legacycentral bbs

Some of you may recall i recently had to make the switch to R134, I did all of the proper steps, EXCEPT vacuum the system, I just released both compressor lines (when i put in a new (used) compressor) so i figured that would be good enough. I used the ester oil, I put in a new drier, the new fittings, and the proper amount of R134. I actually filled the system twice because the first time i forgot to change the drier so I went back in about a week ago and replaced the drier and once again refilled the sytem with R134.

Now once again a week later, my system is blowing warm air, even on max ac its not blowing any cold air. At this point I can only guess I have a leak, my questions are: What are the common places to have a leak? Secondly, is it possible its not working properly because i didnt vacuum the system out?

I'm renting a system pump from autozone tonight, i will use that but i'm concerned i may have a leak still. Last night I bought a can of this leak sealer with red dye in it, ran the system a bit but did not see any obvious leaks. I have replaced the orings going to the drier, but never replaced the orings going to the compressor lines.....any suggestions or tips are greatly appreciated, as this is starting to get expensive!
Thanks!

Your AC doesn't work because you did not vacuum the air and moisture out of the system.

YOU MUST PULL A VACUUM on the AC system before you fill it!!

I can not stress this enough.

If you suspect you have a leak, don't bother pulling a vacuum and recharging. Find the leak, replace the part or fix the leak, and then proceed.

You need to pull a "deep" vacuum around 29-30 inHG for about 30 minutes. This will ensure that all water vapor has boiled off and all air is removed.

At that point, fill the system with refrigerent until the pressure in the can equalizes with the system. Start the car, run the compressor, and add the appropriate amount of refrigerent.

Thats exactly what i needed to know, I'm going to get the system leak tested here in about 30 minutes. I'll rent the pump after that and pull vacuum tonight, and then recharge.
Thank you!

ok update for those who care.
Had the system leak-tested, tested good, no leaks. But they wanted to charge me $80 just to vacuum it out!! So i found another shop that did it for $30, so had them vacuum it out. Went to autozone and bought 3 cans of R134, charged it last night and is blowing super cold right now, hopefully it lasts now!
Thanks again.

cool.

Legacy777 wrote:cool.

Haha nice

Legacy777 wrote:cool.

short and funny. hahaha

let us know if it stays cold...

Update: Been using the AC every day since i recharged it, and its still blowing super cold! Seems to be holding up well, think I actually fixed it this time.
Thanks for everyones help.