A/C fittings on a 94

[msilver]

I have been looking into why my A/C isn't working. After using the refrigerant identified i recovered the system and there was basically no refrigerant in the system. I charged it blew cold but it was leaking refrigerant in the center of the low side service port. Naturally I think that we should change the valve core. i get a valve core tool and i cant get it to grab the valve core. I got a mirror to see in there to see whats wrong with this thing and it does not like there is any valve core, there's a small ball. I looked at the high side it looked the same. i tried to take the whole fitting off only to find out i need a special tool for this 8-point rounded edge fitting, ford wants over $40 for this tool that i'm would use once.

so here is what i'm thinking about this system:
This is a R12 system that ford retro fitted to be a R134a system. Why? it know law made them switch so they stopped killing the ozone, but why did they not put a real R134a system in the vehicle. Why did ford not put a valve core in there fitting? Is there any way to take off this fitting with out a D-tool.

by the way this is in my 94 4x4 explorer with a R134a system

 

[mehedgec]

Just put new service ports on it.

 

[msilver]

i plan on it but i'm not paying $40 for a tool to do it i dont use my A/C that much. I was hoping that someone would be able to teach me something new about this system because it seems like a fairly different A/C system and i could not find any information one this site.

Anybody can replace parts i want to understand how everything works

 

[Anime]

You can get the tool from a parts store or even online, a lot cheaper than the factory one from a Ford dealer. New valve cores too. If you don't even want to do that, you can probably take it to an A/C shop and just have them use their tool and swap out the valve cores for you.

The '94 R134a system is basically a modified '91-93 R-12 system, but luckily it's got all the right stuff so it works just fine with R134a, unlike a lot of earlier R-12 systems.

 

[msilver]

thanks anime, i figured that the core would come out it just would have to take the fitting off and you could pull it out and put a new one in