A/C Guru's Needed! - 411
 

Ok, Sunday I had to go through the wonderful condenser fan motor swap. Wasn't as bad as it could have been had I not found 1AAuto's YT video on it.

I purchased AC Pro's Reharge kit. Pretty nice product. Anyway, followed their directions exactly. My pressure read just outside where it should be per AC Pro. So, I began charging the system.

As I charged, I checked the pressure every 5-10 sec....it was going down instead of UP. So, I continued charging until about a half a can had been injected. At this time, I noticed some bubbling and liquid coming from where my High Pressure line enters the top of the compressor.

Did I get a bogus gauge with AC Pro and now I have over-charged my system and have cracked or blown my O-Ring on the compressor?

My air is discharging at 44 degrees inside the cabin...great...but it seems I am now losing my refrigerant...as it is still seeping from the HP connection and the metal part of the HP connection is now getting a frost build up on it.

What is my next step? Do I need to discharge my system, replace O-Ring and recharge the system again or is this leakage telling me something even worse?

Thanks!

id hook up some real a/c guages just to be sure ya didnt over charge it a tad

Yeah I would also put some HVAC gauges on the system ports on hot and cold side (High and Low Pressure) and see if you over charged it... b/c that's what it sounds like... also make sure your compressor isn't freezing up... that would indicate the compressor is damaged...

Crap...ok. I have some real HVAC gauges but of course the fittings don't fit my truck fittings. Should I just discharge some of the 143a in the meantime so I don't create a worse problem? It seems if I see moisture (pretty much like water) coming from the high pressure line connection to the compressor, it's possibly overcharged and getting by the seal.

Thanks guys....

Honestly,


I'd pull the charge, evac the unit into a deep vacuum, and weight in the correct charge, then you know you got it right the first time. That's why they put the weight necessary on the sticker.

they have the screw on adapters at most auto parts stores, ive had too many a/c repairs in my past back when we'd use r290 and couldnt get leaks figured out but we blew many high side lines off the compressors lol

if you got the time vac it down to -30, see if it holds over night... if it holds recharge + oil... if not then now's the time to fix your leaks

The last two posts are definitely very good suggestions.

You can buy adapters that will fit your tool and truck from most big hardware stores, I think even harbor freight sells a set... Sears (or Sears Hardware) is usually a good bet as well....

Thanks guys. All sounds great except for "vac'ing it down" etc. I don't know any other procedure for doing that other than letting the freon out through the gauge lol

Yes, it's been "holding". Recharge + oil? See...I'm in another world in the A/C arena. I can recharge it, but don't know anything about the oil, etc.

Thanks for your input! and further input lol

Also, what you meant by a "deep vac" please. I want to do this on my own without having to pay someone.

Thanks friends

If you have a refrigeration system open to atmosphere you should get all contaminants, air and moisture out of the system. You put a vacuum pump on it and put the system under a vacuum and hold it there for a while before you charge the system. If you don't do this you are asking for potential issues with your refrigeration system, or it won't perform as well as it used to.

Refrigeration work is usually out of the scope of a typical DIYer, hell you can't even buy refrigeration gauges where I live without having the proper training to handle refrigerants.