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Air Conditioning Problems

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buff_dog70

1/2 ton status
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Ridgecrest, CA
I am trying to re install A/C in my 82 Jimmy with diesel engine. As I was going through all the fittings (putting new o-rings) before I evacuated and charged, I noticed that the the hose fittings from the manifold was using a tapered fitting instead of the standard a/c o-ring fitting. It does not look OEM. The entrance to the condensor is on the passenger side, not the drivers side. This non-standard fitting is on a small adapter that allows one to mate the male thread (non o-ring side) coming from the compressor (it also is fixed, does not rotate). To the male thread coming off the entrance to the condensor (non o-ring side, and fixed does not rotate. This small adapter piece has an o-ring on one side and the tapered fitting on the other, with the proper thread rotating nuts on both sides. But I don't believe the tapered fitting will seal properly against the standard fitting coming from the a/c manifold. The a/c did work when I purchased the vehicle. But I wonder if I was slow leaking the entire time. I was going to try and build the proper adapter with o-rings on both sides. Also how many lbs of r-134 should I put in? How much ester oil? The system was open for a long time, I also replaced the accumulator.
 
Pictures are worth a thousand words. Take some shots of the connections in question so we can see if the system has been changed from factory. if it has been changed, the factory fill charts may not be of much use.

Rufus
 
Save yourself money....take it to a reputable aftermarket A/C shop and ask for an estimate...

If you insist on DIY ,,, most of the time the guy's at the shop will point you in the right direction if you buy the parts from them...

Find one in your area that makes up hoses and has a crimping machine right there in the shop....sure sign of people that know what they are doing...

Proper oil amounts etc, can only be determined as a best guess, especially if you don't know the history of the truck...I would start by having the system professionally flushed and blown clean with NITROGEN...NOT SHOP AIR,,,the compressor drained and refilled with new oil and the accumulator/ drier changed. system tested for leaks,,,PROPER EVACUATION of the system and then a charge weighed in.

THAT is a good start....
 
Got some pics

Took it to local NAPA, guy said this tapered fitting was okay for a/c use. Hooked up system, pulled vacuum, looks like its holding. Going to get is filled tommorrow by certified a/c shop, with R-12 at $68 a pound. They will leak test it prior to filling, but I think I got it put together right. I took some pics. This tapered fitting was also on my damaged manifold that I replaced.

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I have never seen a Ferrell type fitting used in auto A/C....

looks rigged to me.....maybe an aftermarket repair kit or hydraulic hose stuff ???????

the actual hose needs to be rated for refrigerant also...It has a special design ( weep holes in the outer cover of the hose )

If your going to spend 70 bucks for refrigerant....I would let an A/C shop hook you up correctly with the hoses first....otherwise 1 leak or blown fitting....kiss your 70 bucks good - by....and then you are back to square one...
 
wasted wages said:
I have never seen a Ferrell type fitting used in auto A/C....

looks rigged to me.....maybe an aftermarket repair kit or hydraulic hose stuff ???????

the actual hose needs to be rated for refrigerant also...It has a special design ( weep holes in the outer cover of the hose )

If your going to spend 70 bucks for refrigerant....I would let an A/C shop hook you up correctly with the hoses first....otherwise 1 leak or blown fitting....kiss your 70 bucks good - by....and then you are back to square one...
Click to expand...

that's $68 per pound...that system will take about 3 pounds to fill = $204

makes sure the parts are correct and in good shape so it will not leak

i wouldn't trust that fitting...
 
If your set on not converting to r134a, then check out freeze 12. I used it on my 81 chevy luv and it did great. Some condensers aren't large enough to cool as well with r134a. That's why I used freeze 12 in my Chevy luv. But, you should be fine going to r134a.
http://www.freeze12.com/
 
Definitely change out that compressor block/line set to a good OEM set of lines or have the proper lines built by a good AC shop. Those connections scare me.

Freze12 evil.
Freeze 12 is basically an azeotropic mixture consisting of 80% R-134a and 20% R-142b. The R-142b is there mostly for the purpose of carrying the mineral oil through the system. If the system leaks, the R-142b will likely leak out before the R-134a will, since R-142b consists of smaller molecules. This has several implications:

1) You cannot easily top off a Freeze 12 system, since there's no easy way to confirm that the mixture in the system still has the correct proportions

2) If the R-142b is lost, the system will no longer carry the mineral oil, and your compressor will then burn up and fail in very short order.

3) Very few places service Freeze 12 systems, because the EPA requires that all refrigerants and refrigerant blends be recovered and stored in their own SEPARATE color-coded containers. This means that if you ever need to have the system worked on in the future for any reason, you'll have a hard time finding a technician who will work on it for you, because most technicians simply do not have the time, money, or will to purchase extra equipment JUST for Freeze 12.

I just convert my stuff to 134a the right way and have had no issues.
There was a good thread on converting a system to r134a a while back.
http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235672
Check out post 20 for the explanation but the whole thread is enlightening.

Cheers,
Rufus
 
Took to the shop

I took to the shop, the did a leak test before filling. Turns out I had a leak. Accidently putting a tapered female fitting with a o-ring male. Screwed together nice, but the o-ring will never seat right. Purchase a custom hose tommorrow. It will eliminate all of the tapered fitting in the system, forecast looks frosty...inside.

I not going to use the R-134a, where I live its just to hot, (about 50 miles from Death Valley, CA. The R-134a is not as thermally effiecient as R-12.

I let you guys know how it turns out, supposed to get filled on Monday, and it supposed to be hot as hell.

Thanks for all the help.
 
Still trying to fix

Filled system with R-12.

I think it should be colder. Going to check the vent system (make sure heater box is closed off completely.

Can't seem to adjust vent air location, vents, feet (heater), defrost, etc. Not sure how to adjust this part. Is it controlled by vaccumm? Could I have a leak?
 
could be a vacuum leak...those controls have several small vacuum lines that can leak under the dash.

also, could be the door on the ac/heater box is broken. mine was broken where the cable attaches to it and i had to epoxy it back together.
 
Another leak, still hot.

Opened up the vent system, so I could actually touch the a/c evaporator. Still not working.

Took the truck to the shop, did a leak test. All the coolant had leaked out.

It was leaking from the manifold that mounted to the compressor (around the bolt) and maybe a small pin leak from the steel part of the line (where it welded to the manifold block). Also maybe a small leak from under the accumulator.
There went $300 pissing in the wind. I'm disappointed, frustrated, and hot.

Will probably try to seal all leaks, and get it working with R-134a, at home. I'll take pics to show location of the leaks next week.
 
If your going to spend 300 bucks for refrigerant....I would let an A/C shop hook you up correctly with the hoses first....otherwise 1 leak or blown fitting....kiss your 300 bucks good - by....and then you are back to square one...
Click to expand...


:whistle::whistle::whistle::whistle::whistle:
 
yesurday i took mine to the shop for a 134 convert cost me 700 bucks , but i had a bad compressor that leaked the r12 , why i was there in the first part. 360 for compressor plus labor . the retro fit (orifice hi /lo fittings ,dryer and 3+ pounds of r 134 would have cost about 275 total had the compressor not been bad .

In speaking with the master tech . the blazer condensing coil is plenty large enough to support r 134 especialy in my case with 5700 cfm (total) dual electric fans going.
 
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