As I am also trying to fix my poorly performing ac, when I got a regas I got to talking with the guy. Apparently the compressor has a release valve that can dump a heap of gas if the system temps get too high. I guess you looked all around the compressor? Can anyone answer my question, what would happen if R134 was used to gas my car instead of R12 which is required?
re:- gases R 134a is a replacement gas for the old unused R12(now Banned). When using R134a The compressor oil MUST be changed from mineral oil to a Polyester oil, to stop oil foaming and early system failure. There are a number of retro fit gases used in Qld. Hy-chill is not used in Qld. The drier must be changed and the system hooked up to a vacuum unit prior to gas charging it. The vacuum unit creates a vacuum in the pipes to remove moisture ,a major cause of air con not reaching correct working temperatures. Hope that helps Chris.K.
Well now I have more questions, but for the AC shop 1. What oil is in the reco compressor I bought 2 years ago? 2. Did they vaccume before charging. 3. Was the dryer changed (I don't think so), when does it need to be changed, every time you regas?
BENNY... a long hard cruise with A/C "on" ..??? .. sounds like a recipe for 'overcooked' to me ... eekkk...!!!
Re:-Aircon Drier must be changed when you regas ,your oil probably was changed as the compressor is still running. Most leak from the front seal that dries out due to non use during winter, R143a cannot be topped up ,Its a tri mix gas the thinnest of the mixes leaks topping causes a wrong combination mix of gasses and pour cooling properties. Gas must be completely removed Drier replaced , vacuume system and re charged for best cooling results.
PexZed Your system is loosing a couple of lb's of gas in a week. You could almost hear or nearly smell that size of a leak!!........... Im very surprised your fridge guy cant find a leak of that magnitude in just minutes. That would be a major leak indeed. It will be accompanied by refrigerant oil as well (if theres any left that is). Your evap. core has been changed so could possibly rule that and the TX valve out. Was it new? Look carefully around the condenser core, especially close to the hose connections for traces of oil and dust indicating leaks. Its not the first time a condenser core tube had porosity issues along with cracks right near the hose unions. Another thing is to undo each and every joint in the system, look for any grit, metal filings. Any signs of fretting where the o-ring seats indicating a loose union along with torn and deformed o-rings from a dodgey dismantle/install. Another issue is overtightening of o-ring unions which deforms the soft aluminium pipe shoulder the o-ring seals againt and results in squashed o-rings. Any nicks, dings, fretting, scratches or deformation (from overtightening) around the o-ring seating ares requires that pipe or fitting to be replaced. Replac each and every o-ring from EVERY joint dismantled including the o-rings at the compressor unions. Another seriously pesky source of leaks is from perished rubber discharge and suction hoses. This is especially true of older systems but the conditions under a Zed bonnet are pretty harsh at best and those hoses are not far away from a hot turbo and manifold. There can be some simple porosity in the rubber or plain old hardening of the rubber loosening around the hosetails at each end under the swaging sleeves. Once again, look for oil stains on the undersides of the hoses. Try pulling on the rubber hose at each end and have a close listen. (long shot) Look on the drier to see if it has a porous thermal blow off plug. Should look like a small ball bearing swaged into the top of the drier somewhere. Sometimes a screw-in nut looking thingo, hard to explain. Another source of pesky leaks. The system will/should have over/under pressure switches as well somewhere. This is to stop the compressor in event of low gas pressure and to switch on a thermo fan at high discharge pressures. These can and do develop leaks. The last piece of the puzzle for you would be a compressor issue. Your compressor has bee replaced tho. It can leak from the shaft seal in 3 places, past the shaft, past the dynamic carbon seal or past the ceramic rign o-ring. Look for telltale signs of oil and grunge on the underside of the compressor. Often a giveaway of shaft seal or bearing plate leaks. Its a bitch to test for seal leaks as the clutch needs to be removed so the sniffer can be poked into the snout of the compressor. Needs a funky puller and some room to do it in situ. Probably best to pull the compressor and done on the bench. You can also develop leaks from around the front bearing carrier plate which has a large arsed o-ring (usually) sealing it. Not a very common one but happens. Max. Your system would have been vacced down before the gas was introduced as a matter of course. Often, this is all that is done on a system "service" by less than reputable workshops. Some will even charge a service fee and just top up the gas.........bah! You would know if your drier was changed as the bill would have hurt quite a bit and should have been noted on the bill when the compressor was done! It should have been changed as a matter of course after a compressor change. Its highly unlikely that your system would be charged with R12 tho. This gas has not been commercially available for a long time now. As CBX has stated, your system is still running so its most probably had the correct lube oil added when the R134a was first used. Blocking off your water hoses to the heater core is a simple and effective way of testing for water leakage thru the heater tap. L8tr E
Thanks for the writeup. Had the vent temps down to 3 degrees today, so after 3 days still going strong, so hopefully the system is now sealed, will update the thread though if anything untoward happens.
As you know so much about AC can you recomend anyone in brisbane for repairs? My missus's car needs looking at too. AC works great till the engine bay gets (about 10min) hot then no ac at all, on a cool night the ac works all the time. Also if parked in the sun the ac won't work from the word go.
try the boys that did gregs They seam to know the zed system and how the doors work on its controls, other than that may be some one that fleet uses . Pete at AMEC.
was told when i had mine regassed is to when you turn the aircon on to turn the fan to low for at least 5mins to give the system time to chill the condenser or whatever it is that cools the air, guy said if the fan is blowing lots of air straight away takes it longer to chill down, seems to work fine in my car. have to say the new gas doesnt seem to be as good as the old stuff thou..
It will "feel" like its colder faster, from the vents but the low fan speed/air volume will move a lot less hot air OUT of the cabin see? The trick is to run everything flat out with the recirc vent open for a few minutes. Get rid of the hot air quickly. After that its time to close the recirc valve. But, whatever works eh? L8tr E
