ferrariowner123 Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 So whilst doing my timing belt, the yahoo A**hole who was helping me with it said i should disconnect the low pressure A/C line running in front of the timing cover. "Yeah, just get a can r-134A, it will charge right up" yeah, well me not knowing any better at the time drained it and, well one can wasn't enough, atleast i dont think it was... So i buy a medium size of R-134a with a pressure gauge, and attempt to fill it up. I get some good news, i put enough in to trigger the A/C compressor, but it blows nothing close to cold, its not hot, but not what its suppose to be. What i think is happening, is the can and the system are equalizing in pressure, because i can still feel something in the can. but the needle on the pressure system never makes its way past 33PSI ish. So im asking what to do. should i take it in and have a pro pressure test it or just bit the bullet and get another can and try again? Let me know what you think guys. Thanks -Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Are you holding the can upside down and shaking it viguorsly while the system is running? If the system has been completely discharged, I'd think that it would take more than one can of freon to fill it back up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 (edited) You need at least one large can and one SMALL can of oil (if its not in the large can) for a fresh fill. (you can do without the oil if you are sure nothing misted or dripped when you opened the system) most cans will say tilt horizontal every 3 seconds so the compressed liquid spills in with the gas. THE FSM actually says the system volume is 1.65-1.87 LBS of refrigerant @ 85 PSI or higher. ... You won't feel anything good if your Low side is under 60 PSI Do not get carried away on the "or higher" just shoot for 90 and you will enjoi lots of cold air again Edited June 21, 2012 by MY1PATH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrariowner123 Posted June 22, 2012 Author Share Posted June 22, 2012 Are you holding the can upside down and shaking it viguorsly while the system is running? If the system has been completely discharged, I'd think that it would take more than one can of freon to fill it back up. No i didn't try that, it says to move it from side to side everything 3 seconds or so, so i guess ill try that, but payday is tomorrow so ill pick up a new can on friday if i need it. You need at least one large can and one SMALL can of oil (if its not in the large can) for a fresh fill. (you can do without the oil if you are sure nothing misted or dripped when you opened the system) most cans will say tilt horizontal every 3 seconds so the compressed liquid spills in with the gas. THE FSM actually says the system volume is 1.65-1.87 LBS of refrigerant @ 85 PSI or higher. ... You won't feel anything good if your Low side is under 60 PSI Do not get carried away on the "or higher" just shoot for 90 and you will enjoi lots of cold air again 90lbs is what i should see????? DAMN!!! i had no idea. looks like i had it all wrong. Thanks for the help guys. ill let you know what i find. -Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 (edited) No i didn't try that, it says to move it from side to side everything 3 seconds or so, so i guess ill try that, but payday is tomorrow so ill pick up a new can on friday if i need it. 90lbs is what i should see????? DAMN!!! i had no idea. looks like i had it all wrong. Thanks for the help guys. ill let you know what i find. -Kyle yeah, It will go down when the compressor is running but it creeps back up after the compressor stops. This is where not getting carried away comes into play...You may learn more than I can say in one post if you go to www.nicoclub.com/fsm and read the HA section for your vehicle. Edited June 22, 2012 by MY1PATH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyKi Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 You should do a vacuum to get out all the "air" in the system so that its completely "pressurized" you know no air in the system only refrigerant and oil. but check if it works as these guys said. if it does leave it like that and enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vagabond Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 this may help on the 95 and older A/C on the reciever dryer there is a sight glass at the top, with the A/C runnining the sight glass should be clear, a soapy look or bubbles mean it's low on freon, if yours has the siight glass watch it as you charge the system when its clear the system is full. DO NOT OVER CHARGE the system 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theexbrit Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 Here's a generalized AC info page, it may vary a little between manufacturers........... http://www.aa1car.com/library/ac_recharging.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrariowner123 Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 Well i got it fixed, turns out i just needed more. Thanks for the help guys, alot of good info. -Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krmiller07 Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 MyPath1, When you refer to the 'high' side. Are you meaning the 'suction' side or the port on the top, drivers side where you normally would fill with refrigerant? I went out to one of the local auto parts stores and bought a larger can of R134 since I converted from R12 a couple of year's ago. Since the temperatures been in the 90's the last few days my A/C hasn't been exactly cold. Using the supplied gauge with the refrigerant and following the directions on the can, I have approx. 50 psi going by the supplied gauge. My compressor now cycles on and off about every 30 seconds and the temperature never seems to cool down enough inside to get really comfortable. I looked at the viewing glass on the receiver - drier, and I would consider the color 'soapy'. I am wondering if I have enough refrigerant the system? I am afraid to overfill it, and second guessing the accuracy of the gauge used with the refrigerant. What is the opinion here? Run it up to 90 psi on the suction side, or have it filled using the more traditional gauge set up, using the 2 gauges? What's the down side to overfilling the system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vagabond Posted June 29, 2012 Share Posted June 29, 2012 (edited) MyPath1, When you refer to the 'high' side. Are you meaning the 'suction' side or the port on the top, drivers side where you normally would fill with refrigerant? I went out to one of the local auto parts stores and bought a larger can of R134 since I converted from R12 a couple of year's ago. Since the temperatures been in the 90's the last few days my A/C hasn't been exactly cold. Using the supplied gauge with the refrigerant and following the directions on the can, I have approx. 50 psi going by the supplied gauge. My compressor now cycles on and off about every 30 seconds and the temperature never seems to cool down enough inside to get really comfortable. I looked at the viewing glass on the receiver - drier, and I would consider the color 'soapy'. I am wondering if I have enough refrigerant the system? I am afraid to overfill it, and second guessing the accuracy of the gauge used with the refrigerant. What is the opinion here? Run it up to 90 psi on the suction side, or have it filand the hose and can attachedled using the more traditional gauge set up, using the 2 gauges? What's the down. side to overfilling the system? The high side goes to the condenser do not try and charge from there, only use the low side port for charging thats the side that goes to the firewall. Again if you see bubbles or a soapy looking solution its low on freon, With the engine running and the A/C on watch the sight glass as the system fills the bubbles will go away when the bubbles are gone close the valve at the can then remove the hose from the compresser. The only time you would hook up to the high side is if your using a gauge set and you would still charge from the low side Over charging the system could damage the system or it will not cool properly Edited June 29, 2012 by vagabond Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 So, did you fix the issue Ferrariowner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle94 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Well i got it fixed, turns out i just needed more. Thanks for the help guys, alot of good info. -Kyle So, did you fix the issue Ferrariowner? I'm thinking he did? just gonna guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MY1PATH Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 MyPath1, When you refer to the 'high' side. Are you meaning the 'suction' side or the port on the top, drivers side where you normally would fill with refrigerant? By High side I mean HIGH pressure side, It probably has a cap with the letter H on it and it might be red or heat-faded-pink. Actually? I don't think anybody talked about the HIGH side port? I only said "higher" as in "85 psi or Higher" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Now that you have it charged, find out what made it discharge. The system is closed and should never lose the refrigerant unless there is a leak. They usually leak from the drier rusting out. Fix the leak and get the system charged professionally. It's much better than using a charge can because the machine will actually correct the pressure between the high and low lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Now that you have it charged, find out what made it discharge. The system is closed and should never lose the refrigerant unless there is a leak. They usually leak from the drier rusting out. Fix the leak and get the system charged professionally. It's much better than using a charge can because the machine will actually correct the pressure between the high and low lines. So whilst doing my timing belt, the yahoo A**hole who was helping me with it said i should disconnect the low pressure A/C line running in front of the timing cover. read the FIRST line of the topic Tungsten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Nevermind missed that... In that case, get it recharged by a machine. You don't want those crappy leak sealers in your condenser or evaporator plugging things up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesRich Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 Now that you have it charged, find out what made it discharge. The system is closed and should never lose the refrigerant unless there is a leak. They usually leak from the drier rusting out. Fix the leak and get the system charged professionally. It's much better than using a charge can because the machine will actually correct the pressure between the high and low lines. So how is the "machine" going to correct the pressure between the high and low lines? If there is a problem with your system and the pressures are off the only way to remedy that is by repairing the problem with the system. What kind of "machine" do you keep talking about? The only "machine" I have ever used on an A/C system was a recovery machine. That only recovers and cleans your refrigerant. When recharging the system there is no machine involved, only a set of gauges. These gauges will tell you if the system has a problem. James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 I wouldn't trust the gauge that comes on the cans. I may pick up a set of gauges one day, no idea if they are any good but Harbor Freight has a set for like $59 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 You can do this with a set of gauges but you will need to create a vacuum in the system first. The charge machine does this and then it has a special charging algorithm where it changes the charge rate based on high and low side pressure differences as it is charging. After adding the refrigerant, it adds oil back to the system. Here is the one I used after replacing some of my A/C components: The results were great. My A/C system still works years later after fixing it the right way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesRich Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Well you can purchase a vacuum pump to work with your gauges. Every shop I worked at had one. If you cleaned and repaired your system correctly and know what you’re doing with your gauges it should work years later. For those that don't know there is a machine. James 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krmiller07 Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 (edited) Well for those of us who have been roasting with all the heat! I found that after recently having my A/C evacuated and replenished was worth it weight in gold! My A/C now cools down to 43 degrees at idle. I did the R134a retro about 6 years ago. Unfortunately the garage that installed the kit ruined the seal on the High Pressure side of the system, and this obviously caused a leak, which allowed a majority of the refrigerant to eventually escape. After having discussed some commonly found problems with these 'retro' kits and the conversion to R134a from R12. The tech pointed out that many of the over the counter kits sold in many auto parts stores contain sealants, which will really cause problems with A/C recycling machines. As many of us know, these machines cost some major Ching($$$) for many shops. Another FYI...the molecules in R134a are much smaller than R12. This will cause refrigerant to eventually 'weep' or leak through the hoses and around the O rings etc... This will make, or cause you to have to re-charge the system every so often, should you experience a drop in cooling performance for no known reason. The most thorough way to eliminate this 'problem' would be to obviously replace the hoses, O- rings, and depending on who you talk to, the Receiver / Drier, condenser and some cases the compressor. As most of the components have been manufactured with materials compatible with R134a. Hope this helps those who are now trying to cool off the 'green house' in our rigs. Edited July 3, 2012 by krmiller07 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tungsten Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 (edited) This is why I do it the right way. Yes, you can recharge the system manually with gauges and a vacuum pump. You have to be really careful with that though. Too bad R12 got phased out. It was a much more superior refrigerant to R134a. Propane and butane works too but you don't want to run those. Edited July 3, 2012 by Tungsten Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trogdor636 Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I'll take r-134 anyday. I can buy everything to do it myself. I always thought R12 was colder, but I've been in some cars that made me forget that theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 The first time I had my AC repaired in my sentra, new reman compressor, drier and expansion valve, system vacuumed out, recharged with R134, using gauges no machine, the AC was cooling down to 32 degrees as tested with a digital infrared tester. On the drive home I wished I had a sweatshirt !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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