Probably a stupid question, but...don't you use AC all year round, particularly for de-fogging the windows in cold weather?
Getting AC system ready for summer
- Thread starter Snagglefoot
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how did you fix the hole?
If you go high enough there is snow all year round. [That was the remarkable thing about the explorers sighting Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa - it was snow topped and yet almost on the equator.]
My house is at 75' elevation. A vehicle gets plenty warm sitting in the sun, and we have 30C and 35C days. Anyway it's hot enough for a functioning AC.
I cut out 6 inches of the 8mm aluminum tubing and installed a special tubing repair kit from Auto Cooling Solutions as shown in the video below.
Here is a photo of the finished product. I plan to replace the nylon tie wraps with stainless steel ones after I confirm the system is 100% leak-free after a few weeks of run time.
I originally installed the Dorman A/C repair coupler shown below, but could not get it to seal 100%. It would momentarily leak a bit when the compressor engaged due to the pressure head surge.
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Yes but the one I have is in centigrade. My vehicles are nice enough and worth enough that if my A/C stops working properly, then there is probably a leak and I will take it some place and have it fixed.
Hopefully it stays sealed. I have fixed dozens of those repairs. Did one last week a local shop did.
I had loaded one 6 oz can of R-12A just over a week ago and my system started working. Yesterday, I loaded a second can. The ambient temp was only 60 F and the high side pressure was 115 psi. Here is a snap of my gages.. I set the automatic temp to low and the system was blowing cold. I have an AC thermometer coming from Amazon.
I’ve included a shot of expected pressures based on ambient temp. I’ll get a better idea once temps climb this summer. My propane detector did not indicate any leaks. ( I’m using hydrocarbon refrigerant). I checked the detector when I undid the high side connector resulting in a small puff of refrigerant. The detector went off. I’ll wait until the ambient temp climbs before I load more. Enjoy. PS, I’m not going to take the system down until I find the last of any leaks. There is dye in the system but the last place I saw it is not leaking or is leaking so slowly the propane detector is not picking it up.
I’ve included a shot of expected pressures based on ambient temp. I’ll get a better idea once temps climb this summer. My propane detector did not indicate any leaks. ( I’m using hydrocarbon refrigerant). I checked the detector when I undid the high side connector resulting in a small puff of refrigerant. The detector went off. I’ll wait until the ambient temp climbs before I load more. Enjoy. PS, I’m not going to take the system down until I find the last of any leaks. There is dye in the system but the last place I saw it is not leaking or is leaking so slowly the propane detector is not picking it up.
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This likely won't help OP in the frozen north but TSC has cans of R134a at $9.99 right now -- same price as WM
AZ and O'Reilly are consistently $11.99 here and I can't bring myself to pay +20% for identical product (albeit not identical brands). As I understand it R134a is R134a.
I find TSC less painful than WM, so FWIW maybe this helps someone
AZ and O'Reilly are consistently $11.99 here and I can't bring myself to pay +20% for identical product (albeit not identical brands). As I understand it R134a is R134a.
I find TSC less painful than WM, so FWIW maybe this helps someone
both my 99 silverado and 03 sorento have very small ac leaks that i cant find using dye and a sniffer. i have to add refrigerant once a year. been this way for 10 years on both
What is hydrocarbon refrigerant?
BTW I think I need to recharge my Navigator, it struggles when it gets over 95. I assume R-134.
BTW I think I need to recharge my Navigator, it struggles when it gets over 95. I assume R-134.
Hydrocarbon refrigerant is propane and butane mixture legal in Canada and Europe but not the USA. It’s usually marketed as R-12A.
Wow. One had better make sure you don't have any leaks near ignition sources, if'n they're going to use this. I can see why it's not legal everywhere.
How much gasoline do you have in your car? Don’t have any leaks near ignition sources.
My AC thermometer arrived. After loading a total of 12 oz of R-12 A the air duct is blowing at 4 C ( 40 F) with an ambient temp of 72 F. I’ll check it when is gets to 90 F next week.
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That's a cheap hose. That crimp is going to leak.
