Topping off an Auto A/C?

[Boomyal]

I have a 2006 Ford Explorer that I bought used with 123K on it. The A/C is not as cold as I think it should be. Has anyone used one of these recharge cans with the gauge on it, to top off their A/C's?

 

[GA_Boater]

That;s how I charge after a compressor replacement. Worked fine so far.

 

[MTboatguy]

Use them every year Boom, works great, the least expensive place to buy the R134A in your area is Home Depot and you can get a hook up to do it at any of the auto parts stores, don't buy the kit, they charge way to much for those kits. I did it for my Dad last summer when I was back, two bottles of 134A cost us $13 at HD and we paid $7.95 for the hose to fill it at O'Reilly's in Hazel Dell.

 

[Boomyal]

Use them every year Boom, works great, the least expensive place to buy the R134A in your area is Home Depot and you can get a hook up to do it at any of the auto parts stores, don't buy the kit, they charge way to much for those kits. I did it for my Dad last summer when I was back, two bottles of 134A cost us $13 at HD and we paid $7.95 for the hose to fill it at O'Reilly's in Hazel Dell.

Ones that I have recently seen advertised, and I don't know the price, came complete with hose and gauge. Is this different from your experience?

Hope you are able to hook up for a visit next time you are back in town.

 

[Boomyal]

That;s how I charge after a compressor replacement. Worked fine so far.

That is a serious use of those bottles. I was only thinking of using them for checking the state of charge and any need to top it off.

 

[MTboatguy]

Ones that I have recently seen advertised, and I don't know the price, came complete with hose and gauge. Is this different from your experience?

Hope you are able to hook up for a visit next time you are back in town.

You can buy a hose with a gauge for about $10, they all work the same. I don't use one with a gauge, I have a gauge I hook up.

 

[MTboatguy]

That is a serious use of those bottles. I was only thinking of using them for checking the state of charge and any need to top it off.

Just a more expensive way to fill the system up when you buy the small bottles, A/C repair shops buy it hundreds of pounds at a time, so it is less expensive. But if you have a system that is empty, it is not hard to figure out how much you need to buy, as all the manufactures publish their system capacity numbers.

 

[oldjeep]

I just use the cheap cans with the built in gauge on the kids jeeps - no issues so far

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...3_-1_1509&keyword=recharge&pt=N1783&ppt=C0050

 

[JASinIL2006]

I recently did this for an old car we bought for our kids to drive. It was surprisingly easy. Be sure to get a can with a built-in guage or buy a separate gauge that can be reused. Very simple to do. Just be sure to recheck in a week or so to make sure it's holding pressure.

 

[gm280]

Adding Freon can and does work lots of times. But it can also lead to over filling and that causes issues. I have replaced a few total systems in my days and bought the two gauge manifold setup and here's why. The actual daily temperatures and humidity does have an effect on how to fill your AC system. How you are suppose to fill any system is to see what the manufactures state as the system volume. But then what do you do if you have no way to know how much is still in there when adding Freon. Well the rule of thumb is to multiple the temperature by 1.8 to 2.1 to see what the high pressure side it suppose to run. Then you add Freon until you are in that proper high pressure range and stop. For example, if you are adding Freon to a system and the temp is 85 degrees outside, you multiple that by say 2 and the high side should be in the 170psi or there about. If after adding the Freon the system still doesn't seem to be cooling properly, you could have a plugged expansion valve. And before getting too excited, those things are really cheap and mostly plastic thin little sections about 5" or 6" long that fits inside the tubes. I've replaced them before for less then a few dollars. BUT, you have to break open the system to get to it because it is usually in the evaporator that is inside the vehicle. How it works is the Freon entering the evaporator has to flow through the expansion valve and that allows the Freon to expand and that sucks the heat to accomplish that. Then the fan blows across the radiator like evaporator and you get cold air coming out. And if there is any contaminates in the system, the expansion valve gets plugged up and restricts the Freon flow because of the very fine screen used in them. I've seen them totally covered in black particles where they couldn't pass anything though them anymore...So just a little info...

 

[MTboatguy]

The older freon systems were much more difficult than the newer R134a systems, the old R-12 was dangerous, that stuff would catch on fire and you couldn't see it, with the new 134a kits, the gauge reads what is in the system as soon as you snap it on, then you hit the trigger until the gauge comes up to the green scale on the gauge. Pretty idiot proof now a days. Most of the kits also already have the correct type of oil in the mix and many of them have the UV die in them for leak detection. On the other side of the coin, the 134a systems do not run as cold as the R-12 systems did, an unfortunately Ford air conditioning systems have never been known for being great systems. The good systems are the A/C Delco systems you find in the GM vehicles.

 

[Boomyal]

.... The good systems are the A/C Delco systems you find in the GM vehicles.

My wife's new Lexus RX350 is like walking into a deep freeze. That's what got me thinking that after 9 years my 'splorer' might need a little topping off.

 

[MTboatguy]

My wife's new Lexus RX350 is like walking into a deep freeze. That's what got me thinking that after 9 years my 'splorer' might need a little topping off.

Lexus uses a Delco system in their cars as does Toyota and most of the over seas manufactures. I don't care what they say on the outside, they are using a Delco design system.

 

[bigdee]

Without using a manifold gauge monitoring BOTH high and low side those recharge kits are a crap shoot. The ONLY accurate way to recharge is to evacuate the system, pull a vacuum and recharge by weight. The 2 gauge method is OK as long as you factor in all the varibles like inside/outside temperature, fan speed, humidity. Like gm280 said, you have to understand what your looking at.

 

[bruceb58]

Just dumping refrigerant in a system is a crap shoot. Measure your vent temps. Should be a 45 degree drop from outside temperature. Sorry but it is dumb to just dump new cans in all the time. If you have a leak, get it fixed.

 

[bruceb58]

Without using a manifold gauge monitoring BOTH high and low side those recharge kits are a crap shoot. The ONLY accurate way to recharge is to evacuate the system, pull a vacuum and recharge by weight. The 2 gauge method is OK as long as you factor in all the varibles like inside/outside temperature, fan speed, humidity. Like gm280 said, you have to understand what your looking at.

Agreed ++!

 

[GA_Boater]

That is a serious use of those bottles. I was only thinking of using them for checking the state of charge and any need to top it off.

Nah - I have the gauges and don't need a 20 lb. cylinder. A single 22 oz. can is exactly right for my Jeep per the manual.

 

[MTboatguy]

Without using a manifold gauge monitoring BOTH high and low side those recharge kits are a crap shoot. The ONLY accurate way to recharge is to evacuate the system, pull a vacuum and recharge by weight. The 2 gauge method is OK as long as you factor in all the varibles like inside/outside temperature, fan speed, humidity. Like gm280 said, you have to understand what your looking at.

Unfortunately,

Now a days that is not the way it is done for most people, I see the freeze zone commercial at least 10 times a day showing how easy it is to "recharge" your system and that is the way that most people do it now a days since the government changed things from R-12(dangerous) to 134a(not so dangerous) not many people take their cars to the shop to get their air working again, quick way for shops to make money and instant gratification for the customer, who could loose? I have a manifold set as well that I use on RV AC and I do use it on my car, but not many people do these days. People don't care about being accurate these days, they care about being comfortable.

Remember, this is now an instant world and I am a "material girl"

LMAO

 

[gm280]

Just a little more info for anybody that does their own recharge or replacement of the systems. Wait until the off season and WaMart sells their Freon for a mere $6 to $7 dollars a can. Buy a few cans then because those same cans go up to near $20 during the summer. I've seen it for a few seasons now and pointed it out to my wife. Amazing to see the very same product chance prices that much... And DON'T fall for that synthetic OR Artic Freeze junk. Because Freon 134a is Freon 134a regardless what the cans specifies. There is no synthetic magic formula or some amazing super freeze Freon 134a. It is all the exact same stuff, labeled to make the consumer think they are getting something that will make their system colder... Marketing ploy...

 

[Boomyal]

Just a little more info for anybody that does their own recharge or replacement of the systems. Wait until the off season and WaMart sells their Freon for a mere $6 to $7 dollars a can. Buy a few cans then because those same cans go up to near $20 during the summer. I've seen it for a few seasons now and pointed it out to my wife. Amazing to see the very same product chance prices that much... And DON'T fall for that synthetic OR Artic Freeze junk. Because Freon 134a is Freon 134a regardless what the cans specifies. There is no synthetic magic formula or some amazing super freeze Freon 134a. It is all the exact same stuff, labeled to make the consumer think they are getting something that will make their system colder... Marketing ploy...

I assume that you mean the plain can without a gauge and hose? Does walmart carry those as well?