Jump to content

  • Welcome to Auto Parts Forum

    Whether you are a veteran automotive parts guru or just someone looking for some quick auto parts advice, register today and start a new topic in our forum. Registration is free and you can even sign up with social network platforms such as Facebook, X, and LinkedIn. 

     

Cool Runnings: Recharging the A/C

Counterman
 Share

Recommended Posts

Counterman Contributor

Counterman

Posted
Posted

Air-conditioning (A/C) systems used to be much more forgiving for the DIYer, and professional technicians too. Compared to today’s systems, the different refrigerant and operating characteristics made them easier to charge. The refrigerant amount didn’t have to be as precise, and they used to have a sight glass through which you could see the refrigerant flow. Eliminate the bubbles and you were in good shape.

Is it possible for a DIYer to have success charging their own A/C system? The answer is yes – but with caution. They don’t have to be an A/C master, and as long as they keep a few details in mind, they’ll be blowing cold air in no time. We’ll get into the caution part down the page.

The Basics

Modern A/C systems are very dependable. It’s when they require service that many problems occur. The efficient operation and longevity of today’s R134a and R1234yf systems hinges on the accuracy of the refrigerant and oil charge. This is the most important point to keep in mind.

A topic that can easily be a freight train out of control, why a system is being recharged is a factor in the charging itself. Is the system just a little low or completely empty, and why? Was a component replaced due to a collision or a leak? Was the compressor replaced and was the system properly flushed?

The bottom line is these are factors that must be known to determine the proper amount of oil, if any, that should be added. The amount of oil to be added depends on the component that was replaced, and there’s no set standard. It varies for every component in every car. The manufacturer service information, as well as information included with replacement compressors, must be referenced to get it right.

The Refrigerant

R134a and R1234yf are similar in operation, but R1234yf is much friendlier for the environment, which is why it soon will be the only refrigerant available in new automobiles. R134a eventually will be phased out, but for now it will still be around for a long time to service the vehicles that originally came with it. Even though there are two different types, there’s no decision to be made: Use what the vehicle came with. It’s illegal to use R134a in anything that didn’t originally come with it, and the service fittings are different between the two to eliminate the possibility of cross-contamination.

Charging

Since it’s illegal to dispel any refrigerant into the atmosphere, if refrigerant needs to be recovered for a repair, a DIYer will have to take the vehicle to a shop to do it. That’s assuming they don’t have recovery equipment at home next to the lawnmower, and that’s one assumption I’m willing to make. If the system is completely empty, it will need to be evacuated prior to charging. There’s no way around this and it requires a vacuum pump. As a general rule of thumb, a 45-minute evacuation period is adequate.

In addition to the refrigerant, a DIYer will need to purchase the proper valve and hose, based on their refrigerant, to connect to the A/C system. Cans of refrigerant come with or without them, since they can be transferred between cans. With the proper amount of oil added and the vehicle running with the A/C system on, the refrigerant can be added to the system. It takes time and patience, but the system eventually will draw all refrigerant in.

The tricky part is the amount. It must be precise for proper performance. Again, unless they have charging equipment in the corner, they’ll have to estimate. Professionally, this isn’t acceptable, but it can be done with a little patience.

The easiest way to do this is to buy the cans that get you as close as possible to the proper amount. If you put a complete can of refrigerant in but still need 4 more ounces and you have an 8-ounce can, you just have to guess based on weight.

Many of the charging valves/hoses come with a small gauge. Since you charge from the low side (fittings are also different between low and high side), the gauges will have a “green” area that represents the range of correct low-side pressure for a properly charged system. This is an added tool to indicate proper system operation, and it can be used in conjunction with the amount, but don’t go too deep down this hole. It’s another freight train.

Ambient temperature has an effect on A/C outlet temperature, as well as how easy it is to charge the system. This can throw you off. The best thing to do is charge it at the hottest point of the day, put a thermometer in the dash outlet and monitor the temperature.

If it’s cold on the thermometer, it feels cold coming out of the dash and you’re close to having the right amount of refrigerant, it’s a good time to stop.

Proceed with Caution

When adding oil to an A/C system, it’s imperative to use the correct oil. All oils are not compatible, and they can wreak havoc on an A/C system. Even more important, many electric and hybrid electric vehicles use electric compressors that require a non-conductive oil. To avoid cross-contamination, a DIYer never should use the same can of refrigerant on two different vehicles

The post

link hidden, please login to view
appeared first on
link hidden, please login to view
.

link hidden, please login to view

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Similar Topics

    • Dorman Products
      Cool vs. correct: JDM window glass
      By Dorman Products
      Cool vs. correct: JDM window glass
    • Counterman
      Rislone Hy-per Cool Radiator Cleaner Protects Cooling System
      By Counterman
      Now part of the Rislone Hy-per premium performance-chemical family, Rislone Hy-per Cool Radiator Cleaner & Super Flush (p/n HFL400) is formulated to remove damaging coolant deposits that build up over time and cause engine overheating.
      It also neutralizes acids and helps prevent the formation of scale deposits for longer system life. Its Heavy Duty Xtreme Clean formula cleans the entire cooling system, removing solder bloom, oily residue, rust and scale.
      “One of the unique elements of Rislone Hy-per Cool Radiator Cleaner & Super Flush is that it includes a water pump lubricant and inhibitors that protect the water pump during cleaning,” explains Clayton Parks, vice president of strategic development for Rislone. “This helps prevent other coolant-related issues from developing due to the flushing process.”
      Rislone Hy-per Cool Radiator Cleaner & Super Flush is fast, easy and safe to use in all cooling systems. It removes deposits and coolant gel for a complete cleaning in about 30 minutes. Another benefit: Clean systems run cooler. Customers can use Super Flush every time coolant is changed, whether for light system flushing or heavy-duty cleaning. Rislone recommends treating systems of up to 16 quarts with one 16-ounce (473-millileter) bottle. 
      For best results, add a bottle of Rislone Hy-per Cool Super Coolant when refilling the system to deliver optimal heat transfer performance.
      Like all Rislone Hy-per products, Radiator Cleaner & Super Flush is made in the U.S.A. For a limited time, get a $5 mail-in rebate with every purchase of Rislone Hy-per Cool Radiator Cleaner. Visit 
      link hidden, please login to view to learn more. Check out Rislone Hy-per Cool Radiator Cleaner & Super Flush, as well as the full Rislone lineup, in booth 3616 at AAPEX, Nov. 1-3, 2022 at the Venetian Expo in Las Vegas.
      The post
      link hidden, please login to view appeared first on link hidden, please login to view.
      link hidden, please login to view
    • Counterman
      Keeping Your Cool With R-1234yf
      By Counterman
      The process of cooling the inside of a vehicle is the same process that’s used to cool your home, and they both include the same basic elements: a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator and a system of hoses or tubes. In both situations, the A/C system isn’t producing fresh cold air. Instead, the system is taking existing hot air, removing the heat and moisture, and recirculating it as cold air. 
      While all of the components play an important role, the process wouldn’t be possible without refrigerant. The reason the system uses refrigerant instead of say, water, is because refrigerant has a very low boiling point. So, it’s easy to boil the refrigerant into a vapor – which enables it to quickly remove heat from the air – and to repeat this process over and over.
      Up until the mid-1990s, the most widely used refrigerant was CFC-12, which most people refer to as R-12. The EPA considers R-12 an ozone-depleting chemical and a potent greenhouse gas.
      In the United States, R-12 has been banned for use in newly manufactured vehicles since 1994, but you might come across some pre-1994 cars and trucks that still use it if they haven’t been retrofitted to a non-ozone-depleting refrigerant. And if they haven’t, you might want to recommend a retrofit parts kit if your store carries them.
      Vehicles produced after 1994 use HFC-134a, more commonly known as R-134a. While R-134a isn’t considered an ozone-depleting refrigerant, it is a hydrofluorocarbon, which is a group that generally poses a very high potential to contribute to climate change, according to the EPA. This is commonly referred to as GWP, or global-warming potential. Automakers began transitioning to R-134a with 1992 model-year vehicles, and by the 1995 model year, all new vehicles sold with air conditioners in the United States used R-134a.
      Starting in 2012, the automakers began shifting to HFO-1234yf, more commonly known as R-1234yf. This is a far more environmentally friendly alternative to the aforementioned refrigerants. While R-1234yf is mildly flammable, it isn’t considered an ozone-depleting refrigerant. According to the EPA website, R-1234yf has a GWP of 4, compared to 1,430 for R-134a.
      The Chemours Company, which manufacturers Opteon YF refrigerant for automotive A/C systems, estimates that more than 80 million light-duty vehicles on the road today in the United States were factory-filled with R-1234yf refrigerant. That number will continue to grow, as Chemours estimates that 95% of vehicles manufactured for sale in 2022 will use R-1234yf as part of their original-equipment design.
      “The advantage with R-1234yf is that it has a zero ozone-depletion potential, and it has an exceptionally low global-warming potential,” says Christina Spalding, business development manager, thermal & specialized solutions, at Chemours. “This is why we’ve seen a significant number of U.S. car manufacturers converge on R-1234yf, even though fundamentally there’s no mandate requiring them to do so.”
      Chrysler was an early adopter of R-1234yf, going all the way back to the 2014 model year. The list of automakers using R-1234yf in vehicle models in the United States today includes Audi, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and others.
      It’s just a matter of time before R-1234yf is found in the majority of vehicles in the overall U.S. fleet, explains Constantine Giannaris, North American mobile marketing consultant for thermal & specialized solutions at Chemours.
      “We encourage retail stores and shop owners to make the investment [in R-1234yf supplies] sooner rather than later to begin reaping the benefits now and into the future,” he adds.
      Aftermarket Opportunities
      While working on R-1234yf systems isn’t much different from R-134a systems in terms of operation or theory, identifying the refrigerant and recharging the system have some new twists.
      To determine if a vehicle was factory-filled with R-1234yf, there’s a label under the hood that indicates the type of refrigerant that the vehicle uses. (This information also is available in the owner’s manual.) This is an important point, because it’s illegal to use R-134a in vehicle that was factory-filled with R-1234yf.
      If your store isn’t seeing a lot of demand for R-1234yf yet, an easy to way to dip your toe in the water is to stock R-1234yf cans. Chemours offers its Opteon YF automotive refrigerant in self-sealing 12-ounce and 28-ounce cans. Purchasing R-1234yf in a can doesn’t require EPA 609 Technician Training and Certification, which means anyone can purchase them. However, DIY demand for R-1234yf is small compared to the more mature R-134a DIY market.
      Even so, you might have some DIY customers who want to “top off” their R-1234yf systems. In these situations, make sure your customers know that they won’t be able to use an R-134a charging hose to connect to the service port on an R-1234yf vehicle. While R-134a and R-1234yf air-conditioning systems are very similar in terms of their overall design, the respective service ports are different, to prevent the refrigerants from being mixed. To recharge an R-1234yf system, your DIY customers will need a gauge-and-hose set with hose couplers that fit an R-1234yf service port – another potential sales opportunity for your store. 
      That said, you also might want to tell your customers that simply topping off the refrigerant might not solve the problem if the air conditioning isn’t working. It could be a mechanical or electrical issue, or a refrigerant leak (the most common cause of cooling problems). If a refrigerant leak is suspected, you can recommend an ultraviolet leak-detection dye or an electronic leak-detector tool. There are some kits out there that include the dye, the injection gun, UV glasses and even a fluorescent light to help them find the leak.
      On the DIFM side, your professional customers will need a new recover/recycle/recharge (RRR) machine to service R-1234yf vehicles, although there are some machines on the market that can service R-134a and R-1234yf vehicles.
      Chemours Opteon YF offers 10-pound and 25-pound cylinders for use with RRR machines. The cylinders are for professional technicians, as they need EPA Section 609 certification to purchase them. The 10-pound cylinders by far are the most popular, according to Giannaris.
      With approximately 15 million R-1234yf passenger vehicles coming out of their factory warranty each year, aftermarket demand for R-1234yf refills and service is growing steadily. For parts stores that haven’t started stocking R-1234yf cylinders yet, Spalding recommends “planting the seeds” with their DIFM customers.
      “If you’re selling cylinders of R-134a, those are potential customers for cylinders of R-1234yf,” Spalding says. “Ask your customers if they are seeing the increase in vehicles containing yf at their shops. I think there is a lot that a retailer can bring to their customers in terms of educating them about how the market is changing and how the fleet is changing. If you recognize a customer has been purchasing R-134a from you for quite some time, asking them how you can help them transition to R-1234yf can go a long way.”
      The post
      link hidden, please login to view appeared first on link hidden, please login to view.
      link hidden, please login to view

×
×
  • Create New...