Fix air conditioning using the kit in store?

I drive a 94 Toyota Camry 4 cyl. I've not recharged my refrigerant until 2 to 3 years ago. The recharged refrigerant didn't even last. When I really needed it the next summer, no cool air. The store I went for recharge refused to check my car on why it went out so quickly.

I noticed some DIY kit to fix and recharge (R134A) the air conditioning. It's getting close to summer again. I'm pondering about trying out these kit. If you've tried it before with success and failure, can you share your experience on these products? If they work, it would be considerably cheaper than going to a store ($150 on my wasted recharge).

Thanks for the info,

Reply to
cpliu
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If you get cool air for the summer with a can or two, do it. That's not a "fix." If that doesn't work, you're only out 10-20 bucks, and you'll have to get it fixed by a pro. Expect to pay for a test to find what's wrong. A/C specialist is the best bet. I wouldn't put anything but R134A in. Don't use any of that stop leak junk. Read up a little on the car before you fool with it. Might need some ounces of oil too. Since you call a shop a store, if you fool around near the engine, make sure your tie or sleeves don't get caught in the fan or belt. I recommend you take it to a shop, and not do anything yourself unless you are willing to learn a bit about it and follow common automotive safety rules.

--Vic

Reply to
Vic Smith

I agree with Vic.. Yes, you can recharge your vehicle which uses R134a with a kit. If you follow the instructions, everything should go well.

But if you are leaking, the repair will be short lived.

Dont just add refrigerant because you think it is not cool enough.

Reply to
HLS

Around 1995 or so Toyota issued a total recall for all expansion valves used because of corrosion and leaks. Did you ever have that valve replaced free under the recall?

I suspect the later valves may not be any better, except that Toyota put it under the 3-year comprehensive warranty?

Sounds like you have a leak somwhere. Better see an AC specialist.

Reply to
johngdole

Look under the hood. There should be a sticker telling you exactly what type of refrigerant you have. 94 is during the transition time between R12 and 134a. So check to make sure.

You should not be mixing different refrigerants, and besides, the connectors won't fit.

Reply to
johngdole

So, you have a leak. The "store" probably has no way of checking for leaks. You need to go to a mechanic.

Have you considered going to a mechanic who can actually pump the system down and find the leak? If the DIY kit contains a leak finder and a set of spare seals and hoses, though, you might be in the right ballpark.

$150 seems a bit much just to pump the system down and refill it. They DID pump it down, right?

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

I went to Valvoline to have it recharged. I don't recall the mechnic mentioned the pump the system down. If they did tell me, I probably forgot too. I will see a mechanic if nothig else works. The State inspection has already got $400 out of my pocket with these uncritical fixes on a car that may worth ~$1,000. I would probably have to endure the hot summer if I can't figure it out.

Reply to
liu

no, I didn't and it never had problem until 2 to 3 years ago.

Thank you all for the information.

Reply to
liu

If you decide to replace the compressor here is a video on doing it properly.

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Reply to
m6onz5a

First of all, a good mechanic/shop is hard to find. Your experience isn't alone.

If you can rule out electrical or mechanical issues and are sure that the cause is a leak (and therefore low refrigerant), then that leak should be fixed followed by a recharge. See Interdynamics site on finding the leaks. There is a limit on how much DIY an owner can do, but following their steps should help cut down on the costs.

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Reply to
johngdole

Most (all?) 1994 vehicles came from the factory with R-134a systems. Unless Toyota was way behind everyone else in converting to R-134a, then this kind of kit doesn't even apply to your car.Those kits are half-arsed ways to convert an R-12 system to R-134a, and what they usually do is destroy an otherwise salvageable AC system completely.

Reply to
Steve

I am not sure I understand your post, Steve. I thought he was just talking about the simple R134a recharge kits that we can buy in any FLAPS or WalMart. Some have a gauge on them so that you can top up the refrigerant without having to have a gauge set or a refrigerant removal and measuring system.

Some have refrigerant with dyes to help you trace leaks, or even with leak sealer (which I dont personally recommend, but have seen others use with occasional success).

If you can top up a 134a system and get a year or two out of it, great. These kits are safe enough for anyone (who is not a total screwup) to use.

If you are talking about those other refrigerant blends which claim to work in place of R12, Freeze 12 or whatever they are called, local mechanics tell me they have used them in old systems with no problem. I didnt want to go this way with my Reatta (damn GM shaft seals), so I bought a modern compressor, seals, accum/drier, etc and did it the correct way. This is pressing, or beyond, the ability of many DIYers.

A friend, who does not have a vacuum pump, did his own work using a water aspirator to pull down the system. It is not as elegant as having a pump, but it worked like a charm for him. In essence, you can get down to about the vapor pressure of water with one of these which is about 55 mm Hg at 100F (not exactly but about). That is a pressure reduction of over 90% of atmospheric.

A lot depends upon how long you have to keep the car, how much money you have, and how badly you want to stay cool.

Reply to
HLS

That may indeed be what he meant. But that's not what I thought of when I heard "kit," to me that usually means a can filled with a mix of R-134a, a generic stop-leak poo, and a slug of cheap POE oil. I call those "dead compressor in a can." :-)

Reply to
Steve

Thank you all for the help and helpful video link. I checked the info under the hood, and it's R-134a. I bought Interdynamics Arctic Freeze R-134A Refrigerant from Walmart, but I can't find the cap to refill the refrigerant. Is it under the car? If you happen to have an URL showing the location, please let me know.

Thanks,

Reply to
liu

Can you find (see) the compressor? If so, follow the hoses or tubes. You should find a connector/port on both of these hoses, but they are different. Your kit should only fit one of them, the low pressure side.

Take a look and tell us if you can find them.

Reply to
HLS

How do you find a leak by "actually pump the system down to find a leak" ?!?!=A0

Reply to
twisted

Thanks for the info. I followed the tubes but can only find a cap with H right by the battery. The charging-coupler does fit the connection there. According to the instruction, it connects to low-pressure port. H may mean high so it is not the right one??

I have to go home and raise my car to see if anything below the car.

Reply to
liu

Right. Follow that line down to the compressor, and now follow the OTHER line out. That's the one with the low-pressure port.

Stay away from the high pressure port!

--scott

Reply to
Scott Dorsey

One of the lines coming out of the compressor will go into the firewall. That's the low pressure side. You will find the low side service port somewhere along that line. The other line coming out of the compressor is the high side. It goes to the front of the car into a thingie that looks like a radiator and from there, the firewall. I know - it's confusing.

You'll have to be careful about overfilling the system. Although it would be better to get one of those kits with the cheap gauge, you can tell if it's likely that your refrigerant is low by the compressor cycling on and off every few seconds. I'll bet it does but if it does not do this, then you probably shouldn't try to fill the system cause it means there is enough refrigerant in the system or there's none and you have a pretty big leak that needs to be repaired and there may also be some moisture in the system that needs to be evacuated. Water in the system is bad cause it will plug up the system with ice and probably cause corrosion.

A problem with these cans is that the valve tends to freeze up and cause the neoprene seals to leak when filling the system, you might want to put the can upright in a bowl of warm, not hot, water to keep the valves and seals to the can from freezing. Pour water on the valve if you see it start to leak to defrost the seals. Keep the can as upright as possible to prevent liquid R134A from going into your compressor and possibly damaging it.

Reply to
dsi1

thanks for the advice. I found the low pressure port after reading this page:

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There is a pictureshowing the location for Camry's but the one on mine is hidden below abig black box not showing in the picture. Maybe it's of a differentyear.

Reply to
liu

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