Ford F-250 No AC. Customer States Filled with Freon cans from auto parts store.Found system discharged indicating a leak. system was recharged to verify that the system was capable of operating (customer thought the compressor was bad) After i verified that the system operated, and the customer was informed, that the system was cooling, additional diagnostics were suggested (locating the leak) Further work was declined and vehicle left. Found out 2 days later that the system stopped cooling. Moving forward, we need to restart the whole procedure again as UV dye used to detect leaks was not installed during the first recharge.
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2001 ford f-250 she's got the big nasty the 7-3 diesel disclaimer i did not plagiarize the use of the term big nasty i felt the need to include that because i just watched a torque test channel video where they did a review on an impact driver called big nasty customer states that they filled the ac system with refrigerant and the ac still does not work so uh let's uh let's fire up the ac and see what's going on to the service stall we go agreed it's making hot air come out and i dislike the hot air no powering down there's that phone poppings you hood let's see what dealio is here hello oil burner all right there's our compressor now it's still powered on let's see if we got power coming to this compressor first we got to get this connector out of here unconnect now please there we go all right forgive the noise of all the explosions i hope the audio comes out okay we got the meter here negative lead is on the battery ground which is good for setting up for voltage and we're just going to see if we've got power and ground here at the connector all right we have no vaults and we also have no volts okay let's move our negative side over to positive and we'll see if we have a ground at that connector there we go meter testing would you have a ground one side is grounded let's take the other okay both sides are showing your ground um well they were concerned that the compressor was bad because they said they just charged it so let's go ahead and start over and uh let's verify that in fact it does have a charge and then we can continue with the meter if necessary this thing's loud i'm powering it down you guys can't hear anything i'm saying that's just not okay all right machine let's just see if uh we in fact do have any refrigerant in this thing i'm opening the valve we should see pressure on the high side gauge uh no nothing okay well that slightly changes the dynamic of what we're doing here doesn't it plug that in okay so while that machine's powering on i'm gonna go in here with a multi-led black light and we're gonna look for any presence of uh ultraviolet dye the camera doesn't do it justice but this light is uh super purple i mean it's black light what do you want all right let's see i see no dye here if we see dye it's going to show up as a bright green color nothing here nothing here nothing here all right compressor how you doing no dye here nothing here it may not have any in the system very real possibility let's check our low side fitting we have to go in here anyway with the ac machine let's see i do see some dye in there see how it's glowing kind of greenish blue considering that that's a service valve that doesn't mean much um i don't think that the responsibility of this leak is just on the service valve because it has almost uh no refrigerant in it there was some i didn't see the gauge come up when i hooked up the low side let's recover what's in here you guys know the drill you've seen enough of these but we're not gonna find service valves this time there's something else going on i'll be back when this thing's done shouldn't take long don't go anywhere oh okay it's done that really didn't take long at all yeah no pressure uh recover anyway now let's go ahead and vacuum it down that's gonna take 10 minutes it's going to pull the system into a vacuum it's going to hold that vacuum and then i can go watch these gauges and if i see these gauges coming up on pressure outside of a vacuum then we know there's for sure a leak and uh we're gonna have to find it so i may have to end up installing some dye and then waiting for it to present itself and then ultraviolet lighting it but we'll see i'll be back in nine minutes 48 seconds all right 15 minutes have passed um our leak test passed we're still holding nine ish inches vacuum uh we're not seeing this gauge move i've been checking on it every couple minutes let's go ahead and install a charge in this machine or in this uh in this truck and see if the compressor comes on charging no hope you can see it the specified amount for uh f series something something something looks like it's two pounds 10 ounces it's gonna be the smaller one because this is a single cab pickup not an excursion expedition etc so two pounds 10 ounces that's what we're gonna do do not save so we'll set it to ounces at 16 32 42 ounces charging now breathing tank weight do not disturb i like that it's a little snowflake okay dopely the charge has been installed let's see if this thing's gonna function or not powering on engine now starting okay it's loud again look at that the compressor clutch has engaged it should be cooling uh proper terminology would be transferring heat it should be transferring heat out of the cabin and up to the condenser get in there get in there there you go molestine while we cool off inside let's check the pressures out here acceptable 170 45 35 40. okay that's that's okay we're all right there a little low considering how much heat and humidity we have today but we'll see how it performs once the uh once it cools off inside a little bit okay let's visit our thermal meter see what we got here center vent temp at idle 54 55 degrees that's not bad at all especially for today's heat and humidity um it would cool off uh driving down the road if we had a little bit more airflow over the condenser okay so where we're at now is i i let the the guy know he's waiting on this but i let him know that we found it completely empty and we re-verified with the customer that he did in fact put some refrigerant in with the little cans you may get a walmart so i uh whatever he put in uh it all leaked out so um he's gonna let us know in a minute because like i said the guy's waiting and he just thought he was gonna stop in and we're just gonna figure out what it is and it's gonna work again but he's gonna he's gonna let us know in a minute what uh what the next course of action is gonna be are we gonna let this ride the way that it is or am i going to throw some dye in there and see if i cannot find the leak so uh i'll let you guys know in a minute so this situation is just incredibly frustrating for me the customer knew it had a leak they refilled it themselves the system never worked it came in i informed them that it was empty indicating that whatever they put in leaked out told them that i charged it system works again but it has a leak and we need to find it because all this refrigerant is going to soon leak out of the system thus rendering it inoperative aha and the survey says negative we're not going to do anything else no service valves no dye no leak detection procedure he said as long as it's making cold he's fine i don't know how long it's going to continue to make gold but um hey i don't make those decisions maybe it's a time thing who knows either way we're all done here i know it's loud again sorry and to make matters even worse the customer called back i think about a day or two later complaining that the ac wasn't working again and then wanted us to fix it and i'm actually livid over that because the circumstances of the callback were as if something that we had done had failed and caused the system to no longer function which kills me because i made it explicitly clear that this system was going to fail stop performing and that the refrigerant was going to leak and that everything that i was doing at this current point in time was just a complete waste of effort despite all that they simply decided that re-gassing it the first time was good enough and that it was just going to magically work from that point forward it's just frustrating when you present irrefutable facts and evidence and people still make the inappropriate decisions i was hoping this was going to have a little bit more diverse content than what we uh came up with today but um i am uh at the whims of the universe and things are just beyond my control so uh i'm gonna stop rambling now i'm all done so we're gonna go ahead and back this out you guys gonna pick it up in a moment we're gonna get out of here as always like thank you guys for watching my video hope you enjoyed this video if you did you know the drill let me know about that by happy tapping that like button down below drop me a comment or two while you're down there and if you have not already done so and are so inclined to please feel free to tap that subscribe button as well that way you will not miss out on any of my future content so again and as always thank you for watching and most importantly do not forget to have yourselves a great day see you guys later bye.
unbelievable how careless the refrigerant is handled…
I don't recall a substance that is more hazardous to the atmosphere that this stuff.
Getting cans at Walmart pft
In Europe it has been prohibited to sell refrigerant to private people.
Chin up Ray apparently ya can’t fix stupid!!!
🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️but sometimes duct tape helps🤣
I feel your pain.
Customers have selective hearing. You gave him every piece of information needed to make a reasonable decision but I guarantee all he heard was "Bla-bla-bla RECHARGED! bla-bla-bla, IT'S COOLING AGAIN! bla-bla-bla-bla-bla." He knew there was a problem but didn't want to hear it.
I've had a career of dealing with customers and most are very nice, but once in a while some guy with blinders and ear muffs comes along and shows his stupidity. You take the bad with the good and move on. Just don't let it eat you up.
Owner deserves to fry in the cab
Some people are just plain stupid. Okay, to be fair, more than "some".
see thats what i was telling you you need a micron gauge . if you cannt pull micron you have a leak 29 inches only tells you it will pull a vacuum as well you did
Was the owner crooked or just very very stupid? Either way you have the evidence so forget them and move on. Another great video where you show that diagnosing the problem is an equal skill to fixing it.
Just found the Torque Test channel… they’re so good I ended up buying more power tools 😭
I do not understand why some people think that quick test fixes everything other just to show there is a problem that needs to be fixed, there is no such thing as a quick fix with a AC leak.
Hey Ray, Great Vid! You can fix their truck, but you can't STUPID! There was once a time where disease, war or other calamity would have "culled the heard" of these people, but in these times, "they walk among us"!! Don't waste your energy on anger brother, send them on their way knowing that you tried to explain it to them. Which is better than not telling them at all. You can only teach, it is up to the individual to LEARN.
That color burnt orange is possibly the rarest color the Super Duty trucks ever left the factory with, the color was only available late 2001-2002. Not many people ordered it, and I’ve only ever seen two, and one was on TV.
Until you came back with that verdict that all the refrigerant escaped like you thought it would, I was gonna say maybe he has no idea how to add refrigerant. My dad works in refrigeration, and has a very simple setup for add refrigerant to cars, it’s literally just a valve with a piercing stem, and a hose. It’s not the right way, and you do run the risk of over changing the system, but he has no issues.
Then we get to my brother, I watched him do it once, and let’s just say I’m positive 99% of the can just went into the atmosphere, and yet he believed he had charged it. I thought maybe that would be a similar case here, but alas you were right, and it all leaked out.
Weirdly, my super duty has a extremely slow leak, it needs to be top off, about every 4-5 years. That’s slow enough, I don’t care to fix it, though I would guess the service ports are likely the issue, and they’re easy to change.
Thanks for pumping all the refrigerant into the atmosphere.
Thanks for pumping all the refrigerant into the atmosphere.
Odd that it held a vacuum but still leaked R-134, kinda makes me think that the leak is at the connector core. What say you?
Well Ray unfortunately some people are just morons. It's irritating but no matter how much you try you can't make them un-stupid.
Looks like you are driving into Tampa airport parking garage!
Owner of truck: Florida Man. News flash pending confirming action of that moniker.
Yea… some people are REALLY dumb, I am also a mechanic, and I also do not understand it.
I started dabbling in AC just DIY. Got the gauges and vacuum pump. Added the proper charge and it worked all of last summer. Noticed compressor wasn't kicking on this spring. Put a little pag oil on the service valves and noticed small air bubbles so changed those out. Refilled and suspect that I will be good now. Whats confusing to me is how can the system can hold a vacuum but there can still be a leak? Doesn't make sense to me. Mine had a small leak but held a vacuum. Ray's customer's vehicle here held a vacuum but completely leaked out a day later so it must have been a large leak. Still held a vacuum apparently though?
I had four different shops check the A/C system in my Saab. None could find a leak, dye, sniffer, etc. Was watching a video on youtube on system leaks, found out how a system could leak down when off due to a bad hose. It only leaked when the system was not running. If you can twist the hose on the swaged-on fitting, it could leak. I took the hose to a local hydraulics shop and had them reuse the end fittings and install a new high pressure hose. Converted the system from R-12 to R-134 and you could hang meat in there! Even in GA heat!
Vehicles can be fixed. Stupid can't.
Ray…you think too nicely of people. It was an attempted scam. They knew it would leak…but they hoped your place of business wouldn't have good documentation or would just give in and do the work for free….or heavily discounted.
Why Ray? Why are some humans so dam IGNORANT?
To quote " stupid is as stupid does"
Thanks for putting in a true and honest diagnosis. But this customer needs more R134a to feel good that they know more than you…smh
I would not be able to handle people the way you do. Sorry cant fit you in till 3 months from now. You welcome to make an appointment. Yeah and how much break cleaner do you use in a month.
Hey Ray I'm looking into getting a diesel truck and I'm not one for brand only so I'm just wondering which on do you see the least come in for major repairs not standard maintenance but something major
Dealing with customers is the worst!!! The customer must have been a complete idiot!
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why are we driving around in some random parking garage with the " in the third person voice" explaining what coulda shoulda wouldas? you filled it with refrigerant you shoulda put die in for the guy then. i don't get the smokescreen explanations. when he came back you coulda blacklighted and gave him a price.
They got the money , you got the time
I had such customers too on the phone ( I worked in a callcenter for a big auto repair chain)
By law you are not allowed to recharge a ac unit if it has a leak so the customer has no say in the matter.🇦🇺😁😁
I understand your frustration with the outcome of it all but one thing IV learnt from being on the tools and in the office is make sure everything is in writing weather in the service report or in the email then your covers as it's in writing even thou it gets very frustrating
Hey Ray why don't you use dry nitrogen for pressure testing that way you can check for leaks before putting the gas and dye
The customer is not always right,or smart,however the customer is the only one who pays wages.Some jobs are better off left alone or refused.Know your worth.Spicoli out
I know how frustrating it can be but the one thing you can't fix is stupid (customers).
You sir are not alone!!! There so many out there, that we feel / assume would understand, but just outright don’t.
Even if you used the “balloon theory”, where it is a sealed system. Putting gas buys time. It’ll garante to leak. Ugh!!!! Whatever.
Need an angry response
The driving in circles video clip added while ranting about bonehead customers filling their leaking AC systems, then blaming the shop/technician, was classic. Well done, Raymond! That's why I subscribed long ago!
In the UK they charge about £100+ every time they fill an AC system. You seem to bang the stuff in all the time. Whats the cost on a AC refill over there ?
I don't watch your Diesel videos, Ray.
Sorry Rainman, customer doesn't care about dumping freon into the greenhouse effect, why would he/she care about being honest, responsible or logical dealing with you/your company.
It looks to me like you have plenty of customers. I'd tell that guy to take it to a shop that specializes in ac repairs. I have no patience for idiots!
Hi Ray, i agree with another comment on here that if I was the customer, I'd want the dye in there to identify any leaks. That said, you saw some on the service port which means it's been done before. The fact that you documented everything is great because he CANNOT hold you or your shop responsible. You did the work requested, made recommendations that were ignored end if story. He comes back, oh well. I am a licensed Realtor and Life Insurance agent. We have to document everything we do for a client because if something goes sideways, it's not if but when they will try to hold you accountable. I have no doubt this guy has been making his rounds of the shops. Good luck!
Is 10 min vacuum standard? I was always taught 30 min minimum.
Nice
You can fix the vehicle, but you can't fix stupid!!
Like Eric O says. It's easy to leak check with pressure not vacuum.
You knew that it would be back after all of the testing and explanation to the customer. As some one once said…"You can't fix stupid"
The paranoid in me believes that the customer knew exactly what the problem was, hoping that he could blame the whole shitshow on you to get a free/discount repair 'cause "t'was fine 'til you laid your paws on it". Go somewhere else before I call the cops on your thieving ass!
Hey, we’re on your side. You can’t fix stupid!
Last year i took my 03 psd to a shop that had a huge sign out front. Said affordable honest a.c. service. I was told 100 to reclaim 100 to charge. Plus repairs and parts.guestimate was maybe 600 dollars. I was walking away while the thief was still talking. Next day just for shits and giggles i unplugged clutch cycling switch. Jumped connector presto clutch kicked on ice cold air. $17 clutch cycling switch. You almost can't blame people. The ratio of scumbag thieving shops compared to good honest shop owners 10 to 1.
Likely point of failure: My guess are the valves…
You can’t fix stupid.
Fortunately these types of customers are more rare. Good job on not raging! I wish everyone the best.
Some folks / customers present like as though they are a human being. However, after your experience with this individual, you might find that aforementioned human like creature was handicapped in that his frontal lobe was either malfunctioning or not present at all. A person with the slightest amount of technical understanding might have understood what you so patiently explained, but this person failed to realize the connection between coolant needing to become gaseous in order to exchange calories and that gaseous matter (coolant) will evaporate when a leak is in the system. In the olden day we called these kind of human like creatures “dumba….es,,” It’s a condition that is not treatable.
I have the same amazon/ebay purple light.
Can't do much more than you did for that one. Keep up the good work and the vids!!!
We live in the land of the stupid..
Remember YOU CANT FIX STUPID!
If you put it all in writing, it's on him. If he doesn't like it, that's what they make lawyers for. You know what they say about fools and their money.
The best thing that can be done is writing excellent notes in the repair order and even adding “customer informed vehicle has leak and denied diag of leak” or something to that tune. Good ole CYA comes in clutch
As they say, you can lead a horse to water … blaa blaa blaa, but .. the customer is always right .. until they aren't. (let's keep that between ourselves),
South Main Auto Repair called they want there big nasty back 🙂
You can’t fix stupid
The customer is setting you up for a boat load of free work….Screw them….You have video proof….always a smart move….
Doesn't Eric O have a impact hammer "big nasty"?
In South Florida – thinking if he goes to different shops, he get AC for the summer! Lol.
Another hour of labor and some dye would've located the leak… this guy is a fool. Even if it was an evaporator or condenser leak, parts aren't that expensive for that truck. I think you can even remove the evaporator on those without removing the dash. I know they were easy to get at on the 90's Fords. Oh well, hope he enjoys the sweat!
I have a 2004 Ford f250 6.0 diesel that had no ac. Brought it to 3 different garages (2 of them Ford dealerships) for diagnosis. Each shop put in refrigerant with dye but no leak could be found. Took the truck to an old timer who only repairs ac systems in vehicles. After telling him the attempted repair history he said he knew exactly what was wrong. There is an ac line that is covered by corrugated metal that develops pin hole leaks and the dye cannot be seen because of
the corrugated metal shielding. He replaced the offending tube and I had ac. Your guy was the type of person who tries to get something for nothing while hurting a shop's reputation. Keep up the great videos
The customer knew it was leaking and lied about it trying to get a free fix because you put a charge in it . Being in customer services sometimes is just so depressing people just want something for nothing at your expense . Good eye Ray
If the customer chose not to listen to your 'expert assessment' then just remember 1 simple saying that applies here; "You can't fix stupid."
At least you can repair most vehicles.
Unfortunately a lot of people just don't have the money to have the proper repairs done. Also, the idea of proper maintenance per the owners manual is almost never followed. Time for that 260 air conditioner to kick in.
Some people…. Still a good video, thanks for sharing!
I have been in the heating and air conditioning business for 23 years That is one of the reasons we do not give them the option of recharging but to fix The leak only
When the video isn’t 40-50 minutes long I have convolutions 😂😂😂😂
I’ve been around a very long time in this repair business, it’s a tough go! If you have to steal to make a living,,,,,get out !,,,, do something else ! One thing I learned a long time ago,,” Presentation of yourself & your shop ! We need a lot of tools & equipment to do our jobs ! Do what I did,,,, buy a toolbox that’s as big as a car ! Make it the first thing a customer can see when they come in ! “ Presentation !! Stay groomed & clean ! It’s “Intimidating “ Now my mindset has got their attention, They notice that my toolbox costs more than their vehicle ! Be nice , they miss “nothing” I need their work,,, but act like you could care less about working on their $10K vehicle. But,,, the bottom line,,,fix the “god darn thing the first time @ a fair price,,,,,they “will “ respect you & come back ! What do I know,,,,over 43 yrs. of running my own shop,,,, I have to be doing something right !! Have a great day & Suck it up, Buttercup, be responsible !
As long as it was documented on the repair order what he declined and what you found… let him drive off. And when they call back to cry simply refer back to the repair record. Can't fix stupid.
Ray, it’s noisy and stinks but that damn 7.3 litre is the best engine we’ve ever had on the farm. My 7.3 buried every GM and Dodge. Make as much fun as you want. I’m still working my old Ford while the GMs and Dodge guys are buying new ones. You’re a great mechanic and I love your problem solving skills, it’s awesome to watch and learn from you. Unfortunately you’re a bit weird about your favourite vehicles. 🤣
You did a good job. Where are you located?
That customer is one of those people always looking for something free
Good day from Ohio,we called these types bottle babies. Just keep filling it up time and time again. And you sir have a good day
Ps I love it when you ramble , I do it also
I would let you work on my truck anytime. If it needed it, unlike ford's. 😁
Is this a tactics you experience often from customers? It's incredible dishonest and rude and would've been tempted to tell the customer to never come back again. They can't possible have a case in situations like this? I know it isn't as ease as I make it sound. I have run my own business for many years and I know how I'm willing to go to great lengths to ensure that all customers are satisfied, but at some point you have to put your foot down. It's very frustrating!
I think the best method of dealing with that situation is leave it the way it came. Offer no repair unless they do dye testing and then let them come back and ask for the repair. Your a shop you can demand that.
Big Nasty is also the name of an entertainer in Britain.
This kind of person exists in too many places. They're why I insist that every time I'm told to "build it anyway" after pointing out structural flaws, engineering issues, etc… that it's in writing.
All the refrigerant leaking into the atmosphere, destroying it.
More power to you for putting up with the phone. That's would drive me insane
He has a real expertise with A/C problems (I've noticed).
Can you please stop saying two hundred/ three hundred and fifty and just say F250/F350? Thanks
I'm sure you've heard before, you can't fix stupid.
(Hi-this is Rays Sanity)
Where are you going Rays sanity?
(Away-far far away)
Okay 👍 ✌️…
Big nasty? I'm sure Eric O. would not care =) I understand your frustration because that happens to me in the IT industry. You've probably heard it before but when I find a situation similar to yours I normally inform my leadership using the following update: I'll gladly give you my opinion because there are no sweeter words than "I told you so". They understand me =) Oh…and welcome to the Tampa International Parking garage… I know it well been there dozens of times for work travel.
I bet your employer likes your video's when customers like this tries to pull a con / scam / ripoff / freeloader / cheapscape / you broke it / it wasnt like that before / its your fault bs.. Ray should get a security bonus for saving his employer 💲💲💲💲
u did what they wanted all u can do
haha i watched that same video the other day from them!