AC recharge

[Rockdawg84]

I just replaced my condenser and the system is clear of freon, when I refill it does the engine need to be in or off? And if it is completely empty ill need a big can and a small can to fully fill it right?

if you just replaced the condenser then you have to use a vacum pump and draw the whole system down. If there is any air in the system when you will never get a properly working system. So draw down the system for prob 30 min and let it sit for 15 min. if the system doesn't lose any vacum your ready to begin to refill the system. start the engine and let it idle, slowly begin to refill the system. don't rev the engine and let it fill slowly. Good luck.

sam

 

[ben550]

mine blows lukewarm air and the clutch engages and disengages once every 8 or 10 seconds while idling. I think I'll just run it by a shop and have them fill it.

 

[A.Wilson013]

Bump...

I bought a can of the R134a this weekend with the intent of doing this. Using the sight glass, my system appears to be working. When I turn it off, it foams over, then turns clear.

However, my pressure is at 25psi (or whatever unit the gauge it came with uses) and does not move when I depress the trigger on the bottle. I must have held it for 30 seconds with no change.

What gives?

I had AC on, all windows (sunroof and rear included) open, and on the cold setting.

The stuff isn't cheap, so I didn't want to keep pumping it in there if it wasn't working...

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

Bump...

I bought a can of the R134a this weekend with the intent of doing this. Using the sight glass, my system appears to be working. When I turn it off, it foams over, then turns clear.

However, my pressure is at 25psi (or whatever unit the gauge it came with uses) and does not move when I depress the trigger on the bottle. I must have held it for 30 seconds with no change.

What gives?

I had AC on, all windows (sunroof and rear included) open, and on the cold setting.

The stuff isn't cheap, so I didn't want to keep pumping it in there if it wasn't working...

Doesn't sound like the Freon is going in. Not 100% sure exactly how those trigger setups work but I would imagine that when your hooked up it should be reading low side pressure. The pressure in the can should be higher, so when you squeeze the trigger you should "feel" it go in. You should also see the gauge pressure go up a little. Make sure you're connected properly on the connection port. Make sure the needle in the port isn't bent to one side. Make sure your compressor is cycling on. If all this checks out then something is wrong with the apparatus you are using.

 

[gergg]

I recharged mine today with one of those Arctic Freeze bottles with the in-line hose gauge, dang gauge was broken and was reading all over the place so I went back and got a new gauge....after a ridiculous discussion with the store clerks who didn't want to give me a working gauge because I had used the "Freon"....couldn't verify pressure though....Man, I was so over it, but they finally relented and gave me a replacement gauge to test the pressure and it turned out to be perfect(Lucky) The AC is awesome now, cold like new, really couldn't be any easier.

 

[Ruff]

Just did mine also.

Did not need much but, the ac blows colder air now.

Houston has been running 98-99 deg F (100 - 105 heat index) the last few weeks. Enjoy riding my truck much more now.


Ruff

 

[myToyota4runner]

I charged mine with AC Pro R-134a

You can check out my vid. I also charged my Chevy and BMW.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_TzrN9Ny1Q

 

[tonytoshiba]

Not being an AC guy myself I keep my ear to the ground trying to learn a bit here and there. A couple of AC men, different companies, told me that with the newer gases the heat exchanger will not produce the cool air of the past. They also said that the newer units are not sealed as well and will required topping off. Depending on the unit it may be only three years or up to seven.
I have a '12 and spend a lot of time in our mountains or the low desert. It will only reach 60℉ when ambient in the 80's. Time to top off.

 

[mtbtim]

Some of you might find this video helpful. It's long but it's informative.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zlRE0Zeeyrc" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[varol1]

Apologies for reviving this thread from the dead - hoping [MENTION=59542]Singtoe[/MENTION] and others may be able to help.

The A/C on my 99 4Runner has never truly blown cold, and with an upcoming trip to Canyonlands (99°+ daytime highs), I decided to recharge the freon and take a video while doing so.

- Ambient temp was 68°
- A/C blowing at 48° before fill
- Compressor appears to be cycling often

I shook the R134a can beforehand and rotated it 90 degrees and back every few seconds while filling. I stopped every 10-15 seconds to check pressure, which seems to vary quite dramatically (from 25 to 50 psi) as the compressor cycles on and off. I probably refilled 5-6 times for a total of ~60 seconds. The freon is definitely going in as the can feels quite a bit lighter.

Unfortunately, there's no difference in the vent temperature after refilling, though the lowest psi reading may have jumped from 25 to 30ish. Assuming I've used 8-10 oz of the refrigerant, does it seem reasonable to see a 5 psi increase? If so, happy to keep going and move to a second bottle - just didn't want to overfill. What about the needle moving between 25-50 psi and how often the compressor cycles?

Here's the video of the pressure gauge, refrigerant window and digital thermometer reading from the vents after the last fill. Hoping one of you can help me as I'll be leaving this weekend and would love not to sweat b***s the whole time.

Thanks in advance.

 

[heat]

Is the radiator fan really spinning that slow? Might be a worn clutch.

 

[jgue467]

Yeah I'm with Heat, unless its a video thing, that fan sure seems to turn slowly. Runners have the coldest a/c I've ever experienced in a vehicle. yours s/b too.

Cycling is normal, mine cycles about every 25-30 seconds (on) then off about 15 or so with closed vents, open vents on mine causes it to cycle less often.

I'd suggest giving it the 'rolled up newspaper' test. Very, very carefully insert rolled up paper into blades, if it stops, it is weak and needs replacement. that could be the reason there wasn't much of a temp drop when adding some refrigerant.

What you're seeing on the can' pressure guage and sightglass appears normal for a somewhat full system. I would not suggest adding more unless a pro with full guage set checks it out. But the fact you could add some tells us there is a leak.

But I would make sure condensor is clean, including the space between the condensor and radiator, you'll have to remove skidplate to look up. When I offroad, tallish grass makes it up between both, enough will slow air flow down.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

Was your engine up to temp when you were charging it

These pressures are not with the engine at idle I don’t remember the rpm but it’s above 1000rpm I’d put it at 1500 and recheck your suction pressure with a fully warmed up engine. and if your clutch fan is old it will sku the numbers and it won’t be as cold in traffic.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[varol1]

Thanks for all the suggestions, gang.

The fan thing is definitely an optical illusion - it spins as fast as any radiator fan I've seen.

The engine was up to temp, having run for 4-5 minutes and idling right around 1500 RPM.

I went back to check pressure later in the day and didn't see the gauge varying nearly as much - it was sitting right around 32-33 psi with 75° ambient temps so I finished what was left of the first 12oz can and added a little more from a second can to bring it up to ~35 psi, which is the low end of the 35-45 psi range for my ambient temps.

Looking over [MENTION=59542]Singtoe[/MENTION]'s comment from 10 years ago (!) where he says "If you do not see bubbles forming after 10 seconds or so of turning off the AC, then you have too much Freon", I did not see bubbles at all (waited at least 30 seconds) after turning off the engine so perhaps I added too much.. I'm going to check pressure once again today or tomorrow. For what it's worth, the A/C really doesn't feel much cooler so I'm still at a loss.

 

[Sparky 97Runner]

You will need a set of gauges and a temp probe to troubleshoot from here. There are good youtube videos that explain how to do this. Your system only takes about 23oz of refrigerant. By adding 12oz it is either way over charged which is a problem or still under charged because you have a big leak. I'm not a big fan of the parts store refrigerant cans with attached gauge and hose because there is no way to purge the air out of the hose. I know it doesn't seem like much but you do not want any air in the system and every time you hook that gauge up you are introducing more air to the system. Also, make sure your heater control valve is closing because your evaporator will only be working to remove the hot air from the heater core and you will never feel cold air.

Edit:Actually I think the heater core will be removing the cold air from the evaporator and you will not feel cold air. Same end result.

 

[texadelphia]

I'm not a big fan of the parts store refrigerant cans with attached gauge and hose because there is no way to purge the air out of the hose.

I was able to purge the air out of the hose when I did mine by hooking up the hose without the can attached and blipping the trigger so that the pressure in the system backfilled the hose with refrigerant. Then I hooked up the can to the hose and filled.

 

[Sparky 97Runner]

I was able to purge the air out of the hose when I did mine by hooking up the hose without the can attached and blipping the trigger so that the pressure in the system backfilled the hose with refrigerant. Then I hooked up the can to the hose and filled.

I don't think that most people know to do this. This is a good idea for anyone using this style of gauge/hose.

 

[NOBIGGIEE]

Hey, I hope all is well. Not sure if this is the appropriate place, but I was wondering if anyone knows what the case may be. Long story short car's AC starts cold, then becomes ambient temp while driving. Thinking either it's low on freon or have a clogged expansion valve. If I'm idling the AC blows cold for as long as it's sitting, but when I go for a drive it'll eventually become luke warm again.

My question is, if I have a clogged expansion valve, won't the low side pressure gradually drop regardless of if I'm driving or idling? I had a cheap gauge so I didn't want to count on that, but at idle it would stay at 30, not drop. I'm thinking it's going even lower while driving revving the engine eventually causing it to freeze due to low pressure. sight glass looks good, no bubbles or anything. Thanks for your help, wishing you all well!

 

[Bad Luck]

Hey, I hope all is well. Not sure if this is the appropriate place, but I was wondering if anyone knows what the case may be. Long story short car's AC starts cold, then becomes ambient temp while driving. Thinking either it's low on freon or have a clogged expansion valve. If I'm idling the AC blows cold for as long as it's sitting, but when I go for a drive it'll eventually become luke warm again.

My question is, if I have a clogged expansion valve, won't the low side pressure gradually drop regardless of if I'm driving or idling? I had a cheap gauge so I didn't want to count on that, but at idle it would stay at 30, not drop. I'm thinking it's going even lower while driving revving the engine eventually causing it to freeze due to low pressure. sight glass looks good, no bubbles or anything. Thanks for your help, wishing you all well!

It’s more likely that you are low on refrigerant and the evaporator core is freezing over causing your issue.

 

[dleskin]

Blowing/Buzzing sound???

Started my car today on my normal commute to work and noticed a sort of blowing and buzzing sound coming from what sounds like the passenger side compartment area. It sounds like the AC compressor is running, however my AC is not on, and when it does turn on it still runs cold like normal, sound still does not turn off. Any ideas on what the problem could be?