:: Air Compressor Parts ::

If you have an older car it may have R12 refrigerant in the air conditioner system. You can still buy R12, but it is very expensive. If you are ready to convert your system to R134, here is a brief explanation of the procedure with a few insider tips to help you. To begin you will need a conversion kit with all the necessary materials. It will include: 2 new adapter fittings, 2 -3 cans of R-134, and a hose with adapter. Once you have all the materials, you can begin the process. The first thing you have to do is have the R12 recovered with a refrigerant recovery machine. (It is illegal to just open the valve and let it out in the air.) Now that the air conditioning system has no pressure, it is time to install the new valve kit. At this point some people freeze up (no pun intended) because they are afraid of mixing up the adapters on the high and low pressure ends. Don’t worry, they are different sizes. The bigger one goes on the low pressure side of the system and the refrigerant hose will only connect to the low side valve. It is pretty hard to mess this up.

Now that the adapter valves are connected, it is time to start the car and put the air conditioner on high. Turn the blower fan to its highest setting as well and open the windows. Grab a can of R134 and hook up the hose and T valve that came with your kit. With the hose hooked up to the can begin to twist the T valve until it punctures the can. Then open the valve to let some freon out and purge the air in the line. Turn the can upside down and hook it up to the low side adapter valve. Now slowly open the valve and let the Freon flow into the system. At this point the compressor will begin to cycle on and off. Don’t panic, this is normal. Keep adding Freon until the system begins to cool. You can feel the low pressure line begin to get cool and condensation will accumulate on it. (Do not grab the high pressure line. It can burn you.) You probably will not need all 3 cans and be careful not to overfill the system. If the air conditioner is still not cooling after the second can, something is wrong. You may have a leak in the system or some other difficulty.

Do not be tempted to keep pumping Freon in the lines. If the low side line is cold and dripping with moisture you are done. If you have a air conditioning manifold gauge set, the low side should have a pressure of 40 - 50 psi.

Good luck and stay cool!

Jason is the webmaster for Red Hill Supply - Online Automotive Air Tools.

Refrigerant Leak Detector, Air Conditioning Manifold Gauge Set and More

Share This

If your automotive air conditioner isn’t working quite right, here are a few ideas to begin. First of all start with the control panel on your dashboard. Most automobiles have an A/C button that actually turns the compressor on and allows cold air to be circulated. You might have accidentally hit the recirculation button instead of the A/C button. (Don’t laugh, I had a friend that spent a week in a hot car and all he needed to do was press the right button.)

The second thing to check is the actual function of the controls. Do they move at all? Are they loose and giggle around? The big question is “do they feel different from the last time your air conditioner worked?” This could tell if the controls are messed up and need replacing. Your air conditioner system may be fine but the controls could be frozen or broken. If your controls seem to be functioning, lets move to the blower fan. Turn on your car and start you’re air conditioner as you normally would. Then turn your blower to it’s highest setting. Can you here your fan blowing? If you can hear it, does it sound weak or whining. This could signal that your blower motor is malfunctioning or needs to be replaced. If it doesn’t work at all, check the fuse for the blower motor. The fuse for your blower motor should be located in the fuse box under the dash.

Most automobiles have the fuses clearly labeled. First take out the blower fan fuse with the removal tool provided in the fuse box. A blown fuse should be easy to identify. However if you are unsure, replace it with a similar rated fuse and try your blower again. If that fuse blows you may have a bad blower motor or a short in the circuit. In this case, you will need an authorized mechanic to fix it.

If the blower fan is working properly and you can only get cold air out of the defroster vents, you may have vacuum-system supply line problem. To check for this, look for a small black plastic tube going from the engine area through the dash. It is usually right by the refrigerant lines. Check this tube and see if it has holes or is not connected. If all of these little tips are not helping and you’re A/C doesn’t blow cold air no matter how many switches you turn on or off, you will probably need an certified mechanic. Good luck and stay cool!

Jason is the webmaster for Red Hill Supply - Online Air Tools

Automotive Air Conditioning Tools, Refrigerant Leak Detectors, and More - Red Hill Supply

Share This