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Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 7
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air conditioning refrigerant recharge
Hi all,
Every summer I have to have coolant added to my system, and nobody seems to be able to find a leak. I got tired of shelling out $80 every year so I decided to do it myself for $25. The kit came with a pressure gauge. It registered about 15psi in the beginning, indicating that it needed refrigerant. So I put in one can of r134a which was 12oz+2oz oil. Now the gauge registers 74 psi, which is way too high. Fully charged is 25-40psi. The sticker on the car says that the capacity of the system is 2.64lbs of refrigerant. Anyway to convert psi to total # lbs in system so I'll know how much to add next time? Perhaps an 8oz can would have been enough. G |
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06-09-2003, 02:46 PM
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In the shop at Pelican
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 10,459
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What year and model is your car?
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06-09-2003, 02:47 PM
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Registered
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 7
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93 BMW 318is.
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06-09-2003, 02:49 PM
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In the shop at Pelican
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 10,459
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Do you know if the car originally had R12? Those kits they sell at the store really arent that great for charging the system yourself.
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06-09-2003, 02:57 PM
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I don't *think* it did, simply because the sticker on the chassis dictating what kind of refrigerant to put in is an "official"-looking sticker by BMW, and it says r134a. I bought the car used, though, and I suppose there is the possibility that the previous owner had the car retro-fitted by an BMW dealer who put that sticker on.
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06-09-2003, 03:04 PM
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In the shop at Pelican
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 10,459
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What were the conditions under which you charged the sytem, did you evacuate the system?
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06-09-2003, 03:05 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 7
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No, I just checked the pressure and when it read 15psi, added 1 can of refrigerant plus oil.
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06-09-2003, 03:26 PM
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In the shop at Pelican
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 10,459
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Has the system ever been open to outside air?
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06-09-2003, 03:28 PM
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Not that I'm aware of. But there's always the possibility before I bought the car.
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06-09-2003, 03:32 PM
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In the shop at Pelican
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 10,459
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Hmmm Im not much of an expert on HVAC systems, however i have had a little experience with charging systems up and I think that possibly the low pressure switch may be bad, I think it is supposed to bleed off pressure into the rest of the system, however I may be wrong on this?
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06-09-2003, 04:26 PM
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Posts: 7
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OK, well, perhaps there is something else wrong with the system. I should have it taken to be completely inspected.
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06-09-2003, 04:38 PM
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Registered
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Palos Verdes Estates, CA
Posts: 878
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Sorry, i cant seem to correctly copy and paste my word file which shows the pressure needed. It varies depending on humidity AND temperature. PM or email me (alvinchu@ucla.edu) if you want me to send you the chart.
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1997 M3 Sedan 5spd Artic Silver/Dove M3 Bumpers/Mirrors/Sideskirts S52 3.2L, M3 Wheels, M3 suspension, M3 Brakes Oh wait...it's a stock M3 Last edited by stupenal; 06-09-2003 at 06:26 PM.. |
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06-09-2003, 06:23 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 41
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Check here for the pressure chart:
http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=87247&highlight=r134
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1993 318i 1.8 liter, 4-cylinder MTX 120,000 mi. |
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06-10-2003, 06:39 AM
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Thanks. That was an extremely helpful post. It confirmed that everything I did yesterday was correct, and that the pressure isn't too high to worry about. There still could be something wrong with some other component of the system, but those little (cheap) pressure gauges that come with the kits aren't extremely accurate and my reading wasn't so far out of bounds to be concerned.
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06-10-2003, 07:29 AM
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