mx5cartalk.com

Hi all

I'm seriously considering an '89 NA I've been looking at for a couple of weeks. The owner has told me that the air con and power steering leaks. I don't know too much about the power steering leak, but regarding the air con, apparently it's a slow leak that the previous owner spent hundreds on trying to track down and couldn't. He says that it runs for about two years on a re-gas before it runs out.

Would it just be better to replace the whole A/C system with a new one? Is this an option? A/C is pretty important to me over summer in the middle of the day and knowing it's leaking would irk me.

Advice on approximate costs for these repairs would be much appreciated.

Air con leaks can be anyhting from a cheap o-ring, to a rather expensive full system replacement.

If you choose to replace the system be ready for thousands if you go brand new.
If you use secondhand parts you can pay from about $500 up for a working system from a wrecked car.

Finding the leak is usually a matter of the aircon repairer adding a UV dye to the gas and then searching the car with a blacklight to find where it's leaking. (either that or using a sniffer device that beeps)

Thanks Kansei! Good advice. Maybe I will try my luck and see if I can track down a reputable repairer here in SA. Any tips from locals?

My 121 had an eventual recurring leak at a pipe join. The workshop had to use a thicker wall o-ring for the required size plus sealant. Hopefully it'll last. Maybe that one has a similar issue.

Aircon is also meant to be used fortnightly for about 10 minutes to stop seals from drying out & then cracking.