Recent inspection: The dash board, and evaporator housing and core were removed. The field agent confirms there is dye in the A/C system that was added prior to the time of inspection. The evaporator has oily dye on it near the lower right side seam, with dust and dirt accumulation exhibited. There is also moderate term leakage stains in the evaporator case. There was no corrosion, or impact seen. The repair facility did not demonstrate any other AC system related problems. The failure is consistent with a material failure of the evaporator core.
The evaporators role in a A/C system
The evaporator actually removes heat from the inside of the car when you have the A/C on. The evaporator core is part of the air conditioning system that is located on the low side. Evaporators are usually made of aluminum. They look like, and in fact are similar to radiators, only thicker and smaller in overall size. Like radiators, evaporators consist of a series of internal tubes or “flow paths” with fins attached to them. Air can pass freely through the fins, just like a radiator. But unlike a radiator, where the internal tubes carry moving engine coolant, the passages in the evaporator carry moving refrigerant.