Automotive Air Conditioning Information Forum

The trick is to begin with a "dry" system—that is, no oil and no refrigerant. That way, you can start anew by adding the precise amounts of oil and refrigerant according to the manufacturer's specifications—either by oil-balancing the system (discussed at length in the Archives), or by adding all ...

IMHO, the comments from Cusser are right-on.

In addition, I would like to add that if you live in an area of the country that uses chemicals on the roads to melt ice and snow in Winter, you probably have additional pinhole leaks in those lines routed down low and behind the radiator. If the metal ...

So, I can’t put an expansion valve in there so you still think a fixed tube is better than a variable? Why are diesel excursion guys in TX and AZ loving them. I am lost there.
John, How about plan outlined?
I'm not an MVAC engineer and/or MVAC system designer. That said, I stay with the original ...

IMHO, a Variable Orifice Valve (VOV) is nothing but a TXV "wanna-be" but is a poor substitute for it. Under certain high-demand circumstances that might overwhelm a VOV, a TXV's needle will open to its maximum flow rate to relieve some high-side pressure and maintain acceptable cooling. A VOV has no ...

Will try garden hose. What are we trying to achieve? What readings should I see?
By spraying the condenser with water, you are trying to verify the effectiveness of the condenser, whether it has external debris clinging to it, whether it's internally clogged, whether it's sealed around the edges ...

You'll never achieve reasonably cool vent temperatures with a low-side reading of ~50 PSI. If you indeed have a full charge of refrigerant in this fixed-displacement system, weighed-in precisely as it should be, then you probably have a condensing problem, as Tim inferred, or a TXV issue.

Try ...

Unfortunately, you'll have to rebuild the entire system now, as both Tim and Dieseltech67 suggested.

If the can of refrigerant that came from the auto parts store contained sealer, which will internally coat and plug-up, or partially plug-up, every single component in the system, then you'll have ...

After a couple of cross-checks, both sources to which I have access say the same thing: 28 ounces net weight of R-134a, and 4.0 fluid ounces of PAG-46.

Incidently, what are the year, make, model, and engine size of your vehicle? I don't recall your mentioning those.

Does your vehicle have an under-hood decal showing the A/C specs? If so, post them here. If not, I'll see whether I have them.

I've seen blown cases before involving different compressors from yours.

Depending on the size of the leak (minimal), you probably could've left well enough alone and avoided all the trouble as long as the outer cap held pressure without leaking. (See the recent topic in the Forum about that ...