r-134 conversion

[Monkeyed]

how many ounces does the fifth ave hold?

I did the conversion, put the oil in, the compressor started cycling on and off. I added a 12oz can of 134, and the compressor runs, the air blows cold, but there are bubbles in the sight glass. the kit came with 2 more 12oz cans.

 

[jasperjacko]

I think the bubbles mean water? did you change the dryer?

 

[Monkeyed]

I think the bubbles mean water? did you change the dryer?

according to my Hayne's manual,

"- inspect the sight glass. If the refrigerant looks foamy, it's low"


so I guess I should have said it looks foamy. I just wondered if anyone knew off the top of their head what the system holds on one of these.

 

[Jack Meoff]

I always put in two cans.
I bought the kit with the gauge and two cans is pretty much perfect on mine.
Can't remember how big the cans are...it's the Red Tek kit.

 

[joeblo]

Add until the sight glass is full and you should be good.

 

[Monkeyed]

Add until the sight glass is full and you should be good.

I added part of a second can in, the sight glass was starting to look more solid with some foamy cycling around. the compressor started turning on and off, but was still blowing cold, so I left it like that.

there was a couple bubbles in the sight glass when it shuts off,, I know it's a closed system, with a gas phase, and liquid portion. I'm hoping it will purge itself through, I'll check it after it's run a while.

 

[joeblo]

Did you evacuate the system with a vacuum pump. If not the bubbles are air and very bad for the system. If you did then sight glass needs to be full (with a/c running and fan on high speed), for proper operation. I would recommend watching high side pressure when charging, over 175psi would concern me. good luck and stay cool.

 

[jasperjacko]

Hope you don't mind my question here. My compressor won't shut off as long as the a/c is on. could it be I need more of that heat sink grease in the hole where the cycling switch probe goes into?

 

[joeblo]

The compressor should stay on and not cycle when it is turned on.

 

[jasperjacko]

It gets very hot. I thought it was supposed to cycle on and off several times per minute.

 

[Jack Meoff]

If it's working properly it should stay on.
The only time mine cycles is if my slow leak has leaked enough refrigerant out.

 

[jasperjacko]

should the compressor be getting hot? If it's been running for 10-15 min. water boils on it!

 

[Monkeyed]

Did you evacuate the system with a vacuum pump. If not the bubbles are air and very bad for the system. If you did then sight glass needs to be full (with a/c running and fan on high speed), for proper operation. I would recommend watching high side pressure when charging, over 175psi would concern me. good luck and stay cool.

I did not,

 

[Jack Meoff]

should the compressor be getting hot? If it's been running for 10-15 min. water boils on it!

Hot I can see but water boiling on it means over 200°
That sounds unusual to me.
I'm no A/C expert by any means though.
But that doesn't sound right to me.
Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in.

 

[joeblo]

Mokeyed - if system is not evacuated it will be full of air, also known as non-condensables. Which will cause bubbles in glass and very high head pressures. There will also be moisture in system that will freeze and plug up metering device. It also does bad things to the oil. Sorry to say, but your going to want to have system evacuated preferably to 400-500 microns to remove all air and moisture. Evacuation will also help to check if system is tight(no leaks).

Jasperjacko - The compressor is cooled by the refrigerant, if its getting hot and cycling it could be low on refrigerant or the expansion valve may not be working correctly. If sight glass is full I would be looking at expansion valve. This needs to be done with gauges and line thermometer.

- Car air conditioning is a pain in the ass, and finding someone good to work on it is a bigger pain in the ass. Good luck guys.
- Have you considered 2/50 air conditioning?

 

[Jack Meoff]

2/50 air conditioning.....
Is that 2 windows down while doing 50???

 

[Veteran Cosmic Rocker]

I did not,

joeblo is exactly correct. You MUST evacuate the system, and you must replace the receiver-drier, as the dessicant inside it is no longer any good.

 

[NoCar340]

...you must replace the receiver-drier, as the dessicant inside it is no longer any good.

Most auto parts places won't tell you this (in a lot of cases it's because they don't actually even know), but it has been the policy of every major AC compressor supplier for a number of years now: unless you replace the receiver/dryer and orifice tube/expansion valve, and have evidence that the proper procedure was followed to install and charge the system, your compressor warranty ends the second you install it. In other words, if you didn't videotape yourself doing it or don't have a receipt with parts and labor charges describing the above, you don't have any warranty. RockAuto explains it pretty well here.

Although I didn't see one listed for my application(s), Four Seasons offers kits that include everything you need to insure the warranty will be honored. The kits are obviously somewhat pricey and even the local shops didn't always want to pay for them, so I would have to note right on the receipt that the compressor did not have any warranty whatsoever since further parts were necessary.

 

[joeblo]

2/50 air conditioning.....
Is that 2 windows down while doing 50???

2/80 for our neighbors to the north.

 

[Monkeyed]

I think that's a cool story

joeblo is exactly correct. You MUST evacuate the system, and you must replace the receiver-drier, as the dessicant inside it is no longer any good.

but this is what's going to happen. I'll recover the refrigerant in the prescribed manner discussed earlier, then pick up a set of a/c guages and a/c vac. pull a vacuum on it the way I should have in the first place, pulling a low enough atmosphere for a long enough time to vaporize any moisture in the system. then recharge it, and see how long it blows cold air for. :eusa_dance: but, thanks for your opinion.