AC charging

[Phattey]

I've had some projects on the house recently which were pricey enough that I can't do any upgrades on my ac this year. At least I have no leaks...I just had it all evac'd and recharged with r134 since that's what the PO used since he changed out all his hardware 2 years ago. The dealership stated that I may have to add a little later on in the late summer....

The PO mentioned he had to add some coolant occasionaly since the hoses are non-barrier. He did this himself and gave me a case of r134 plus the hoses to add it. He and I never got together so he could show me how.

It looks like I'd just add it to the blue lower valve...running the ac on high with the deck lid closed as much as I could get it...while kinda' rotating the can of coolant from top to bottom...

Perhaps I'd have to have someone in the car telling me when it's cold..then stop...

I wouldn't plan on ever using more than one can since I don't have pressure gauge to determine if I am overfilling.

Does this make sense....? Is there a better way, other than taking it in to have someone add a little every once and while?

I'm in a very high heat and humidity area and probably will have to add some later in the summer...

Thanks...Phattey...

[bigchillcar]

cheap kit you can buy at wal mart with a pressure gauge to make sure you don't overfil...
ryan

[Thomas Owen]

Phattey - you do not want to 'rotate the can top to bottom'. The low side (blue) of your a/c system wants gas, not liquid. Keep the can upright. You can get a small gauge that will tell you closely when you have added enough freon, because overfill has the same effect as a shortage - not cooling correctly.
Good luck, and be careful.

[Phattey]

Thomas...thanks for the tip...

[scottb]

You might want to go to your local Autozone or Pep Boys and pick up a Haynes or Chilton book on a/c. It'll give you a lot of peace of mind for $10. Be careful.

[kepperly]

You actually need two friends to do it right as per the Porsche owners manual. One to watch the sight glass under the yellow
screw on plug , in the rear of the left front wheel. Thats your reveiver/dryer. One inside the car holding the rpm at 2000
and on in the rea to turn off the freon when the guy at the front tire tells you the red ball is floating.

Keith Epperly 87 slant nose turbo look carrera cabriolet

[Jim Sims]

Sight gage technique doesn't work with R-134a; one cannot properly fill systems that use 134a without a refrigeration harness with R-134a calibrated gages, and thermometers at the condenser inlet and evaporator output. Without this setup one is guessing and too much refrigerant also degrades performance. One must have the deck lid down so the air is being drawn through the condenser by the engine fan therefore the cheap kits with the short hoses are difficult to use safely - sticking one's hands up there blindly near the moving compressor belt is unwise. If you overfill and a pressure cutoff switch was not installed as part of the retrofit there is a risk of damaging the compressor or blowing off a hose. Wear eye protection; liquid refrigerant introduced into the eyes can cause blindness due to instant freezing of eye tissue. R-134a gas sucked into the engine and burned results in poisonous gasses coming out the engine exhaust. One can do this DIY but you need the proper tools and gear, information and precautions. Take care. Jim

[scottb]

Originally posted by Jim Sims
Wear eye protection; liquid refrigerant introduced into the eyes can cause blindness due to instant freezing of eye tissue. R-134a gas sucked into the engine and burned results in poisonous gasses coming out the engine exhaust. One can do this DIY but you need the proper tools and gear, information and precautions.

As usual, Jim's advise is spot on. Don't take chances. Wear protection. Uh, eye protection, that is!