AC recharge

[Tom Beals]

I tried searching for this and couldnt find it, I am sure that it is b/c this is very simple and probably shouldnt need to be posted here...but if you could take pity on my I would certainly appreciate it



My wife's Freestyle (06) AC was getting weak, so I stopped at an autozone while we were on the road and bought a can of the r134a that came with a "quick connect" hose and a pressure gauge. I had never recharged an AC system, but watched someone do my former vehicle (cutlass supreme) and felt I could handle it. The valve on her vehicle was next to impossible to get to, spit some green stuff when I tried to connect to it, and I was pretty sure that most of the can's contents shot out the side rather than into the port - so I closed the valve with half the can's contents still remaining.



Surprisingly, it seems to have helped. We drove to St Louis Friday and it was 90+ for most of the trip. The AC didnt freeze us out, but was clearly improved.



So...I thought I would try to use the remainder of the can on my 2004 ST. I thought I had found the correct port (passenger side, about arms length back from the grill, just to the right of the coolant and wiper fluid, on top of a canister looking thing). The other port, on the driver side near the grill, was too big for the quick connect. Anyway, I could not get the connector down onto the port, and have probably made the situation worse. I got brave again today and tried it again, without success. Attempting to push the connector onto the port does cause pressure to be released, but I cannot force it down far enough to contain the escape. This was not that difficult on my wife's vehicle, possibly b/c the hose had to be wedged into a very tight spot.



I have now, humbled, come here for information. Is this the correct connection? If so, is there anything odd about the connection size? If not, where do I need to be looking. The location was so obvious compared to my wife's Freestyle that it seems like I should have to look harder.



Honestly, most of the time I am pretty intelligent...this has me feeling not-so-smart.

 

[Mrlunchbox]

I would love to know the "secret" as well for the exact same thing happened to me. Everytime I tried to connect I would just lose coolant. My AC isn't nearly as cold as it was 3 years ago. :cry:

 

[Bo Loo]

On the quick connect coupling of the recharge kit, there is a connection fitting at the end of the hose that you have to pull up prior to connecting to the AC refill port. You should be able to pull up on the connection fitting and then set it down onto the AC port. Once in place, release the fitting and it should lock in to place.



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[Mrlunchbox]

Yeah, that's the right port. Same one I was using. Maybe I need to try it the way you mentioned instead.

 

[Tom Beals]

Great pics, thanks. I had tried holding the sleeve back...maybe I just bought a a bad product. I guess I will just have to enjoy my sliding rear glass a little more this summer.

 

[Sandy Curry]

Speaking of air conditioning. For the last year my air has been on again off again. Hubby thought it was in my head. The dealer mechanic basically said the same thing. The old "worked fine for us" story. They did change one piece (!) of the evap system to make the CEL go out. Didn't work. They also said there was a "small" leak that they couldn't find. I left with less money and knowing they were clueless, but everything seemed ok, except the air on occasion.

This year our regular mechanic has his own shop with the equipment to work on AC systems so when it quit working on me and then started working again for no apparent reason, followed by some really bad noises the next morning - we took it in to the shop.

Turns out the compressor was completely toast. The bearings were only engaging sometimes, hence the on again off again deal. The pulley wasn't attached to anything. Just spinning free because the belt was moving.

So - new compressor, charged system, and new serpentine belt later - along with the front end work last month and we are riding smooth and chilly again. :supercool:

 

[Tom Beals]

I spent $8 and bought a new hose with a different quick connect fitting and it went on with barely a hiss of escaping pressure...so I am going to blame my previous frustrations on a very poor product. I can almost make it snow inside the trac now.

 

[EddieS'04]

Sandy, sounds as if the clutch on the compressor was going out. Then the bearings.

Also if you have the digital controled AC/Heat. Those computers can go bad. I had one ford with the auto system. The computer went out while under warranty. The part cost $600 dollars. Got my $$ worth on that extended warranty.



I havent bought a car since with the auto temp. I can adjust the temp myself. Also that part of the manual control cost 1/4th the cost or less, of the auto controler.

 

[Gavin Allan]

You need to vacuum the system down to at least 400 microns and hold it for a while to ensure you have no leaks. Then weigh in the proper charge.



I would not mess with the over the counter recharge kits. You can do a whole lot of damage to your system without the proper training, tools, gauges, and equipment. If you put the wrong refrigerant in, or the wrong oil charge, or the incorrect amount of oil charge, you will wish you hadn't ruined your system.

 

[Tom Beals]

I spent $8 and bought a new hose with a different quick connect fitting and it went on with barely a hiss of escaping pressure...so I am going to blame my previous frustrations on a very poor product. I can almost make it snow inside the trac now.



***Not sure why this posted 2x at separate time intervals