I have an appointment to get it done at a shop, but now that I'm reading the good 'ol Haynes manual, it doesn't seem all that hard. Plus I can get discounts on R134a. I've tried searching, but didn't come up with anything useful.

Is this easy enough to do myself, or is there enough risk involved to where I should let the shop do it?

 

please, if it just needs refilling no way in hell id take it to a shop. i asked becasue i work next to a garage and know the guys and they said it will be around 100 bucks. I got a can from checkers. the kit, it was 20 bucks. came with guage, tubes eveyrhting, so next time if u need it again u already have the tools and its like 9 bucks for the can. takes ten minutes. . nice and easy, follow the directions on the package and youll be fine.

jon

p.s. i found out on mine that i had a hole in my a/c line so thats why i used two cans, it took one to find where the leak was. . my intake did it. many others its happend to so check it before you refill to make sure you dont have a leak. if you do, j.b. weld . i did it. . blowin ice cold

 

If you dont have it vacuumed out, leaks found and fixed. Then just throw the refrigerant in there, you'll have air pockets in the coolant.

It'll feel like your a/c is cutting on and off.

You have to vacuum out the system then put in the refrigerant. Find someone that works at a shop and have them do it "off hours". Just pay them for the refrigerant and a little pocket change. Should be like 40 bux.

 

the 94 year cars do they take the over the counter freon that is sold.

 

If you have an air compressor then you can buy the tool to vacuum it out for $10 from Harbor Freight...

 

Generally, how long does it take for the R134a can to empty itself?

 

7 or 8 minutes

 

When refilling? I would say probably about 1 - 2 minutes on average... (going off of memory here)

 

Okay, I just used the refill kit, and one 12oz. can of R134a. I hooked up the hose the the can, and then to the low side valve. I opened my doors and started my car with the AC on full blast. I let the can empty for about 10-15 minutes. The passenger side vents starting blowing noticeably colder air, but the driver side vents are still blowing warm air. Will adding another can fully fix the problem? How do I know if it's already full?


ps- When I removed the hose from the low side valve, there was a loud "psssssst" sound. Also, with the hose unattached, I opened the tap valve on the can, and gas started coming out. Why isn't it empty?? This is my first time doing maintenance like this so I don't know what's normal, and what's not. HELP!

 

 

bump cuz ebelp's kewl and i want to know too!!!!!!!!

 

inquiring minds want to know

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pr0jektdc2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">bump cuz ebelp's kewl and i want to know too!!!!!!!!</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks!

 

You will not be able to empty the bottle fully because the system is under pressure. Think about it like this

At first:
Can PSI | A/C PSI
200 | 4

As the can empties:
100 | 6

When it's finished:
8 | 8

If your goal is 10psi (for example) then you will need a new can to bring it up to a higher pressure. You should also purchase a gauge to determine if you need more (or less) pressure in the system.

 

First off A/C is a totally CLOSED system, if you have a leak in the system it doesn't matter if you fill it up with refrigerant. It will all leak out anyways once the system begins to pressurize. So you're out of luck getting it to work until you fix the leaks. If it was working before, and then suddenly not working then there are a few diagnostic procudres to go through (a/c clutch may not be engaging electrical problems blablabla). Even though you may think it's "easy" to fix it, most likely you're doing more damage to your system and your compressor is toast. Like the folks said you should take it to a shop. Just to give you an idea, the proper pressures for the low side of the system is around 30 psi, high side is about 200 psi. If those numbers off by over 20% most likely there's something wrong with your system. If you system was totaly empty, it means it's filled with AIR, which has to be sucked out of the system before new refridgerant is introduced into the system.

Hope that gives you some idea of what to do.
RMC

 

What does it take to vacuum out the system?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ebelp &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What does it take to vacuum out the system?</TD></TR></TABLE>
It takes a vacuum pump. Hold a good hard vacuum for a long time because air & moisture inside the system will really kill its performance.

Not only that, if the system has been open for a while, you might need a new receiver/dryer because the dissicant in there picks up moisture from the air.

In your photo up above, you can see the liquid level in the can by where the frost is. Hold the can upside-down so the liquid goes in, instead of the gas. Measure pressures to tell if it's full. Don't guess.

 

[QUOTE=ebelp]Okay, I just used the refill kit, and one 12oz. can of R134a. I hooked up the hose the the can, and then to the low side valve. I opened my doors and started my car with the AC on full blast. I let the can empty for about 10-15 minutes. The passenger side vents starting blowing noticeably colder air, but the driver side vents are still blowing warm air. Will adding another can fully fix the problem? How do I know if it's already full?


Does anybody know how much that hose is in the pic, the nice thick one with the clamp around it, for some reason i have a pin size hole in mine, happened when my engine was lowered to get to the timing belt tensionor.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JimBlake &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">In your photo up above, you can see the liquid level in the can by where the frost is. Hold the can upside-down so the liquid goes in, instead of the gas. Measure pressures to tell if it's full. Don't guess.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I thought about that, but the can says not to use it upside down.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ebelp &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... the can says not to use it upside down.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Well then I guess you were OK. Maybe it's bad for it to go in too fast.

You can still watch the frost line to see where the liquid level is. Maybe you just have to leave it connected a lot longer?

 

In my opinion, unless you have the tools and knowledge, I would take it to a shop. In my case, I have a good friend with the tools and knowledge, but I wouldnt do it without his help.
You need to have accurate gauges to check the high and low sides as you are putting in the refrigerant. Also, you need to know HOW to look for leaks and how to vacuum it out, how much more to put int, etc. You need a shop manual so you can see what the pressures are supposed to be.
Sure, there's a good chance you could just throw in a can of R-134a and be just fine, but if you want to make sure its put in there correctly, and the right amount, and to make sure everything is working ok, take it to a pro.
Good luck and keep cool !

 

Okay, so my A/C worked good last night after I put in the R134. Today, it's just blowing hot air again. I think I have a leak...