I got lucky. They found the dye coming out of the expansion valve. $65 part, plus the R134a and 2.5 hours labor. I got off easy, I think.

 

Good stuff! The exp valve is connected to the evaporator, right? Did they have to remove the dash for access?

 

No need to remove the dash, it's more towards the passenger side and it does connect to the evaporator, the low side fill pipe ends at the valve, component #4.

 

A new OEM expansion valve (LR016631) is approx $200. Do you know which aftermarket brand they put in?

 

One of hundreds available. These are not rocket science, it's just a chamber where hot refrigerant comes in and the expansion in volume causes it to cool down.

https://www.swtc.edu/Ag_Power/air_co...ansion%20valve.

You can get them on eBay for less than $50. I didn't ask, I was just happy to get cold air out of the vents, with a 24 month warranty. I love that shop.

 

Wow, 24 month warranty! You found a gem of a shop.

 

We make it work. Sometimes he has to guess what could be wrong and try something, but it turns out it is something else, like the evap system issue I had that eventually turned out to be that pressure relief valve on the throttle body. In those cases I don't expect the warranty to pay.

 

I think you meant to say the purge valve on the intake manifold. I'll bet you've had some recent issues with your home water heater if the pressure relief valve is on your mind

 

Ah, no. That's what the valve does, it equalized pressure in the tank through the purge pump. What the brits or swedes call it is their problem.

 

Shoulda kept my mouth shut. Looks like it's the evaporator after all, lost the refrigerant again. At least it turns out the dash doesn't have to be removed. The service manual explains how to install the service kit without having to do that.