A/C Leak
 

I have a 1995 Tahoe (2dr!) with a drinking problem... the A/C wasn't working.. so I did the charge thing (myself) and it was low... filled it... worked for about a week... now the compressor turns on / off / on /off... (i assume low pressure again)... so i pulled the relay to the A/C to prevent it from coming on till I Fix this...

Where should I look first for a leak? i have 220,000 miles on it :) this is the ONLY thing that doesn't work...

Anyone had success w/that dye thing?

Should I just start replacing things?

I plan to replace the whole truck this fall, but need my A/C.... i could put a can of coolant in it a week... that's still cheaper than a new truck!

anywhere common that fails? i know i'm not ripping the dash apart, I did the heater core last fall and that was a PITA... i dont even know where the A/C one is... i'd have to look it up...

a "sniffer" or leak detector is the best way and they are getting cheaper too

http://www.amazon.com/Instruments-XL.../dp/B000NPIYF0

I use one of these at work for detecting leaks on equipment that use liquid cooling , it is very handy and very simple to use.
I didn't realize they had come down in price, this may been my next cool tool to have...:)

Dye does work well if you do not have a leak detector. Although if it is leaking as bad as you described look at all the lines and components usually something leaking that bad will have a greasy residue on it. If you can not find it visually or with the leak detector it will probably be the evaporator