vac was good...hooked up a can of 134A and it took about 2/3 of the can. I shook on the can for about 3-4 minutes and then the engine pulled down as the compressor started pumping. it sucked up the rest of the can... i drove the car around about 10-15 minutes with the air on then came back , hooked up another can and it sucked it right on down... don't know if the 7 hr. pull down had anything to do with it or not... my...Spal fan controller...worked great. as the pressure built up the fan would kick on, cool it down and shut off. this was at an idle, on the road the fan didn't come on at all...
Good, glad you got it fixed! Maybe the expansion valve was just closed all the way. I didn't know if your are using a variable swashplate compressor, but I have also had a couple of those that i had to recover the refrigerant and recharge it to make it pump again.
well as always.... now that the A/C is working I desided to route one of my A/C lines differently... I pulled the line and drier yesterday...getting a new line made, new expanion valve and new drier today... ......
LOl man you are a sucker for punishment. Just make sure your on the low side with it running and you should be OK to recharge. Sometimes even with our big dollar robin air unit I still have to fire up the car and draw it in running to finish it off.
Depends on what equipment your using or if your using store bought cans. We cant buy those in this country. Sort of. Some of the variable compressors are scrap if you start them up before they have a charge. Just gotta know what your workin with.
I start charging with the car off by opening both valves allowing the oil/refrigerant charge into the system. This way the compressor has some oil and refrigerant to move on both sides of the system providing some loading and lubrication on startup. Then I close the high side valve on the manifold gauge set and start the car up with ac on at idle to draw the remaining charge into the system. Run it at 1500RPM with both valves closed to verify temps and pressures. Most newer ac charge equipment have a pump that will in most cases force the refrigerant/oil charge into the system without having to have it running, but occasionally, like Darren said, you still might have to start it up to get the full charge into the system.
Isn't there a risk of putting too much liquid in the compressor and hydraulic locking it if you charge the system with the compressor not running?
short answer, yes, but the OEM's determine what is recommended for each system. Without getting off on a tangent about system design and function, the ideal way to charge any system is by vapor, introducing liquid can damage the compressor. That said, we(as a group on this board) have all manner of pieced together systems, variants of factory systems, R134a conversions, all different compressor types, etc, etc, so each person has to decide to try it themselves, or get someone who hopefully knows what they're doing to make the decision on which method is appropriate. The machines I have used charge as a vapor and pressurize it (more than just tank pressure) if necessary to get the proper charge in the system. I would say you just have to have a good idea what works on your system and go from there. There are as many opinions on what's best for any given ac system as there is anything else we do here.:Handshake
Good answer. Its good to be able to test what I think I know about things with people who DO know. Thanks. And, you're right about pieced-together systems. Mine with Sanden Compressor, after-market condenser, and custom hoses seems happy with two 12 oz cans of R134A. Its been evacuated and charged twice now with the compressor running and the cans in warm water.
mine is the OEM compressor that came with the motor. in it's stock form it calls for...1.6 lbs...25.6 Ozs. two 12 Oz. cans is where I am going to start with tomorrow... ...I pulled the line and drier yesterday...getting a new line made, new expanion valve and new drier today... got all this installed today...
