brought 4 Cans of 134a

[xdviper]

i just went to auto statrus and they had a sale of 2 cans of 134a for $7, brought 4 plus a 134a to stop leaks and other stuff. well, the leak one went in fine, the can became ice cold, while i put it on the ac compressor while the engine was running with max ac with full blast. well, the other 3 cans didn't work at all, they emptyed out on the compressor but slowy and didn't even get cold.!!!! i also put 3 cans of this stuff on my fathers chevy astro 99' the other day and it made ice cold air come out, but not on my explorer.! please somone help me out, or give me some ideas.

 

[ma96782]

I just did mine.....for what it's worth....IMHO.....don't use "R-134a w/stop leak"......use ONLY pure R134a.

Now, as for what happened. I don't KNOW how much R-134a you already had in the system, or if there was a leak or if all of the parts were in working order......so, I'll just state:

The usual way.......is for the system to be evacuated (vacuumed), the old R-134a and some oil will be recovered. IF the plan was to replace parts, then go ahead and do it. Part of the vacuum procedure is to check if it will hold the vacuum. IF it holds, it's OK to proceed to refilling it with R134a and some oil. Oil is replaced on 1 for 1 basis. R-134a is replaced based on the system's capacity (see sticker in engine compartment, book or NAPA chart in the above sticky).

IF the vacuum won't hold......a sniffer or dye may be needed to find the leaky parts and then have the parts replaced. Oil is introduced to the specific parts, at installation time. Once the parts are installed....vacuum again. If the vacuum holds, then it's on to the re-charging. See the above sticky about how that is done.

Note: IMHO.....If the system is opened or was empty or if the accumulator is over 5 years old......replace the accumulator and orifice tube........save yourself from the future problems.

Aloha, Mark

PS.....I WISH I could find R-134a at your prices......I just paid $6.88 per 12 oz. can at Wal Mart.

 

[Tbars4]

not to hijack but i just seen it yesterday at biglots for $4 a can and they are nationwide...

 

[ma96782]

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

Aloha, Mark

 

[Tbars4]

as i walked in it was in there flyer...

 

[ma96782]

IF you still have the flyer....when does the sale end?

Aloha, Mark

 

[Tbars4]

hers a link but call your local store to double check...
http://biglots.com/Specials/subcategory.aspx?scid=49

 

[ma96782]

tbars4,

Thanks for the tip on finding the R-134a......I picked up 10 cans today......as you said, $4 a can, gee I'm happy. BTW, lady said she thinks the sale ends this Saturday (7-7-07). But the cans were price tagged at $4.....so, maybe it will become the regular price?

Aloha, Mark

 

[Tbars4]

aw shucks man, i'm just helping out anyway i can... if you help others, they will help you in your time of need......btw, killer deal huh???

 

[Blee1099]

i just went to auto statrus and they had a sale of 2 cans of 134a for $7, brought 4 plus a 134a to stop leaks and other stuff. well, the leak one went in fine, the can became ice cold, while i put it on the ac compressor while the engine was running with max ac with full blast. well, the other 3 cans didn't work at all, they emptyed out on the compressor but slowy and didn't even get cold.!!!! i also put 3 cans of this stuff on my fathers chevy astro 99' the other day and it made ice cold air come out, but not on my explorer.! please somone help me out, or give me some ideas.

If you dumped 3 cans plus one can that had the leak stopper, more than likely you have overcharged your system.. I believe the AC system can only hold 30 ounces of R134a. With you dumping 4 cans you probably dumped close to 40 ounces if not more. You definately have an overcharged system currently. What you would need to do is take the truck to a shop that can recover the system and have it purged. I would also ask them to perform a vacuum pull on the system to ensure it pulls a good vacuum psi level. If there is a Harbor Freight store close to you, I would recommend getting a cheap R134a manifold guage set for future use. They currently sell for $40 or probably around that plus shipping on their site if you don't have one locally. Simply dumping can after can into your system is not recommended since you can't monitor the low & high side pressures while re-filling. With the manifold gauge set, you can monitor the low & high pressure readings while refilling the system. You should obtain no higher than 40-45 PSI on the low side when completely filled at a 90-100*F ambient temperature and around 165-270 PSI on the high side. Your evaporator temperature/inside cabin temperature should be around 40-65*F.

Another thing it could be would be a dirty orifice valve or blend door issue.

 

[xdviper]

wow blee1099 thanks, thats what I am going to do, next week, I'll take it to a shop and tell them exactly what you said. AC is not that big of a problem anyway. over the 8 years I've owned this car, this is a first time this started happening. Thanks guys... Oh yeah, Today I emptied out the air compressor, and it took a while to empty out all the air in there. I also put another can of 134a in there that was left over, and it still had no effect. I'll definitely take it to a shop....

any estimates? haha

 

[ma96782]

If the accumulator and orifice tube hasn't been changed in those 8 years......now is the time to do it (while you're doing stuff)........save youself from future problems.

And, the Harbor Freight manifold is a great deal for the price.......I got one. After that, you'll want to pick up a vacuum pump.....checkout the usual suspects. Or, you could get both the pump and manifold together........some places have them offered at a savings (over individual prices).

Aloha, Mark