A/C refill DIY - questions

[GriffX]

Hello,

last year I refilled the A/C system with a DIY refill bottle. Due to clImaTe cHange or whatever, my EUdSSR forbid to buy R134a for private use and made special taxes for R134a import, so a refill at the shop is expensive now.

At an ambient temperature of 86F I only got 50F at the vent, so I bought a DIY kit with isobutane/propane mix (R600a/R290), equivalent to 620g R134a.
The initial pressure was 20 psi and the goal pressure was 45 psi, the bottle I had was enough to achieve 40 psi, so not fully recharged.

The last week it was up to 100F outside and the A/C took approximately 1 minute to get to cold temperature. Before I buy a new bottle, my questions are:

1. Is it normal that the system is so low after 18 years? I guess yes, but my other even older car is not low on refrigerant.

2. When I remember, it took always a bit of time until the air at the vent was really cold from the beginning?

3. If I have a leak, it is very small, so probably an hardened O-ring. Does someone has experience with leak stop additives?

4. I think I buy another bottle without the leak stop. The leak-stop bottle contains also compressor oil and there is no oil leak to see, I'm afraid to overfill with oil.

The price of these R600a/R290 bottles are a ripoff, but a refill is done in a few minutes and I think fluorinated compounds shouldn't be escape in the environment at all. The persistence of the new R1234yf is 100 years (it degrades to trifluoracetic acid which rains down. TFA is not biodegradable and must be burned to get destroyed, so it will accumulate in your lawn, no way to avoid this, but DuPont and Honywell are happy). Sorry for my rant

Thanks

 

[brasil]

@ GriffX. is it the kit from Poland ? Bought one...but it did not work . Was for the 2008 Fiesta from my wife... went to a BOSCH Station nearby ...the charged the system.. for 80-90 Euros. Problem solved

 

[Kev555]

I got mine filled professionally about two years ago but it didn't cool very well, compressor kept kicking on and off every few seconds, I got an orifice tube and a new air dryer the next year and I tried topping it up with a home kit. It was at the right pressure but then but no cold air again. I did get metal shavings in the old orifice tube so I assumed the compressor was on its way out.

 

[GriffX]

@ GriffX. is it the kit from Poland ? Bought one...but it did not work . Was for the 2008 Fiesta from my wife... went to a BOSCH Station nearby ...the charged the system.. for 80-90 Euros. Problem solved

A/C Doctor, bottle with valve, was easier than I thought

 

[GriffX]

I got mine filled professionally about two years ago but it didn't cool very well, compressor kept kicking on and off every few seconds, I got an orifice tube and a new air dryer the next year and I tried topping it up with a home kit. It was at the right pressure but then but no cold air again. I did get metal shavings in the old orifice tube so I assumed the compressor was on its way out.

That's bad. Was it a problem to get a new compressor?

 

[Samos3]

Hello,

last year I refilled the A/C system with a DIY refill bottle. Due to clImaTe cHange or whatever, my EUdSSR forbid to buy R134a for private use and made special taxes for R134a import, so a refill at the shop is expensive now.

At an ambient temperature of 86F I only got 50F at the vent, so I bought a DIY kit with isobutane/propane mix (R600a/R290), equivalent to 620g R134a.
The initial pressure was 20 psi and the goal pressure was 45 psi, the bottle I had was enough to achieve 40 psi, so not fully recharged.

The last week it was up to 100F outside and the A/C took approximately 1 minute to get to cold temperature. Before I buy a new bottle, my questions are:

1. Is it normal that the system is so low after 18 years? I guess yes, but my other even older car is not low on refrigerant.

2. When I remember, it took always a bit of time until the air at the vent was really cold from the beginning?

3. If I have a leak, it is very small, so probably an hardened O-ring. Does someone has experience with leak stop additives?

4. I think I buy another bottle without the leak stop. The leak-stop bottle contains also compressor oil and there is no oil leak to see, I'm afraid to overfill with oil.

The price of these R600a/R290 bottles are a ripoff, but a refill is done in a few minutes and I think fluorinated compounds shouldn't be escape in the environment at all. The persistence of the new R1234yf is 100 years (it degrades to trifluoracetic acid which rains down. TFA is not biodegradable and must be burned to get destroyed, so it will accumulate in your lawn, no way to avoid this, but DuPont and Honywell are happy). Sorry for my rant

Thanks

Not unusual after 18 years. Some would be surprised it took that long. I started having to do the small can refills a couple years ago.

A/C systems like to be used once in a while to keep everything oiled so seals don't dry out.

 

[Kev555]

That's bad. Was it a problem to get a new compressor?

I never got one and I might never get one. Yes it could be an issue getting one ATM with the Russian steel rule. Rock auto have them, I only drive it in summer and our summers usually aren't that hot. Maybe if I really want to have the last broken bit working on the car I might tackle it at some stage.

 

[Samos3]

96*F right now and heat index is 105.
The more humid it is the better the a/c works as the extra moisture pulls more heat out of the condensor.
And rpm helps....

 

[StockishS197]

96*F right now and heat index is 105.
The more humid it is the better the a/c works as the extra moisture pulls more heat out of the condensor.
And rpm helps....

I think it’s the opposite. Humid air transfers heat worse than dry and the AC works harder to dry the air vs cooling.

 

[Juice]

Leaky 134 systems are so common, every system I got has green dye in it, from the factory. 08 van, the stang, our daily.
If you think you have a very small leak, add dye when you service it.
If it already has dye, just find the leak.

Ps: daily is a grand marquis. Receiver/dryer rots on those cars. Dye was easy to see on the bottom of it.

 

[GriffX]

A/C systems like to be used once in a while to keep everything oiled so seals don't dry out.

That's a good point, my car goes in winter storage, my others doesn't. And the newer A/C systems are on all the time, they change the compression ratio between on and off, so oil circulates all the time.

 

[GriffX]

I think it’s the opposite. Humid air transfers heat worse than dry and the AC works harder to dry the air vs cooling.

Evaporation enthalpy, for evaporation you need energy and for condensation the energy must be transferred backwards and in this case more R134a needs to get vaporized.

 

[GriffX]

Leaky 134 systems are so common, every system I got has green dye in it, from the factory. 08 van, the stang, our daily.
If you think you have a very small leak, add dye when you service it.
If it already has dye, just find the leak.

Ps: daily is a grand marquis. Receiver/dryer rots on those cars. Dye was easy to see on the bottom of it.

Does it from factory? I searched with an UV torch and could not see any suspicious connection. So maybe I'm good and the combination not fully recharged and R600a explain the changes I noticed.