Ac recharge

[fordman00]

I recharged the ac in my bronco ll last night And it didn't kick on so I drove it to the gas station thinking maybe it'll kick on well it did for about 3 seconds so I pit gas in it drove it back and it came on and stayed on until I shut it off and it wasn't that cold.drove it today and it didn't come on all day.any suggestions?

[flatlander757]

Originally Posted by fordman00

I recharged the ac in my bronco ll last night And it didn't kick on so I drove it to the gas station thinking maybe it'll kick on well it did for about 3 seconds so I pit gas in it drove it back and it came on and stayed on until I shut it off and it wasn't that cold.drove it today and it didn't come on all day.any suggestions?

Probably way too much oil and possibly too much refrigerant in the system.

FWIW I had an 86 Ford Ranger that the AC wasn't working well when I bought it. The orifice tube is about a $3 part... mine was caked with crap that looked like mud. I replaced that thing about 4 times over the course of 2 weeks but after than I charged it and it blew so cold your titties could cut glass It was converted to R134A.

I used a REAL AC recovery machine to charge the system properly... those stupid cans are retarded, unless you're doing it with a set of accurate gauges then it's really a crapshoot when it comes to charging the system.

If you overcharge it a bit, then it will not blow as cold as it should with probably no other problems aside from maybe higher pressures on the low side while running.

If you undercharge it a bit, same thing except slightly lower pressures. No real risk of damaging anything as long as there is the proper amount of oil in it.

Oil is what everybody messes up... if you have too much it will be downright terrible as far as cooling goes, pressures will be higher, and it's a pain in the ass to drain it out.

If you don't have enough oil, then you'll pretty much destroy your compressor.

And I don't know if you have an accumulator or a receiver-drier(same thing, difference is accumulator would be on the low side, R-D would be on the high side... only have one or the other), but if the system was open for a decent period of time(like... more than a day or two) and it wasn't vacuumed for 20+ minutes, then get a new one... the dessicant inside of them will come apart and then clog all kinds of stuff in the system, probably starting witht he orifice tube... if you attempt to continue running it then it can reach the compressor and kill that too.

It is worth it to pay the $70 whatever for someone to use a good HVAC machine on so it can be recovered, then vacuumed for 20+ min like it should, then oil added(only if any big parts were replaced... usually add 1/4 to 1/2oz depending on what was replaced... compressors usually come with all the oil they need inside of them), then charged to the proper pressure. Then it can be run while watching the gauges to see what may or may not be a problem.




Next time it is supposed to be on(but isn't), you can try unplugging the low pressure cutoff switch and jumper the 2 pins on the harness and see if the compressor engages. It could be a bad switch, or it is keeping you from ****ing anything up further;)



FWIW where I work now, I can't work on my own vehicles... I will never use the stupid cans to charge my vehicles, I'll pay the $ to have it done right.

[fordman00]

Ok.thanks I checked it again.it was empty so I refilled it and took off the adapter because it appears it's leaking there and I checked the blower motor connections and the wires were cut and jerry rigged back together with corrosion so I fixed that.

[flatlander757]

Originally Posted by fordman00

Ok.thanks I checked it again.it was empty so I refilled it and took off the adapter because it appears it's leaking there and I checked the blower motor connections and the wires were cut and jerry rigged back together with corrosion so I fixed that.

Are there any caps on the high/low side fill adapters? If not, get some... they have rubber o-rings in them and are actually what are relied upon for a 100% seal... not the shrader valves on the lines.

[RuffedUpXJ]

High Pressure and low pressure will not allow the system to run. You best bet is to have it vacuumed out and then have them check it in a day and see if there is a leak. After that you can add with the small cans to get it to the right pressures. If you want to do it all on your own then you need the guaged can, or you can rent high side, low side and gauge from AutoZone to watch the pressures. Also get the stock pressures for the car from a manual or whatever.

[fordman00]

Ok.thanks guys.I might just call Scott at Armstrong.