I haven't been trained on R-134 systems but from what I've heard, if you don't know what oil to use, use 100. It's sort of like Type O blood. It may not be perfect, but it's a decent universal liquid.

 

They don't make SP-20 (from the FSM) readily available. 100 as you said it's an easy replacement. I'm struggling to find the freon capacity of my 01 online says 32 oz

 

Two grenades are 24 ounces. Mine are all 12 ounce cans. 32 ounces would be 2.75 cans. I'd put about 2.5 cans and stay a little under charged. If you can find proper charging pressures, use the gauges and charge to that. The problem being, pressures vary by temperature. I have a couple of stick thermometers and when my output temperature gets into the 50's when it's 80 or so, I stop charging there. A little low is okay, too much is bad. There won't be a pressure drop and you won't get much cooling.

 

got to wait until the temps get higher to try and charge it

 

If you have the gauges and a thermometer, I would add 12 to 24 ounces to the system. I like to keep a positive pressure on the system. This keeps moisture out where letting it sit at atmospheric pressure without evacuating will decrease the dryer efficiency.The seals are designed to keep pressure in, not out. You can then top the system off later. I always like to add a shot of dye to check for leaks. It doesn't affect operation and if you have a leak, it keeps you from wasting refrigerant.

By the way, only R-12 is Freon. That's a trade name for R-12. R-134 is refrigerant, is isn't Freon. Freon is a trademarked product of DuPont Industries.

 

Didn't know that last bit, but I love information like that . I was going to pull a vacuum regardless. Doesn't they get rid of the moisture? Also I'm 60% positive I have a leak on the low side schrader valve

 

If you suspect a leak, fix it before you lose a bunch of refrigerant. Pumping down does remove the moisture. As the pressure drops, the boiling point lowers. That's why fighter pilots wear pressure suits.Room temperature will cause water to boil when the pressure gets low enough. When I'm pumping down on a humid day, it looks like a little bit of steam coming out This will empty the air moisture out and any residual moisture will be absorbed by the dryer. Get yourself a core removal tool for tire valves and a new valve and you can fix the Schrader valve easy. It's just like a tire, same design.

 

That's why I'm going to vacuum it to see if there is a leak. It will loose vacuum

 

Do you have the manifold gauge set? If you do and you suspect the valves, draw the system down and unhook one hose from the system. If you have a weak spring on one of the ports, atmospheric pressure will overcome the spring. Draw down on the low side. Nothing happens, hook it back up and unhook the high side. Personally, if I'm in doubt about the valves, I'd replace them. They are cheap and easy to replace.The same tool and parts you use on a tire valve stem.

 

So you are saying unhook the low side gauge, then the high side gauge? Everything is new so I don't know if they are leaking.