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Freon recharge not going well
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imhotep
User
Jul 22, 2011, 6:43 PM
Post #1 of 6
(6650 views)
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Freon recharge not going well
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My question concerns a 2002 Honda Civic LX Coupe, 1.7L 4-cyl with 177,000 miles.
Problem -
Cold air stops blowing after about 20 minutes and I can't seem to get a normal series of events using a freon recharge kit.
Background -
A few weeks ago I noticed my AC would stop blowing cold air after about 20 minutes. The air doesn't become hot, just not cold and fairly humid. If I turn it off for about 5 minutes and then back on it will again blow cold air for a little while. I talked to several people and the unanimous diagnosis was that my freon needs to be recharged. I bought this gauge set (link removed) and one can of R-134a freon without leak stopping additive and followed the directions by the letter.
Work done so far -
1. Started engine and blew the AC on high
2. Connected can to gauge hose
3. Connected other hose from gauge to low pressure valve (yes I'm sure it's the low side I'm using)
4. At this point I hadn't let any gas flow from the can yet. The pressure read about 25 psi with 50-55 psi being the goal according to the reference table given ambient temperature.
5. I opened the valve to let gas flow from the can. Pressure gauge instantly pegged out to the maximum reading. It happened in less than a second and it didn't seem like any gas had flown. The store associate told me that means my system is now over-pressurized and it definitely doesn't need to be recharged. This made zero sense but I couldn't explain the result.
6. I wasn't convinced so I drove the car home and the problem happened again - after about 20 mins it stopped blowing cold.
7. At home I connected the gauge again and again saw a maxed out pressure reading. For the sake of experimentation I used a tool to open the low pressure valve and bleed gas for about a minute. I reconnected the gauge and it read 10 psi. I then opened the valve and gas flowed from the can, but it seemed to equalize at only 20 psi.
8. I drove back to the store to buy another can hoping that I could charge up to the 50-55 psi mark with fresh gas and be all set. When I got there and connected the gauge it read 60 psi. What??!! I disconnected/reconnected and it jumped to 70 psi, then to 80, and it just kept reading higher and higher every time I reconnected the hose. It was as if the gauge stayed pressurized even though I removed the hose from the low valve each time. The needle would jump by about 10-15 psi each time, starting from the point it left off at.
9. At this point I'm really baffled. I can't make sense of the gauge's behavior. Several hours later I tested one more time, connecting the gauge with engine running and AC on high (this was always done with every test) and now it reads low again - 15 psi.
Does this sound like a faulty gauge? Or should I give up on the freon recharging because there's another bigger problem that could be causing cold air to stop after 20 minutes of running?
Thanks for your help.
(This post was edited by Hammer Time on Jul 22, 2011, 6:53 PM)
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jul 22, 2011, 6:57 PM
Post #2 of 6
(6644 views)
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Re: Freon recharge not going well
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Just about every piece of information you have gotten is wrong. You really can't simply add refrigerant. It should be recovered, vacuumed down and recharged with the exact weight of refrigerant that it calls for. Those DIY kits that they sell should be outlawed. A/c repairs are not DIY jobs. It is dangerous to you and you can do a lot of damage to the system when you don't understand refrigeration. I suggest you get it looked at buy a professional.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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Sidom
Veteran
/ Moderator
Jul 22, 2011, 10:27 PM
Post #3 of 6
(6630 views)
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Re: Freon recharge not going well
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To correctly diag an a/c system. 1st it has to have the correct charge in it or the readings are worthless. Next you need both a high and low side reading & inlet & outlet temps. You can't just go off a low side reading. (I'm not sure where they got 55psi on the low side from but you'll never see that on a properly operating system)
Let me ask you a question. Do you think it's possible for an a/c system that is low on refrigerant to ever work properly?
If a system is working fine for 20 minutes and then stops working only to start again later more than likely has a component malfunction somewhere in the system....
This is why you need to check your reading (both sides)before you blindly add refrigerant.
I had a Nissan today with close the same problem you have and they got one of those kits like you used. I pulled 3 lbs of refrigerant out of a 1.5 lb system with a high side reading pushing 500 psi. ( I shut it off at 450 & no I wasn't curious to see how high it would go)
Working on these systems without the proper tools or knowledge can seriously hurt someone.
Take HT's advise and take it in to be looked at....
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Discretesignals
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jul 23, 2011, 3:22 PM
Post #4 of 6
(6609 views)
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Re: Freon recharge not going well
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You know this may appear odd, but I am kind of happy and not happy that they sell those recharge kits for DIY to use.
The happy part is that when DIY uses the kit and does as this poster has and grenades the system, that means I might get to see the vehicle in our shop to make some big money off of.
The unhappy part is the danger involved when a novice tries to use a manifold gauge set and opens the high side on the manifold gauge with a can on the tap or does something to get frostbitten.
If people want the choice of doing it themselves and fail in the process, I'll be waiting in my stall to correct their mistakes (cha ching).
Since we volunteer our time and knowledge, we ask for you to please follow up when a problem is resolved.
(This post was edited by Discretesignals on Jul 23, 2011, 3:23 PM)
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Jul 23, 2011, 3:52 PM
Post #5 of 6
(6603 views)
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Re: Freon recharge not going well
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Yep, one of those cans explodes in your hand and it can do some serious damage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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zmame
Veteran
/ Moderator
Jul 24, 2011, 7:56 AM
Post #6 of 6
(6591 views)
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Re: Freon recharge not going well
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Ahh the old merical in a can folks.. seen a kit at canadian tire 3 cans 3 steps!!.. Hook onto low side add can of sealant can, oil chagre can and refridgerant can and your ready to go!!.
I wonder to what damage that does to the A/C machines since your contaminating it with stop leak, butane and who knows what els
(This post was edited by zmame on Jul 24, 2011, 7:57 AM)
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