Got some a/c 134 refill cans a the big k and started filling with the first. Checked pressure-below "Full" level...with 7.3 PSD running w/ a/c on. Put some in. The liquid transfered down the clear tube-obviously cheep, hidesight is 20/20 if you're not blinded by what happened next. The can drained and filled the bottom of the tube with about an inch and a half of refridgerant and that was the last thing I saw before a loud BOOM proceeded out from under my hood.

Yes, in the K-mart parking lot.

Needless to say, it scared the (*&%^ out of me. The plastic tube definitely blew up and almost deafened my left ear.

I must have not followed instructions...that well.

 

Sounds like you hooked up to the high pressure side of the system.

 

I vote high pressure side also

LOST

 

can not hook to high side
differant connectors
cheap hose
maybe blockage inside of system

 

yes i agree, you cant connect to high side, bigger connector... that is an odd thing to happen though.... at least your okay... any damage to yiur eingine?

 

Always use a pressure gage to see what's going on.

My guess is you turned the can upside down and charged as a liquid.

On a system that needs topping off, you should only charge as a gas (can in normal up right position).

You're very lucky you weren't injured.

 

Lots of feedback, true, no injuries like the dragracer in Tenn. but probably best left to a professional. It actually was attached to the low side. The port that was on the line that came out of the evaporator (half in the firewall) going to the accumulator (like a big vertically aligned thermos). Actually, the liquid was feeding into the line, the can was inverted and those were the instructions. The clutch on the compressor was not kicking on but I did turn it with the end of a sharpie. It sounds like I need to check air gap and whether the plug to the clutch is hot. Also possibly a pressure switch could be checked, too, right?

Thanks for the non-judgemental advice.

 

134A is a blend and should always be charged in a liquid state.

 

No disrespect but R134a is not a blend.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/tr497.htm

 

[QUOTE=F150xlt]No disrespect but R134a is not a blend.

http://www.aa1car.com/library/tr497.htm[/QUOTE]

My mistake

 

Ok, heres a question that may help. What year and engine is your truck. Some systems use the older refridgerant which i believe is pre 1994. In 94, thats when they began R134a which is CFC Free Freon. If you have the older stuff in it, they do not mix and cause a chemical reaction. If thats what happened, the reaction may have caused a build up of pressure and blew that hose. Your dam lucky it wasnt the can that blew. The clutch may take a little while to start kicking in for periods of time depending on how low your system is

 

Okay, yeah. It's on a 95 F-350 with a 7.3 Int'l. Initially, the compressor kicked on by itself, on-off for about 30 seconds or so when I first wiggled all the various connectors. Then it shut off. I did get the compressor to kick on with the pressure switch jumped. That's the switch by the accumulator. There's also some kind of connector/switch at the back-end of the compressor. I'm not sure what that does(maybe high pressure switch??). Then I checked the pressure switch. It seemed to have closed(couldn't get continuity with ohm meter). I used a bottle or r-134(a?) with a gauge which indicated the level dropped when the compressor was kicking. But when I opened the valve to let the refrigderant in, the pressure shot way up and I was afraid to let more in...a little gun-shy. I disconnected the hose from the truck and opened the little coupler that attaches the hose to the can. That made the needle in the gauge to go back to zero. After reattaching it to the truck, it read low. Is this normal? 'Cause I'm feeling like I'm not anymore. Is it ok to let that needle go way up during recharging?? I guess that's all folks.

 

you realy need to get a set of gages for 134 that will show you high side and low side readings. if you dont have one or dont know what the specs are on your systome you should take it to a qualified tec and have them top it off. those little filler things that they sell in the parts stores are dangerous and make it very easy to ruin your systome dont buy them and dont use them.