Ah yes...good old "messy" as we call the stuff. It's mainly used for slow leaks, that's why "it would take a long ass time to work." Our kit is basically a fitting over the high side port and a syringe like assembly where you inject dye into the system and basically let a customer drive the car for a while, have them come back and by using ultra-violet light (sometimes yellow glasses will work also, without the light), you search all lines, and components for leaks.

The only other method of detecting leaks is to use a halide detector, and move it about fittings, lines, and components. When I look for leaks, I look around first to try and locate a buildup or oily residue around any of the a/c system components, then start from there and go around everything in the system.

The old refrigerant (not Halide detectors) are pieces of sh*t in my opinion, the damn buzzer goes off, even when you first turn it on away from the vehicle. Hell I've played around by turning it on when I placed the probe near another tech's rear end and the thing just screams refrigerant leak...that's about the only thing they are good for...hehe. :chuckles: