colenzae

Any tutorials on this procedure, how to make sure compressor has appropriate amount of oil and how to check for leaks? Replaced compressor and condenser last summer. I now have no cold air, so assuming I have a slow leak

salimshah

What are the pressure on the low and high side?

Salim

artbuc

There is no way to know for sure if you have the right amount of oil. The best you can do is to add back the recommended amount of oil for each component you replace. Some compressors come precharged with oil so be mindful of that. Also make sure you use the correct oil. If you replaced the compresssor and condenser yourself, I assume you have a set of manifold gauges and high quality vacuum pump. Was your system holding vacuum before you charged it? Did you weigh in the exact charge? Do you now have any static pressure? Is your compressor running? If you have lost most of your charge, you may not have enough pressure to allow compressor to kick in. Have you checked fuses and relays? Best way to check for leaks is to look for oily areas around connections. Next step is to add a UV dye.

I assume you had a catastrophic event if you had to replace both compressor and condenser. If so, it is quite possible you have debris in your system causing a restriction. This will likely be evident by your pressure readings once you get your system properly evacuated and recharged.

Do a google search. There are tons of diy tutorials and videos.

colenzae

The only catastrophic event I had is that this car has lived thru 14 NY winters!!! LOL!!! The condenser looked like it had been chewed up and spit out. Hardly any fins left. Had this done in Miami at an assembly line A/C repair shop. Literally like 15 bays and all they did was A/C repairs while you wait......$550 for compressor and condenser. I would have paid at least double that in NY. The said the leak was from the compressor and given the age of the car it could have been coming from anywhere; the compressor or somewhere else. Checked for leaks before finishing the job. This was last June. Held charge till now. Could be slow leak. I am keen to try charging with over the counter freon and see how long it lasts. I do have one gauge from an old charging kit I used on another vehicle so I can test the charge. I am not certain but I do not believe there is enough in the system for the compressor to activate. I was wondering if there were any tutorials on this site. The ones I have seen were very thorough. I will search you tube as well.......thanks for any more advice.....

artbuc

If you lost your whole charge since last summer you are totally wasting your time and $$ recharging. Also, there is a good chance your system may now have air in it meaning you must evacuate it first. If you want to keep the car and must have ac, open up your wallet and have a competent repair shop identify necessary repairs and give you an estimate.

salimshah

Artbuc is giving the perfect advice and that is what I would do myself. I would have a competent AC guy hook up the gauges and diagnose what is going on. Let him decide if a short bust of refrigerant is needed. He can add a dye and trace what is leaking.

If you want to play Russian roulette, where you are willing to tank the whole system, you can try the recharging kit, with sealant. Again, I would not do this to my vehicle.

Salim

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

Our 1999 RX has an observation glass where you can see bubbles if the charge is low. Not sure what you'd see if the system is completely empty, though.

Puttster

Where is the sight glass? I've been looking for that thing!
To OP, I bought a 2002 Chevy and the coolant was gone/so low the compressor would not kick on. So I bypassed the sensor, loaded in one can of coolant and today, over a year later, it is still cooling. 45 degrees at the vent.

artbuc

Sight glass is on top dryer. You are lucky in that your low charge was obviously due to human error or a very slow leak over many years.Also you had enough charge to ensure air had not entered system. OP has a major leak and likely more serious issues resulting from major work which may or may not have been performed correctly.