The A/C on my '86 Camry had never needed any A/C work, but over the past 3-4 years the cooling has become inadequate. It was still mildly cool but not cold enough. The site glass showed froth. I had a jug of Freon 12 from the old days and decided to add some. While adding gas to the suction side I watched the gauges and my wife watched the site glass.
When I began the suction pressure was 0 and the high side was 100. After a short time the site glass cleared but when I would stop adding gas and let the gauges stabilize were reading 20/150. The book says they should be 28/210 and when both are low it's a sign of undercharge, so I kept adding gas. If either gauge had reached its target value I would have quit, but the gauges never went above 20/150 (except when adding gas). Suddenly, while charging, there was a loud squealing noise that lasted for a few seconds (3-5) -- the compressor stopped pumping, and the button you press for A/C began flashing. After that every time I turn off the A/C and turn it back on the compressor will try to pump for about 1-2 seconds and then quit and the button will start flashing.
Anybody know what has happened and why?
Ken