"Smoke" under pressure under vehicle

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1999 4.6 XLT 2wd. I had something strange happen yesterday afternoon. I start the Expy, turn on the ac and put the selector into reverse. As I was backing up I suddenly heard a loud hissing from under the SUV and what appeared to be a white cloud coming from underneath as well.

I put the beast in park, turn off the ac and start looking around. A friend that was standing in the parking lot and saw everything confirmed it was white "smoke" coming from underneath, under pressure. I didn't smell anything like electrical smoke, the air wasn't damp, and the smoke had dissipated quickly.

I drove the Expy home, window down, ac on and had no problems.

Has this happened to anyone that owns a 1st gen?
 

JamaicaJoe

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If the AC stops cooling (or stops cooling as well as it did) that's definitely the answer!
A leak detector or UV light, provided there is UV dye in the system, will show up the leak. Probably best the OP gets it checked before the system runs out and gets contaminated.

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David Scarborough
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The shop couldn't find any evidence of leaks (no dye spots) and of course it didn't repeat while it was there. I managed to get a 3-second clip before I turned the camera off (oops). I'll try to get a better one. Sounded like a high pressure hissing with vapor coming from the passenger wheel well
 
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