a/c recharging

[vbtruk]

hey guy's my A/c seems to work ok and i had it serviced where Ford evacuated the A/c sstem and flushed then regased it and it's cold but no where near as cold as other car's but once i have it running for a while it get's cold but goe's back to not being as cold it cycles most times but at times i found it doesnt cycle but the cucle wheel is constantly spinning, i don't seem to have a leak as Ford dyed the system and found no leak's over a 6 month period so would my best bet be to get a A/C recharge kit and put more pressure in it? and whats the best recharge kit to buy with guages and stuff???????

 

[MikeP]

R134a Recharge

Used an id Interdynamics 14 oz can of R-134a "Cool Air" to recharge air conditioning system on 1991 Ford Explorer. The can contained AC Cleaner, Leak Sealer, O-ring conditioner. & R-134a. With regards to upright can or upside down can, I read on a Nissan website that one should periodically turn the can upside down to allow the oils to flow into the air conditioning system.
Now I am trying to determine whether I should periodically add some O-ring conditioner & Ester oil to keep the compressor and o-rings "happy". By the way, I had Ford do the R12 to R134a conversion in 2001 (and they did not charge all that much). Many thanks for the helpful posts by "you-all".
Mike with well-used 91 4x4 in Seattle

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

The system does not need any extra oil and YOU SHOULD NOT ADD OIL to the closed system unless you physically remove old oil, such as during a flush or component change.

The oil does not escape with the gas when you evacuate and vacuum. Too much oil will slow down your system and may harm your compressor. It's almost as bad as not enough oil.

 

[donaldbc]

this may sound dumb, but how do you know whay kind of system you have(ie. R134a etc.)? I have '97 5.0 AWD.
I would love to try these kits, I see them all the time and feel like I can handle it.
thank

 

[MikeP]

Brian
My Haynes "Automotive Repair Manual" for 91-98 Ford Explorers says that 94-98 models have R-134a refrigerant. The only "difficulty" I had was with the connection of the hose to the low pressure fitting (mine has a blue colored plastic protective cap). The hose has a sort of quick disconnect type of fitting (not a screw on threaded fitting). I wanted to be sure I did not mess up and somehow allow the R-134 in the system to vent out because of a poor hose to adapter connection. At any rate, after messing around with it for awhile, I got the hose well connected to the port and allowed the R134 to flow in.
By the way, Boatbuilder says not to add more oil. However, there are instructions saying that something like 2 oz oil should be added with every so many cans of R134. The implication is that oil does leak out - but I have not seen that written anywhere. And I do recall seeing that air conditioner compressor failure is related to insufficient lubricating oil (and the recommendation to operate the air conditioner at least once every week to maintain lubrication of the compressor).
Mike with 91 4x4 in Seattle

 

[donaldbc]

thanks mike, what kind of oil are we talking about?
Thanks

 

[MikeP]

Brian
There is an ester oil
Here is a web site with some information:
http://www.raysradiator-hotrodshop.com/Recharge Air Cond.htm
Here is the internet writeup about R134 and a Nissan (nice photos, text)
http://nissan.sadik.net/howto/ac_r12.htm
Here is the intedynamics web site
http://www.id-usa.com/spkits.htm
There are other suppliers of R134a including Castrol as described in their internet site (I saw Castrol R-134a recharge cans at a Fred Meyer store here in Seattle).
http://www.castrolindustrial.com/indust/indust.nsf/StaticPages/marketsegmentsmobileac?OpenDocument

I was not able to find the instructions I saw somewheres that advised adding 2 oz of the ester oil for so many cans of R-134 recharge added.
Good luck.
Mike with 91 4x4 in Seattle

 

[donaldbc]

sweet links thanks so much. I will try and tackle it this week.

 

[MikeP]

Brian
Here is a internet web site regarding retrofitting Ford vehicles from R12 to R124 (the link to the Ford R12 to R134 retrofit is shown at the below internet site).
http://www.10w40.com/home/auto_repair.asp
I realize you are not doing a retrofit - but this web site apparently has information from Ford Motor Company and references the Ford Technical Service Bulletin. I was not able to copy or print the information - probably because Alldata sells the manuals etc. and they want you to pay for the information. However, one can read the details and recommendations - and it mentions the recommendation to use the ester oil with R134.
Yesterday I added one can of R134, then measured the pressure and the pressure increased from about 20 to 40 psig (on the low pressure side).
Mike with 91 4x4 in Seattle.

 

[donaldbc]

Well, I charged my system today. Very easy once I figured out where to hook it up. It took like 2.5 of the big cans. Thanks for the input, if anyone has any questions don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks

 

[SCEXPLORER]

Originally posted by donaldbc
Well, I charged my system today. Very easy once I figured out where to hook it up. It took like 2.5 of the big cans. Thanks for the input, if anyone has any questions don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks

Does the recharge kit come with step by step instructions? If not, can u send me?

 

[donaldbc]

Yeah it comes with step by step. real easy. let me know if you need any questions answered after you get started.

 

[LowdPypes]

Just a little note, the stuff you buy from the store is not the same as what the auto shops offer. The stuff at the auto shops have conditioners and a chemical that allows you to use the stuff that you buy at Wal-Mart, Autozone, etc. Using ONLY that stuff can eat away at your condenser and cause problems with leaking, corrosion and other harmful problems. This is what I have been told and I have seen what the lower grade 134a can do. Good luck.

 

[SCEXPLORER]

So do you just suggest to get it done at the autoshops instead of buying it from walmart and doing it yourself?