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Got the sniffer today and gave it a test. It works, but I'm not entirely certain how to interpret the results. The only places I got a hit on were the high and low side service ports. Only after unscrewing the protective caps, and only on the low side after cranking the sensitivity all the way up. The high side it picks up more readily. Decided to check against the only other R134a system I have (the C10) and on that it also trips on the high port only, but not at quite the same level, and the low side port doesn't trigger it at all. I'm still leaning heavily towards "leave it" but if it goes low again the next thing I'll put in will be a new set of valves.
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Jul 24, 2021 23:20
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IOwnCalculus posted:I'm still leaning heavily towards "leave it" but if it goes low again the next thing I'll put in will be a new set of valves. This, but also make sure your caps have good gaskets in them. They go bad with age and suitable replacements can be found in most AC o ring kits, or you can just get a new set of caps from the parts store of course.
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Jul 24, 2021 23:33
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Sup, A/C nerds. Does anyone have any experience with aftermarket A/C kits like Vintage Air, Classic Air, etc? I'm putting A/C into an olden timey Jeep truck and just wondering if there's any gotchas or advice. This truck never had any A/C so it needs to be a complete kit, which they both seem to sell.
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Jul 25, 2021 00:54
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My experience so far with Vintage Air is... buying the kit sitting waiting to replace the janky half-factory setup in my C10. Parts look to be decent enough quality, but plan on buying a crimper too because they aren't giving you ready-to-use hoses.
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Jul 25, 2021 01:20
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IOwnCalculus posted:My experience so far with Vintage Air is... buying the kit sitting waiting to replace the janky half-factory setup in my C10. I assume you ordered the 'surefit' kit for the C10? I wish they did a J20 kit or something. Their website is kind of terrible so the "builder series" page doesn't really let you buy all the parts. This means having to contact.. ugh.. Sales 
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Jul 25, 2021 04:24
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Yeah, they have a kit specific to replacing the factory air in a C10. Custom-fit air box that moves everything to the interior side of the firewall, controls that bolt into the factory location, and adapts to the factory vents. I ended up buying through a local VA dealer but everything still got drop-shipped from VA.
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Jul 25, 2021 07:26
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I'm trying to get the factory AC in my 1993 Toyota pickup working. I bought a rebuilt compressor and a receiver/dryer. The system holds a vacuum. The old compressor spun freely when I removed it. I put ester oil in the compressor before I installed it. I'm trying to fill the system with R-152A because it was originally an R-12 system. The issue I'm having is that the compressor doesn't kick on and inhale the gas out of the can like other vehicles I have fixed AC on have. Does anything spring to mind as to what to look at? Yes, the AC button on the dash was turned on.
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Aug 2, 2021 18:24
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PBCrunch posted:I'm trying to get the factory AC in my 1993 Toyota pickup working. I bought a rebuilt compressor and a receiver/dryer. The system holds a vacuum. The old compressor spun freely when I removed it. I put ester oil in the compressor before I installed it. What kind of pressure are you seeing on the low side? Why did you replace the compressor? How did you diagnose the original problem? If the compressor was actually bad, did you check the lines for black death? It's entirely possible your low pressure cutoff switch is bad.
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Aug 2, 2021 18:52
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Like I said, I only know enough to be dangerous. To be honest, I replaced the compressor a long time ago (two years ago maybe). If I remember correctly: The truck didn't even have an AC belt. The previous owner was an old guy weirdo. Truck had radio and speakers removed. I assumed the AC was deactivated as a form of elderly male masochism. The system had no pressure. I put vacuum on it and it held the vacuum. I tried filling the system with the old compressor and had the same results (system did not pull gas from the can). I assumed the compressor was no good from disuse or the clutch had gone bad. The replacement compressor was not expensive so I replaced it. I know that after I swapped the compressor and it still didn't work I "topped off" the vacuum and put the caps back on the ports.
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Aug 3, 2021 00:01
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Okay, so before you do anything else you need to find the low pressure cutoff switch and mash both wires on it together and see if the compressor clutch kicks on. If not you have an electrical issue first and foremost.
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Aug 3, 2021 01:19
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Motronic posted:Okay, so before you do anything else you need to find the low pressure cutoff switch and mash both wires on it together and see if the compressor clutch kicks on. If not you have an electrical issue first and foremost. Should I do this key-on, engine-off and just listen for clicking from the compressor clutch or is it OK to try it with the engine running?
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Aug 3, 2021 16:38
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PBCrunch posted:Should I do this key-on, engine-off and just listen for clicking from the compressor clutch or is it OK to try it with the engine running? If it's safe to get at with the engine running that's your best bet. AC on, blower on, etc. This should eliminate any stupidity in the way it may be wired. If you get nothing, check for 12v on one wire or the other. If you don't have 12v on either one with the car running and the AC/blower/etc on you have an electrical issue further back (you have checked your fuses before doing any of this, right?).
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Aug 3, 2021 16:48
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I'm troubleshooting a Toyota air conditioning system and wondering if anyone has any ideas. Here's what I've done so far: - bought an A/C manifold and checked the low and high pressure. Pressure at 50/50 while the car is off. Google told me that means the magnetic clutch is not engaging - checked to make sure the A/C clutch can spin freely - manually bypassed the A/C clutch to my car battery. clutch pops in/out when I tap it to 12v - measured the resistance on the clutch and it was 4.1 which seems okay (between 2-5 right) Should I evacuate the system and try adding R134a to the system? Or just charge it from where it sits currently? Or swap the compressor? johnnyonetime fucked around with this message at 03:34 on Aug 4, 2021 |
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Aug 4, 2021 03:12
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Check resistance/continuity across the compressor clutch. It shouldn't be a dead short, but it should have continuity between 1 pin and ground (you can just use a bare bolt nearby for ground). It should ohm out to a few ohms, give or take? If that checks out, make sure the clutch is getting power - one pin on the plug to it should have ~12V (probably a little above) with the engine on/AC engaged, the other should be ground. It may even have just 1 wire going to the compressor, grounding through the body (I know Honda used to do this in the 80s). If there's no power to the clutch, check fuses, check relays, check your high and low pressure switches. I think I've covered the extreme basic stuff... Also, specific year and model will help a lot. If it's 50 PSI and a R134a system, and it's roughly 80-85F outside, then you're just seeing static pressure from an unknown amount of liquid refrigerant in the system. Both sides will be equal if it hasn't run in a bit (by a bit, I mean an hour or two tops).
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Aug 4, 2021 08:16
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STR posted:Also, specific year and model will help a lot. If it's 50 PSI and a R134a system, and it's roughly 80-85F outside, then you're just seeing static pressure from an unknown amount of liquid refrigerant in the system. Both sides will be equal if it hasn't run in a bit (by a bit, I mean an hour or two tops). It's a 1996 Toyota Hilux Surf I imported from Japan. That 50/50 PSI was connecting the manifold while the truck was turned off. I checked the resistance on the clutch and it came out 4.1 I checked power to the compressor via the wire pigtail and it was 13.6v I hooked up the manifold to the compressor while the truck was on and the low pressure dropped to 0 while the high pressure stayed at 45-50psi. Could the compressor not be kicking on because there is not enough refrigerant to get it going?
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Aug 4, 2021 16:38
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Yes, there's a low pressure cutoff switch that protects the compressor. The fact that it drops to zero at all says the compressor is at least trying to kick on, otherwise there should be no difference in pressure running or not.
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Aug 5, 2021 14:54
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 Edit: I'm dumb and didn't have the vacuum pump setup right. Currently pulling a vacuum johnnyonetime fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Aug 6, 2021 |
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Aug 6, 2021 19:45
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Success, thanks thread! I put 16 oz of R134a into the Surf and the ambient temp went from 107* to 44*. Guess it just needed a recharge because it held a vacuum at -28 of mercury for 30 minutes. I vacuumed it for an additional 45 minutes to make sure it was bone dry before adding the R134a. As soon as I slowly opened the low pressure manifold the compressor immediately starting spinning. It sucked down the first can pretty fast and I barely trickled the second can in there watching the PSI until it was 28 on the low side and 230 on the high side. According to the R134a ambient temperature chart I probably should have gone up a little higher in the PSI range but since this is my first time messing with A/C I wanted to be safe. Wore safety googles and thick leather gloves the whole time using manifold and refrigerant.  
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Aug 6, 2021 23:08
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Alright, I have another dumb question: If I hook that manifold up to check pressures on a system that I haven't touched yet (but am pretty sure has some Freon* in it), how do I take the manifold back off without venting to atmosphere? Where else would it go?
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Aug 6, 2021 23:29
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Krakkles posted:Alright, I have another dumb question: If I hook that manifold up to check pressures on a system that I haven't touched yet (but am pretty sure has some Freon* in it), how do I take the manifold back off without venting to atmosphere? Where else would it go? Both the manifold hoses and the ports you hook up to have valves on them. Leakage should be minimal and customary/expected.
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Aug 7, 2021 03:18
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Alright, that makes sense. Thank you. Sorry I called it Freon 
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Aug 7, 2021 03:42
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The AC repair tech sent to my office a couple weeks ago said "there's all kinds of freons these days"
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Aug 7, 2021 03:51
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taqueso posted:The AC repair tech sent to my office a couple weeks ago said "there's all kinds of freons these days" He's not wrong. Chemours is marketing R-12, R-13B1, R-22, R-410A, R-502, and R-503 as Freon-<number> now.
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Aug 7, 2021 03:56
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Can I use a stop leak/ sealant product that only says r134 on it in a r12 system? It does. It have any refrigerant in the product.  Also on 2 r12 systems I am looking at the only port I can find is on top of the compressors. The 92 Landcruiser appears to have been converted as the port on the compressor has an attachment and it fits a normal ac gauge. The port on the diesel JDM hiace is definitely still r12 - and it’s in the location the ship said they found the port to recharge it (and it worked just has a leak). I have not added anything and will not until I know if it’s ok and I am on the right ports (hiace works just has a leak - landcruiser compressor comes on but absolutely NO cool air)
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Aug 15, 2021 23:47
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Does that actually work?
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Aug 15, 2021 23:51
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Charles posted:Does that actually work? Sealant? Being far from an expert I just know that in the right application it is a big "MAYBE"
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Aug 16, 2021 00:15
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seems like a good way to plug up your expansion orifice thingy
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Aug 16, 2021 02:53
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everdave posted:Can I use a stop leak/ sealant product that only says r134 on it in a r12 system? It does. It have any refrigerant in the product. The op tells people that leak stopper is more likely to do more damage than good. And I'm pretty sure the propellant in that can is R134a because it has to go in a R134a system
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Aug 16, 2021 03:14
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Hey, thanks for this thread. I got an 07 galant for practically nothing from a good friend who moved to Finland, he had been using it as a commuter and got it cheap himself. It only blew piping hot air, my friend never tried to fix it. I found that the plastic cap on the low charge line was missing, so someone must have messed with this at some point. I followed the basic charge procedure ITT and everything seems in order. It was completely empty to start, but the compressor started to kick on once I got some refrigerant in it. When I disconnected the manifold I could feel some refrigerant leaking out of the low charge port (that had it's cap missing) just by putting my thumb over the port, however I may have sealed it just with the replacement gasketed blue plastic cap. So I guess the next step is to see if it leaks out the can of refrigerant I put in it. The frosty cold air has been restored. I was thinking if it all leaks out I would change the valve stem but then I would need to also change the accumulator. But then I was thinking - if the system was completely empty for a couple of years should I change that anyway? Could moisture gave gotten in?
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Aug 29, 2021 20:16
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Giganticon posted:Hey, thanks for this thread. I got an 07 galant for practically nothing from a good friend who moved to Finland, he had been using it as a commuter and got it cheap himself. It only blew piping hot air, my friend never tried to fix it. So that cap isn't likely to hold a charge for too long. They have rubber gaskets in them, but it's not a substitute for a properly sealing valve stem. If you can get your hands on a valve stem tool that you can use on a charged system (I think I list one in the OP somewhere) that would be best. Shouldn't cost much for a garage that has one to just do that. As far as swapping the accumulator, that could go either way. If it was me and a cheap car I wouldn't in this situation. Something that you've pretty well ID'd as a valve stem leak, even if you went and swapped that stem, probably hasn't really been "open". It obviously leaked out enough refrigerant to not work anymore, but there's no reason it would have ingested any real amount of outside air. Even if you just quickly swap out the valve core the next time it leaks itself empty. But for the sake of the atmosphere, see if somebody's got the right tool to swap that thing out with the system under pressure.
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Aug 29, 2021 20:25
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I successfully recharged my Land Cruiser which the system had obviously been fitted with 134 as the fittings worked. I did not recharge the camper it sold I sent a can of r12 with it.
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Aug 29, 2021 20:47
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Finally attempted to recharge/diagnose my Jeep ('00 Cherokee) today - hooked up the gauge set (all with a healthy dose of safety - leather gloves, glasses, long sleeves), checked the initial pressure. Hmmm. Zero. Fiddled with things, trying to see if I'd hooked something up wrong or left a valve closed (the ones at the line ends, not the ones on the manifold!), no dice. I think it actually was totally empty. Tried charging it, had some difficulty because, as far as I can tell, the can tap I bought is a piece of crap, but managed to get some pressure and the gauges wiggling:  I stopped when I got the lowside pressure while running to 80psi and short cycling continued - it looks like some repairs are needed. Looking back at it now, I think I shouldn't have tried to charge - if it's at 0psi, there's pretty definitely a leak. The only upside I can come up with is that there should be a healthy dose of UV dye somewhere that I'll be able to find (I'm planning to look with a UV light after dark tonight), and I've no idea how I'd find it without that. That said, because I got to 80psi with continued short cycling, it sounds like I'm probably out of my depth at this point and need to find someone to do repairs. The one really frustrating thing - the can tap I got (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D18WVFD/) seems to have a problem fully opening the can, which is easily resolvable by replacing an o-ring ... which I can't do, because it's on a pressurized can of refrigerant. I think two questions arise - is there any chance I got to 80psi but still didn't put enough refrigerant in to resolve the issue because the flow is bad (I don't think the can is nearly empty, I can still hear a fair amount of material inside) and ... what the hell do I do with it now? Can + tap to hazardous waste / dump? Krakkles fucked around with this message at 19:02 on Oct 3, 2021 |
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Oct 3, 2021 18:58
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Is your can one of the new self-sealing ones? I've been using my old taps with those, but it's a bit counterintuitive because 100% closed/open is functionally the same, because the can seals itself with the valve all open. Halfway between open/closed gets the flow through the gauges to fill the system. And yes, 80psi on the low side is.... Concerning. How hot was it when you were charging? I've seen more than 40-50psi even when filling from empty after a compressor replacement, but I try not to work when it's 100°+F outside. The short gif is kind of hard to understand, but seeing low rose/high fall when the compressor cycles off is expected. Last vehicle I did the compressor shirt-cycles a lot during fillup, but it was a nearly empty system to start (bad high side valve, replaced with some pressure left in the system) so getting enough volume to keep the low pressure cutoff from hitting took a while.
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Oct 3, 2021 19:23
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PitViper posted:Is your can one of the new self-sealing ones? I've been using my old taps with those, but it's a bit counterintuitive because 100% closed/open is functionally the same, because the can seals itself with the valve all open. Halfway between open/closed gets the flow through the gauges to fill the system. Yeah, the pressure / temperature is the real reason I stopped - I figured I'd post about it and reconsider based on what y'all said. It was mid-70s when I started and is now 87, so ... temperature is a factor. When I shut the car off, it was showing 100psi high and low. Which ... at least they match, but also ... that seems wrong.
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Oct 3, 2021 19:32
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Yes, self-sealing means you should be able to open the tap all the way, and then remove from the can. You seem not entirely comfortable around refrigerant, so I'm hesitant to tell you just to do it. Leaving the tap on and closed is a perfectly safe option  And checking my chart, r134a at 70°F should be at 85psi, so I feel like that's not abnormal. Normally you should see the compressor running, and the low side pressure will be under ambient P/T point. With the compressor not running, and the can tap open, you'd likely see the system equalize at the ambient pressure/temperature. Refer to the OP for running pressures and temperatures, that's generally what I do when I'm charging systems by hand.
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Oct 3, 2021 22:57
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Nah, I’m just trying to be respectful based on the OP and general concern for the environment. I’m comfortable with it. Is using this style tap (half open) significantly reducing the flow out of the can compared to the appropriate tap? I’ll definitely buy a different tap and swap it if it’ll save me a lot of effort, but if it’s not that big a deal, I’ll keep trying tonight.
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Oct 4, 2021 01:08
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Seems like the point on a puncturing tap isn't going to reliably push the valve open. Which reminds me I should probably pick up a new can tap since I'm almost out of puncture-style R134a cans.
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Oct 4, 2021 01:58
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I've personally not had an issue with the puncture-style taps on the new self sealing cans, but I might do AC work 3-4 times a summer. I might pick up a couple new style taps before next year, but I normally had taps on two cans at any given time to keep charges going faster. And sorry if I assumed you weren't comfortable working with refrigerant. I help a lot of local car people with things, and it's hard to judge sometimes if they really understand what they're doing, or if they know just enough to be dangerous.
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Oct 4, 2021 02:46
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Nah, you're not wrong to hedge, it's all good. I ordered the other style of tap, which is due to arrive Tuesday. I do feel like when I got pressure coming out, it was fiddly and probably not flowing very quickly, so the right tool might help with that. Thanks, guys! I'll update when I work on it again
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Oct 4, 2021 03:52
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Yeah, my last car took almost an hour to refill (newer Ford Explorer with the aforementioned bad high side valve). I really should replace the taps next time I need to diagnose and refill a system.
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Oct 5, 2021 15:25
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