Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Columbia,MO
Posts: 111

Air Conditioning Recharge How To?

Anybody ever bought those R134 air conditioning recharge things and done it themselves? Any ideas? Difficulty? Tools?

Any help is appreciated thanks!

latez

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location:
Posts: 11

xero-cool

This is sooooooo easy. I did it on my teg with no problems whatsoever. Don't listen to other dickheads saying that you MUST go to a shop. Like fuck you do!! Most shops charge $30 per lb for r134 which is for shit and they also claim they have to recover it at $30 per lb which is also a damned lie. 134 is ozone safe so why the hell does anyone care if it escapes into the atmosphere?!!! Anyway you can see that I am a little pissed off at these so called "professional" mechanics (more like backyard bubbas who have never seen a japanese car).

Here is how you do it.

1. Make sure to find the LOW PRESSURE SIDE. This is real easy on a teg. It is located right by the hood latch near the radiator. If you have the original cap on the low pressure side valve it will actually have an "L" stamped on it. Oh yeah it is also blue (but so is the high pressure valve cap - it is marked "H" - which is located near the washer fluid fill).

2. Get yourself a recharge kit for r134. I got one with a cheap guage and a can of refrigerant/oil for about $30.

3. CHECK FOR LEAKS!!!!!! Get a dye and run it through the system. This could be the real reason you don't have a/c. That was my initial problem. The places it may leak will be up front where the lines connect to the condenser or evaporator near the bottom of the car around the radiator, also check to see if you have a leak at the compressor.

4. If the system does need refrigerant add it with the car running and the a/c on high. Also just a little tip I learned the hard way. Make sure that when you attach the screw top adapter for the refrigerant that the valve is all the way OPEN, then after it is tightened down you can close the valve closing the valve pierces the top of the can. I pierced the can when the valve was closed and damn near froze my fingers off - it burns like hellfire and it can cause frostbite - BE CAREFUL!!!

5. Always check your pressure after adding anything to the system. If you add one can of 134, stop, check the pressure and then add more if needed.

6. REMEMBER If you add 12 oz of 134 make sure to add an oil charge. It is 2oz per 12 oz of 134.

Hope this doesn't discourage you. I had to learn all this the hard way via the school of hard knocks. But it really is an easy thing to do and I saved myself a few hundred dollars.

My total investment in this project was about $60.

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Columbia,MO
Posts: 111

thanks gptintegra!

how many cans of refrigerant 134 do I need?

My air conditioner works. I am pretty sure there aren't any leaks. It's just I think I need some 134 to make it colder.

How important is the gauge? What pressure should I be reading if it's full?

Also should I drain it all out first before filling it up again?

Thanks again

latez

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location:
Posts: 11

Two really important things I forgot to mention. Make absolutely sure your teg uses 134. I am pretty sure all 3rd generation tegs imported to the US had 134 systems, but I am not sure about this. You can find out under the hood on the passenger side strut tower. It is a silver sticker that gives a number of specs about the a/c system. Also before adding ANYTHING to your system, CHECK THE PRESSURE. If the pressure is ok then you have other problems.

To answer your questions:

1. The teg uses 24 oz of 134 refrigerant. 134 usually comes in 12 oz cans so you would need 2 to fully charge the system. You would also need 2 cans of oil charge. Oil charges usually come in 2 oz cans and include 2 oz of some other lubricant - usually poly or esther.

2. Most a/c systems don't lose any refrigerant. So I can't say whether or not your a/c leaks. Mine lost it because of a really cold winter which blew out the O rings, and I previously wrecked my car and had a new condenser put on - before that I never had a problem with my a/c and I have a 95 model that I bought off the lot.

3. The guage is VERY IMPORTANT! Do not attempt to add anything to the a/c system without it. This can really fuck your car up. The best thing for you to do is get a pressure guage and TEST THAT FIRST. If your pressure is anywhere below 25 psi I would add a half can about 6 oz of 134 and test the pressure again. A charged system should be around 40-45 psi. Don't rush this project 'cause you will regret it.

4. I didn't worry about draining my system. Most of the contents leaked out so I pretty much had to start all over. I am not real sure about the importance of purging the system, maybe some other members have some input.

Once again I can't tell you how important the pressure guage is. It doesn't cost much at all - you can get a cheap one for about $20, and it actually has colored ranges on it to tell you if you have too little, just enough, or too much. If you go out and just buy the charging apparatus without a guage you WILL cause problems to your system.

Hope this has been some help and please remember to take your time with this.

This isn't hard, but you can't cut corners or assume anything.

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Columbia,MO
Posts: 111

thanks again....

do you have the helms or chiltons to help you out with this project?

I don't have one and I am thinking of getting one. What do you think?

Thanks you've been great help

latez

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location:
Posts: 11

Nah, most of what you need will either be included in the directions on the recharge kit, or you can use what I have posted as a guideline.

The easiest thing to do is get the guage and test the pressure. That is the first thing that any shop would do.

After that you have something to go on. It wouldn't hurt to have a manual for the car. Personally I would stay away from Chiltons and go with the manual that mechanics use at the dealership - there is a sticky post about this on the board.

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Bethlehem Pa
Posts: 69

thanks for the info gp, I'm going to go recharge my system tomorrow.

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95 GSR 4D VTEC

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Columbia,MO
Posts: 111

sloth...

can you please lemme know how it turned out?

thanks dude

latez

(no offense gptintegra hehe)

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Bethlehem Pa
Posts: 69

ok, I went to the auto store (auto zone) and bought a kit that included the guage connectors and a can of 12 oz R134a and 2oz of oil for 30 bucks. then I bought an extra can for 7. just read the instructios and it worked out fine. so far it still works. Ohh and I do have a ? about this. before i started my system was so drained that the compressor didn't come on. So what i did was I put a jumper on the switch to turn it on and then added the stuff till it came on by itself. now the ? is, did I have to put the jumper there or not, would it have come on or not. hope you understand this.

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95 GSR 4D VTEC

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location:
Posts: 11

I also had the problem of the compressor not kicking on. This is normal for a totally drained system. I did not have to put the jumper on. I don't know if this will hurt your system or not.
When I put in the refrigerant with the a/c turned on, the compressor automatically turned on with more pressure.

Hope this helps!!

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Bethlehem Pa
Posts: 69

ok thats what i thought. but i wasn't sure if the stuff would go through the system when the compressor wasn't engaged.

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95 GSR 4D VTEC

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Registered: May 2001
Location:
Posts: 17

is it normal for the compressor and fan to not engage when your AC is completely drained? and whats this jumper thing you guys are talking about? when i turn on my AC the compressor and fan dont engage.. is this normal for a completely drained system?

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Bethlehem Pa
Posts: 69

the jumper thing we are talking about is the low pressure switch which dosn't let the compresser engage when there is no refrigerant in the lines. It's so it dosn't fry itself. all i did was unplug the switch and jump it with a wire. I just wanted to make sure my compressor accually worked before i started recharging my whole system.

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95 GSR 4D VTEC

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Registered: May 2001
Location:
Posts: 17

so do the second radiator fans come on if your low in refrigerant? or does it only operate when the compressor works?

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Columbia,MO
Posts: 111

thanks for the update sloth...

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sloth
ok, I went to the auto store (auto zone) and bought a kit that included the guage connectors and a can of 12 oz R134a and 2oz of oil for 30 bucks. then I bought an extra can for 7. just read the instructios and it worked out fine. so far it still works. Ohh and I do have a ? about this. before i started my system was so drained that the compressor didn't come on. So what i did was I put a jumper on the switch to turn it on and then added the stuff till it came on by itself. now the ? is, did I have to put the jumper there or not, would it have come on or not. hope you understand this.

---

Got a question for you. If your air conditioning is drained then did you check for leaks with a dye before starting? My friend did his accord and it worked for like 5 hours then it all leaked out and it wasn't cold again.

latez

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