Getting Air Conditioner Ready for summer

[Cincinnati Guy]

This week I plan on getting my a/c up and going. I dont want to go about replacing everything. What all should be replaced? The system is vacuumed out, its factory R134A. I did last summer try to put some r134a in it but it all leaked out at the valve where you fill it. Can that be replaced? What seals should be replaced, and what type of work is it to replace the seals and pretty much go over the entire system..

Also I remember reading about a valve you install on the heater hoses, can anyone elaborate on it please?

 

[itsacrazyasian]

Buy a heater control valve for a 96 Ford explorer 4.0, run that to the heater lines so if the valve is closed off it'll return coolant back to the water pump. Use the max a/c recirculation door vacuum line and T off of it to both the door and the heater control valve. Gets the a/c much cooler.

Your local parts store will carry new service valves, i usually just change the high side which is a screw in piece, change the acuumulator (add 2oz ester oil + dye) and check the orfice tube which is the line right below the accumulator.

Pull a vacuum on it for 20+ minutes, recharge with the proper amount of refrigerant and check that your fan clutch is in proper working order. A bad fan clutch will cook a compressor

Thats how i would do it.

 

[flareside_thun]

If you're worried about leaks, spend the 50 bucks on Red Angel after you do what is stated above....it's some badass sealer.

 

[Cincinnati Guy]

WIll a regular vacuum gauge work for holding the vacuum on the system? Why is it necessary?

 

[haligen]

A normal set of ac gauges will have vacuum on the low pressure gauge. That way u hook up the vac then after a little while close it off and watch the gauge.

 

[itsacrazyasian]

I forgot to mention pull a vacuum on it for a few minutes and close the valves off and see if it falls back to 0 after some time. That would indicate a leak.


Red Angel works well but it screws up my recovery equipment!

 

[icanfixall]

About ac stuff. Those vacuumm pumps that cost mucho bucks can be made easily. any water cooler or refrigerater black pump compresser is the same thing. Al you do is remove them. they usually are not the parts that fail on a referig when they quit working. Now that its out just solder on your fittings to both the suction and discharge sides of the lines coming out of the pump. Thats it... you even can buy these pump-compressers from a refrigeration repair shop... Or find one sitting on the curb in your neiborhood. Sure beats the hell out of spending 600.00 to 800.00 for the same thing....

 

[haligen]

I bought a harbor freight vac pump and it works pretty good. It runs off my compressor and will pull about a 25in of vac. That and it only costs like $10.

 

[Cincinnati Guy]

What's The p/n of that harbor freight pump?


What's the purpose to pull a vacuum?

 

[itsacrazyasian]

to remove all the moisture and non condensables from the refrigeration circuit.


http://www.harborfreight.com/air-vacuum-pump-with-r134a-and-r12-connectors-96677.html

 

[Cincinnati Guy]

ok so the plan is to replace the leaky fill valve. Then install thet coolant valve. Replace the accumulator and might as well replace the orifce tube. Then install the oil then the refridgent? Correct?

 

[itsacrazyasian]

install oil, pull vacuum to leak check then for 20 minutes to remove moisture from system then recharge with R134A and enjoy ice cold air

 

[Cincinnati Guy]

Oh didnt realize you need oto put in the oil before you pull a vacuum.

 

[itsacrazyasian]

unless you have an oil injector.

Just drop 2oz in the accumulator and lube the new orings and the orings around the orfice tube. Ford had a tsb on the fseries that the orfice tube was installed backwards so make sure the filter end (the longer ended screen) faces the condenser.

 

[ManicMike]

Can someone explain where this orfice tube goes? Also I saw there is different colors, whats the deal on that?