AC Charge 134a on a 93 cherokee sport

If you want to do this yourself properly I suggest you borrow, rent or buy a set of gauges for R134 systems ans see what pressures you actually have when compressor is running.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

I am thinking that the Schraeder valve in your low side coupler is worn or broken. I assume that you have one of those Autozone or similar "recharge kits" with a low side coupler, a gauge and a combination can tap needle valve. Correct me if I am wrong. With the valve off, you should be able to connect to the low side coupler and read some pressure, unless it is completely discharged. Now with the needle valve can taps, it is necessary to screw the handle in to pierce the can, and then screw it out to release the refrigerant into the system. Are you doing this? In Usenet, it is necessary to ask, so don't take this personal.

If you have low pressure then you definitely have a leak in your system. The problem I ran into in my Suburban is that AC repair jockeys would find one leak, say, "That's it", and leave the rest of the leaks for the next repair jockey to find. After paying for AC service two or three seasons in a row, I got wise, bought my own gauges, replaced all the O-rings in the system and the rear AC hoses that were actually leaking, and it is still working after four seasons of moderate to heavy use.

Earle

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STOP right there!

You used the high side port. The connector off the compressor is the high-side no matter what the cap color is.

The low side is between the condenser and the evaporator. The smallest line in the system that runs from the firewall.

What bugs me is the connector should not have fit unless the shop that did the mod buggered something up.

If it's a Sanden compressor, it can have the low side port on the compressor, or even both low and high side ports on the compressor.

Also, the smaller of the two lines, is always the high pressure side.

The low pressure line is always the larger diameter line.

Spdloader

Good call, this makes a lot of sense. I'll give it another look tomorrow. I'm pretty sure what I was attaching it to was a new fitting though (from the retrofit).

Best, Breton

Hold on a sec, I boned my description.

.->Evaporator=>accumulator=>compressor-(highside port)->condenser->charge port. |_____________________________________________________________________________|

- is skinny pipe, = is fat hose/pipe

They also come like this

Since someone upgraded your system I'd take it to a qualified shop to point out where the correct ports are. Like Spdloader pointed out, you might have the correct port for the compressor that was installed. But with a pegged gauge I'd be suspicious.

One thing for certain is you don't want to fill liquid in before the pump or it will die a horrible death, same as an engine with water in the pistons.

The other thing is to get the can to fill properly you need to have the compressor running full tilt. That's done by turning on the AC full, recirc, and if the pressure is so low it won't kick on then you need to short the lowside cutoff switch located on the accumulator.

FYI for the ZJ And the fill port is by the overflow bottle. On my system you fill liquid in that port with the compressor running.

I boned that description in so many ways it's not even funny. :/

All the vehicles I've ever worked on you filled in the skinny side and stayed away from the compressor port.

And my instructor told me the can would explode, blowing out one of my frozen eye balls, that would break into a zillion pieces as it hit the floor. God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O mailto: snipped-for-privacy@aol.com