i guess i have a small leak in my A/C system. i had it recharged and it lasted about 3 weeks. i have the recharge kit for the new type of coolant and a bunch of cans. the directions talk about refilling a completely discharged system. can i just refill it the way it is now? if i press on the low side stem air does shoot out so there definitely still is some pressure in there.

the directions say to add 2 cans of coolant upside down, then add a can of A/C oil, then add another cooland can rightside up. anyone have a recommendation on how to do this? because its not fully empty i dont think it will take all those cans. my main concern is with the coolant oil.


im trying to get this to work without spending anymore money.

 

How much is in there? To check, simply place the gauge on the low pressure side without a can of freon on the other side and see what it reads.

 

One way to do this is to look at the sight glass on the top of the receiver/dryer. Now the trick is, do you have a sight glass? The factory ones did have them, many of the aftermarket ones do not. What you need to do is locate the receiver/dryer (mine is right behind the grill). Use a Q-Tip to clean the place where the glass should be (it's located right on top, usually dead center). Start the truck, turn on the A/C and then look for bubbles going past the sight glass. They don't really look like bubbles, but more like milky stream. If you are using R-12, you should charge the system just until the bubbles are gone. In R-134a, you should see a few bubbles when it's fully charged.

Check the low side pressure, it should be around 25 to 35 psi.

 

The two types of refrigerant are not interchangable. The 134 will screw up the the R12 system. It will not cool correctly because the orifices are different sizes for both systems. The 134 is not compatible with the desicant from the R12 ect, ect...... The correct way to fill is with cans upright in warm water.

 

Can you clarify as to exactly what are you saying? I agree that you cannot mix the two refrigerants, but I guarantee that the R-12 system in the 4Runner is capable of handling R-134a; as a matter of fact, I just had a new compressor and evaporator installed and they filled it with R-134a as a matter of standard procedure--no problems whatsoever.

 

I converted my older BMW from R-12 to R134a with no problems. Had the system evacuated, replaced the receiver/dryer (as was recommended) along with those O-Rings and filled the system with R-134a. It's not as cold blowing, but that's more a factor of the R-134 not being as efficient. But I totally agree, you can't mix the two or the oils. But done right, I don't see a problem.