I recharged my a/c and it blows hot now

[Cory619]

My a/c has been noticeably warmer. Still blows cool air but nothing like it did when set on lo. I bought AC Pro's recharger and the Auto Zone guy walked me through it. I know......bad decision on my part.

So now my a/c blows warmer.....it was 85 today and it was cooler to drive with the windows down.

Planning on taking the runner into the Toyota dealership and having them do the evac and recharge.

Are there any other options?

Thank you.

 

[outkast14]

Sounds like you more than likely overcharged the system.

 

[fdbyrne]

I don't know much about A/C systems but I did some research a while back when my wife's car was having issues. Apparently too much refrigerant can be just as bad as too little. It really does have to be in a pretty small pressure window. There isn't much room for error.

 

[Atlanta_man]

Dealer overcharged mine in Atlanta a couple years ago. Symptom was AC would work just fine most days but would go warm once (quite rarely) the outdoor temp got much over 90 deg. Worked great below that temp.

Back to dealer and they say its OK, go away. You can probably guess how the problem was resolved.

 

[Cory619]

Is there a way for me to safely bleed off some of the pressure?

 

[Mike07SE]

I don't know why those kits are allowed to be sold OTC; they're unreliable and inaccurate as hell. A technician has to be licensed and 609 certified to do A/C work only because the rules state that if a service is pay oriented you have to be. If you are servicing your own product, nothing is needed, but the EPA makes a big stink about everything involved with this. Go figure.

To answer your questions, more than likely you are now overcharged and the compressor is getting the signal to switch off. Otherwise you'd have something similar along the lines of hydrolock if it didn't have a pressure switch safety.

There is a way to bleed it, albeit not safely and not without it being a serious offense (if someone catches you - think OZONE depletion olice:/$$$). I'm sure someone else may chime in, but sorry I won't be the one.

Just take it to a shop that has the proper equipment and get it done right. A $100 now will be a lot cheaper than a screwed up system down the road.

 

[Cory619]

I agree Mike. I don't want to mess with it. I let the engine run with the ac on high at the lowest setting for about 10 minutes. The air was nice and cold. Compressor didn't kick in. albeit I was stationary.

So....IDK.....will just take it in this afternoon. There goes my play money:nono:

Lesson learned.

 

[bamma]

Attach the empty fill hose to the L cap to let off some pressure.

 

[bpowa]

Is there a way for me to safely bleed off some of the pressure?

If your condenser is constantly cycling then yes. you overcharged it.

Does your low pressure line gets cold when the clutch/condenser kicks in?

Turn on the ac let it run for a bit and have it cycle.

Turn the ac completely OFF engine OFF.

Put a rag over the high side port, and take a screwdriver and bleed from the valve with The rag still over it.

Bleed a couple seconds at a time and turn on the AC to recheck coldness and see if the fan clutch kicks in. When it does the low port should feel cold/frozen. Check vents too.

If not; repeat steps and check the glass sight with the a/c running. It should not be clear. There should be some bubbles when its running and bubbles about a minute after you turn off the AC.

DO NOT BLEED THE HIGH PORT WHILE THE AC IS ON.. ITS A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM.

 

[Basskiller]

Before you go messing with any more refrigerant do yourself a favor and check/replace the cabin filters. Then clean the condenser, simple green diluted to 1/4 with water is fine. Let that sit for 5 minutes then wash with a hose.
Now that we know that airflow is not an issue as it often the cause and thought to be a refrigerant level issue. If you are going to mess with the refrigerant levels then hook up a gauge and do it correctly, no guessing.
The A/C is a closed system, it does not use up refrigerant. The only loss would occur to a leak.

 

[Mike07SE]

Before you go messing with any more refrigerant do yourself a favor and check/replace the cabin filters. Then clean the condenser, simple green diluted to 1/4 with water is fine. Let that sit for 5 minutes then wash with a hose.
Now that we know that airflow is not an issue as it often the cause and thought to be a refrigerant level issue. If you are going to mess with the refrigerant levels then hook up a gauge and do it correctly, no guessing.
The A/C is a closed system, it does not use up refrigerant. The only loss would occur to a leak.

Good advice to clean and maintain system. And you're also right that the system is closed, so if there is a problem, it may be indicative of a leak. However, given the information of what's already happened, I'm sure he's overfilled.

I knew someone would chime in on how to bleed the refrigerant illegally. Beside the obvious, you have to realize that nowadays that systems are filled to levels only measured in oz.'s. not lb's like they used to be. It really easy for this to yo-yo back and forth trying to get it right.

 

[bpowa]

Before you go messing with any more refrigerant do yourself a favor and check/replace the cabin filters. Then clean the condenser, simple green diluted to 1/4 with water is fine. Let that sit for 5 minutes then wash with a hose.
Now that we know that airflow is not an issue as it often the cause and thought to be a refrigerant level issue. If you are going to mess with the refrigerant levels then hook up a gauge and do it correctly, no guessing.
The A/C is a closed system, it does not use up refrigerant. The only loss would occur to a leak.

lol.. nice first post.

True.. im not sure where people get the idea, refrigerant gets used when the AC is used. Im sure the kit he used has a gauge. Im not sure how precise it is. The DIY kits also have other gasses that dilutes the refrigerant. Low port PSI should be anywhere from 21-35psi.. I stay closer to 25PSI and lower.

I also add it slowly on the low port side. If you want the coldest ac possible.. Have it evac and refilled with a shop.

 

[Cory619]

Thanks for all the info guys. Appreciate it.

So I'm pretty sure that since I started at 35psi and ended at 5psi as per the Pro A/C gauge set at 90 degrees for outside temp that I am over filled. Went for a drive at lunch. Initially it was cold. Constant speed blew nice and cold. Stop lights/sitting I get warm air.

I like my eyes and lungs the way they are. Taking it to Toyota this afternoon to have the system evac'd and recharged so I know it's done properly.

I'm scheduled to have my cracked dash replaced so I will be doing the evap at the same time.

When I'm done at the dealership I'll report back.

PIA.....:flamethrwoer2:

 

[utobiaus]

Don't forget when a shop does it they put the system under a vacuum. So if you do it yourself and drain it you're actually getting normal air in there so it won't function.

 

[slides]

its not rocket science, get the AC refill kit with the gauge and pump enough in so that its with in spec. I did 2 cars this weekend and have no issues both put to around 40psi

 

[earthrealm]

throw a set of guages on them.. low side 35 to 45 psi , hiside 200 to 250 psi should be ok

 

[Cory619]

Yeah...I know it's not rocket science. But now I am second guessing myself. I want to be sure it's right.

 

[Cory619]

So took the problem to Toyota. I have a good relationship with one of the service guys so that made it easier to tell him what I did without fear of having a "problem" in the system.

The pressure was at 1.2lbs and they fill to 1.3lbs. So the bottle of AC Pro I put in didn't overfill the system. I was actually good. The problem was moisture in the system.

Evac and recharge was $122.00......which really equals peace of mind living here in Florida. I know my AC is good.

Lesson learned for me.....evac the system before recharging it.

:thanks:

 

[bpowa]

So took the problem to Toyota. I have a good relationship with one of the service guys so that made it easier to tell him what I did without fear of having a "problem" in the system.

The pressure was at 1.2lbs and they fill to 1.3lbs. So the bottle of AC Pro I put in didn't overfill the system. I was actually good. The problem was moisture in the system.

Evac and recharge was $122.00......which really equals peace of mind living here in Florida. I know my AC is good.

Lesson learned for me.....evac the system before recharging it.

:thanks:

Yep.. those AC cans have a lot of different gasses.. Glad it worked out for you.

 

[Sungod]

The problem with those cans is you only see the low pressure side. You need to see both to accurately determine the problem. You can get a set of cheap gauges from Harbor Freight for occasional use.