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Case of beer, $50 and a trip to local shop that does AC work on a Friday evening usually will get you a test and recharge!
$400+ for an AC service without replacing parts is insane! My local Lexus dealer quoted me $240cnd tax in!
Assuming no leaks, it takes all of 30-45mins to do the job and usually only costs about $30-60 in materials.
The messed up thing is that it's a set and forget job too! A tech can hook you car up to a new machine in less than 10mins, turn it on and go work on another car, come back 20mins later to check to see if it passed the leak/pressure test, and then set it to purge and set to recharge all in another 5-10mins and then walk away for another 30+ mins and work on something else. Granted the new machines cost $10k+ so you are paying to help cover that cost, but it's virtually an all profit job if it's at a dealer, as the machine should be paid for within a year of purchase, smaller shops it could take 5 years to pay off the machine depending on how much AC work they do.
But small shops on a Friday night will probably be stoked on $50 cash and a big case of beer for the weekend! If you know the shop, and they have a BBQ on site, a pack of nice steaks and foil wrapped potatoes in place of the cash also can work if you know the guys!
If an AC system needs to be recharged, then refrigerant has leaked out. It is a total waste of money and refrigerant to recharge it without finding the leak. The very first thing you want to do is see if the compressor will turn. I've seen 2 now that the compressor was locked up, and adding refrigerant would do no good at all. Second thing to do is check the pressure of the system. If your AC does work and is not blowing real cool, then look at things like the fans for the condenser and plugging of sand and dirt behind the condenser between the radiator, had a 1990 that had that real bad I was surprised that the engine didn't run hotter as more than half of the frontal area of the radiator was plugged and not letting airflow through.
If the compressor is locked up it will not even take a charge and if you have a hard time finding the leak you just have to put the dye in with the refrigerant and come back when it acts up.
I have bubbles in mine when running.... Leak tested. No leaks....
Spoke with original owner and they said they have NEVER had any work on A/C... Always serviced at the lexus store....this lex even has a lexus brand battery....whoooa
All works good...just doesn't have that cold blast.....cool air but with the bubbles....
I have bubbles in mine when running.... Leak tested. No leaks....
Spoke with original owner and they said they have NEVER had any work on A/C... Always serviced at the lexus store....this lex even has a lexus brand battery....whoooa
All works good...just doesn't have that cold blast.....cool air but with the bubbles....
Will recharge with a little freon.....
Billy's right about being careful not to over-charge. Less is more as long as it's enough.
Some basic pointers:
If your car is 90-92, it originally came with R12 refrigerant, and may have been converted to R134a - if so, the pressure ports will be modified and a new refrigerant sticker should be under the hood. Seals, compressor, and other components may have been changed in this conversion depending on whether it was done "right" or "good enough."
If your car is 93+ is came with R134a and probably still has it. I'd be careful about using snake oil variants on this (synthetic?, stop leak, HC, enviro, etc.). What you want is just regular refrigerant, maybe with some oil, maybe with some dye if you're looking for a leak, but that's it.
R12 and R134a are not interchangeable without really knowing what you're doing (if at all).
R134a is readily available at any auto parts store
R12 is harder to get and more expensive, but still available if you need. So most R12 systems get converted to R134a once they require a major enough repair.
(At least for my '91) there is a very simple-to-do HVAC diagnostic check - just hold down the Auto and Re-circ buttons while turning the key to on, and it beeps a few times and shows you codes on the LCD. On mine, code 21 often shows up even though nothing is wrong - that is the dashboard sunlight sensor, which goes off if I hold a light over it, or have it in the sun. Make sure all codes are dealt with before dealing with the refrigerant, since you may have a component problem requiring replacement (opening the system) that would also affect pressure readings and make it difficult/dangerous to charge properly.
Be concerned with avoiding getting contaminants (such as air) into the system. As long as the system never completely loses pressure, you're probably OK. But also be concerned with the air in the hose before you charge - you want to bleed that off first.
For your system, if it's just cool vs. cold, you might first want to make sure the condenser (AC radiator thing) is not filled with dirt and bugs - hose it out. Also, make sure your cabin air filter is not clogged. Those are things you probably want to do anyway, and could be affecting your cooling.
From there, assuming you just have the can of R134a from the auto parts store with the gauge+hose, you can take pressure readings with the AC off and on. With the AC off, if you've got some liquid refrigerant in your system (you always should have both liquid and gas) and have no blockages, the pressure should equalize to be a direct function of temperature, regardless of how much liquid is in there - since it's a saturated vapor. You can look up this pressure (it may be on your pressure gauge - it is refrigerant-dependent), and if your reading is below that (not likely), it means you no longer have any liquid in the system, which tells you you'll need to be charging a lot.
When you charge, I would weigh the can before and after charging so you know exactly how much went in, and make a note of it. If you are low, that refrigerant went somewhere (you have a leak), but it may be slow enough that it's reasonable to just top it up with a few oz every few years.
Thanks for all who added much info... Went to everyone's favorite auto supplier WM
Got the gauge and a can of 134. Previous owner doesn't remember doing anything to AC.. But as I stated b4 it's cool... Not "Toyota cold"
Procedures followed / initial gauge read 30 or so... Added can slowly ( 2-3 second bursts...
Low n behold..pressure after adding one can went to 40..The low side of range (per gauge)
Will also mention ambient temp was 82 degrees
Stats - 97 2nd gen series lll 135 k. Garage kept
Pics for anyone that's wants to use them or delete them. ( note to moderators)
Good advise SHA400...as i mentioned in the post a few days ago....checked for leaks already
Went to Dealership in Orlando and they gave all records...yeah printed them out etc... told me about every year
the vehicle was checked and serviced( added one can in 2009)....but not last year..
Now its my turn to play with it... oh yeah FYI bought a second 12oz can w/ dye...just to have a heads up in case a seal goes....(inferred light )
Good advise SHA400...as i mentioned in the post a few days ago....checked for leaks already
Went to Dealership in Orlando and they gave all records...yeah printed them out etc... told me about every year
the vehicle was checked and serviced( added one can in 2009)....but not last year..
Now its my turn to play with it... oh yeah FYI bought a second 12oz can w/ dye...just to have a heads up in case a seal goes....(inferred light )
This is as described on my 98. Next to Driver's side headlight. I had "milky" view glass in the middle of the canister. I found the low side to hook up the refrigerant between the engine and the master brake booster on the driver's side. I used a big can and it took nearly the entire can until the view glass turned "clear", but it is more like black. ie. no bubbles. I am praying this is why I had intermittent no starts. The logic being a compressor that was not engaging causing different loads on the engine and confusing the computer. It's a long shot.
10-10-14, 10:24 AM
