Hi all,

well, it's the end of the summer, and my AC is low... it is 134a, so I can get a can kit from walmart, etc...

my question is - do these really work? or am I better off having it professionally recharged?

Also, I can't seem to find the low side fitting... High Side I see, right in front/right, off compressor...

The AC compressor is cycleing - low on R134a, right?

Thanks,
Bob

 

Try this AC forum.

 

since guesstimating the charge of an AC system doesn't work and walmart is not the place to buy automotive products.
I'd say NO the idea won't work.
An AC shop can fix your leak, evac abd properly charge the system. After that you can leave it alone.

 

I meant walmart, Autozone, advanced, all those retail outlets sell the same kit...

The kit has a gague, so it will tell you if the coolant is low... not really guessing on how much is in there...

I just wanted to hear from anyone that has used these, as to if they work or not... I'm not asking if I blindly fill freon without a gague set. - That's a no no for sure...

These are the kits that you connect to the low side, on the dryer, and the AC system will suck in what it needs to top off... I just wonder how well they work...

Bob

 

Gee, then why have I been buying my R-134a there all summer? Oh, I remember, because it's two bucks cheaper per can there than at any auto parts stores ($6.88 per 12 oz can)!

For basic supplies, Wal-Mart is tough for any retailer to beat.

Steve

 

A plugged orifice or screen can also result in low suction pressure and rapid compressor cycling. Newer systems that were designed for R134a also have high-pressure cutoff switches that cycle the compressor. With only the low side pressure you cannot tell if the system has the proper charge. The only way to know that is to evacuate the system and start over as was already mentioned. Just dumping R134a in can cause a potentially dangerous overcharge.

That said, if I knew for a fact that no R134a had been added since the original fill (and I knew it was a R134a system or properly converted R12 system) I might add one, and only one can to see if it helps. If it did I'd be happy and never do it again. If it didn't I'd evacuate it, change the orifice and start over.

You'll find the low side port over by the accumulator.

R134a is the same stuff whether you buy it at Wal-Mart, Advance, NAPA, or anywhere else. Just get the R134a neat. No "seal conditioners", "stop leak" or anything else. That's just gunk that will eventually have to be cleaned out of the system and will cost you $$$ in the long run. Don't add oil, Ester 100, or PAG 100, unless you know you need it and you know for sure what's already in there.

 

when you need EXPERT help with a real automotive problem, Are you going to ask a partsman with 20 years experience or the stockboy at the supercenter who only knows "its not my department"?

You can't pay the experienced help by having cut-throat prices.
You can save 15¢ a quart of oil, 50¢ (or $2) on a can of freon, so what. Do you buy it THAT often?
If so, you NEED advice from a real partsman.

 

I understand your point... but, my point is/was, if the $30 kit you can buy will solve the problem, why spend $150 for the same thing? 134a is 134a...

The whole point of this forum is for us weekend mechanics to try and save as much money by doing our own repairs, correct? If it was an R12 Car, and I needed to have the whole system tested, evced, etc, then, yeah, I'd have to take it in... as I bet there are very few people as weekend mechanics that have a license to even work with R12, which is understandable, etc...

and, if you can save 15 cents on a quart of oil, and it's the same brand name, you save the 15 cents...

Maybe I'm missing your point?

Bob

 

15¢ saved... that 15¢ is used to pay experienced help. Its not to make the store rich.
That 15¢ allows the comfort of larger and slower moving inventory to be in-stock.
It pays to pay that little bit extra, and to not have to walk a 3 acre store, wait in a long line, then transverse a 5 acre parking lot to save 15¢.

Fixing the AC, having a leak check performed etc may cost $100 today. But next year it will be working, and so on. Just refilling a leaky system will cost you more in the long run.

Its not like the old days when a couple of 69¢ cans of R12 would keep ya cool most of the summer.

 

I plan on useing one this weekend but I do know where the leak was, I also have access to an evacuator. I am changing the compressor the dryer and the orifice filter. I am not sure how much oil to add but a couple of phone calls or maybe from this board I will know by the time I need it.


Tim in Chelan

 

The kits have the oil, the 134a and some sort of sealer in them... I would think that these kits are someone fool proof in design... All I was asking in my inital question is if they work or not.

Anyways, I did find both ports... low side is right where it should be, on the dryer :-) High Side is hard to miss, with the big red cap :-)

Where is your leak?

 

The front seal went out of the compressor and leaked all the oil and refrigerant out. After looking things over tonight it appears the commpressor it self has gone out as I can turn the compressor freely by hand. I did find the capacity for the oil and R134a on a sticker under the hood. In my case I will have help from a licensed refrigerant mechanic with his equepment so the kit my be a mood point.

As far as your question goes my brother has used one of the kits you are asking about more then once with very good results.

Tim in Chelan

 

BOB,
If the refrigerant in your system is low, then there is a leak. You can top it off with probably a single can of virgin refrigerant. This won't help the leak though. You don't need the whole kit for your problem, but you need much more to fix the vehicle. There are cans of R134 available with sealers, but they are a snake oil fix. They usually don't work and then you have contaminated refrigerant and a leak to deal with. An AC shop won't touch a contaminated system. If you don't tell them about the sealer, they CAN charge back the damage to their recovery system from the sealer to YOU. I've had to do it twice this season at about $1200 each, thats the cost to have my equipment flushed and repaired.
If you get the kit, you will have no way to tell HOW low your system is. The cheapie gauge is worthless and really tells you nothing. They are notoriously inaccurate by pressure and their colored ranges for static pressure don't take into consideration ambient temp, humidity, sun load, etc. All that they tell you is that there is pressure in the system.
Equate that gauge to an uncalibrated oil pressure gauge on your engine with no dipstick. It will tell you if there is pressure and "kinda" how much, but you have no way of knowing if there is actually oil in the engine or the amount.
There are 3 tools that are crucial to AC system repair, no matter what Interdynamics would have you think. Those are: A manifold gauge set, a vacuum pump, and a digital scale or charging cylinder. Without those and a bit of knowledge, AC repair is just a (expensive) guess and a hope.
You might get lucky pumping in some refrigerant. You might also trash a $350 compressor and ruin a $250 condenser.
For DIY AC repairs, check out the forum at Auto A/C Information Forumbefore you even start.

mediaman67,
Those kits aren't foolproof. (They're garbage!!)They have oil, but how much is already in the system? If it is low and you add 8 oz, you're probably ok. If there's already 10 ounces in the system and you add 8 oz, you're WAY overcharged and can blow the compressor. (oil won't compress).
I got confused by all of the replies to your OP . I thought Bob was the OP. No matter, check out Auto A/C Information Forum before you try to "fix" your AC.

 

Hi,

Thanks, that is the kind of answer I was looking for originally. Yeah, the $100 bucks I'd save in the short term (can kit, vs an AC shop) is most likely not worth it, if I end up blowing out the compresser, or condenser...

My guess is the leak is at one of the o rings, since these have always been an issue with fords... even since the R12 days.... The rubber just breaks down over time, and can't seal correctly.

So, you are saying that I could be low on the oil in the system too? I didn't think the oil would leak, but I guess it could with the 134

I knew someone from Lorain would help me out :-) My Grandmonther was from Lorain originally :-) - I grew up in the Cleveland Area :-)

BTW: mediaman67 and Bob - both me - Thanks