a Total Winner.

My van’s engine has been clicking which tells me that it’s low on oil. I’m pretty sure it has a slow oil leak, but I haven’t investigated it. Anyway, on the way home I stopped at Walmart for some motor oil and snacks. I drove home and opened up the hood.

Putting the oil in is no biggie, but while I was doing it I examined the AC hose that sprung a leak when I filled the AC system with freon a few weeks back. I noticed that the leak was caused by a c-clamp cutting in to the hose where it was tightened on to the coupler that leads in to the AC unit. It probably had a pin hole leak there and when I put it under pressure it blew out the hose. If that was the only reason the AC wasn’t working, then maybe I could repair it. So I loosened the clamps and pulled the hose off the coupler. I cut the bad bit of hose off just before the leak, slid the newly cut hose back on the coupler, and tightened down the clamps. When I started up the AC, I could tell it was working because there was enough pressure to kick on the compressor. All it needed was some freon. Luckily I still had the filler hose from my previous attempt. I went back to Walmart and bought a can of freon. I only bought one can in case it doesn’t work. I fitted the filler hose on and emptied the can into AC system. The compressor came on and stayed on steady. No leaks! And the pièce de résistance? Cold air blowing out in the van. Oh, man this’ll make things 110% better.

I’m going to watch it for the rest of the week. The filler hose gauge reads “low”, so it can take some more freon, but I figure I’ll wait and see if it goes up as the system pressurizes.