a/c loses charge
#1
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a/c loses charge
i own a 92 bonneville se.
everytime i charge my a/c. it loses its charge right away. what should i look at?
also just out of curiously how much did my car cost when they first came out i cant find it online?
everytime i charge my a/c. it loses its charge right away. what should i look at?
also just out of curiously how much did my car cost when they first came out i cant find it online?
#2
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Have you been recharging it yourself? If so, does your filler have a gauge? Does it hold any with the engine off, or does the can drain and you never get any pressure?
If it is leaking out that fast you should be able to see or hear the leak. If you fill it and start it with the A/C on then look under the hood, you will probably see a hole or loose fitting somewhere.
If it is leaking out that fast you should be able to see or hear the leak. If you fill it and start it with the A/C on then look under the hood, you will probably see a hole or loose fitting somewhere.
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yes i recharge it myself. itll feel cold when i put it in then the next time it doesnt get cold. i honestly dont know. my dad said something about putting some kind of dye in with it to see where it leaks but i think its more then that because no i cant hear it leaking
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So you have checked with a gauge and it has lost pressure? You want to make sure before you rule out other possibilities. Also want to make sure it is not to full.
#6
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I'm pretty sure to much pressure can damage/lock up the compressor. I'm sure it can do other things as well. Check the pressure, usually the gauge will have a green zone that you want to be in.
#8
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Assuming it is losing pressure, and not overcharging, you will likely want to use something like this:
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/cat...randName=Quest
What will happen is the dye will fluoresce under uv light and will be unmistakable, and you will have found your leak. If a overpressure situation is happening, there is a high pressure switch that supposedly kills the compressor, much like the low pressure switch. But if that was the case, charging it would likely make the problem worse, and the compressor would run less than it did even before, and that doesn't sound like the case.
One dumb issue I had a problem with was valves. Make sure they are not leaking. I could tell it was my problem by charging, and then filling the valve with water, and I could see bubbles. Spraying soapy water all over the place could do the trick also, but is like a brute force method, takes time, but is a cheap troubleshooting tool.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/cat...randName=Quest
What will happen is the dye will fluoresce under uv light and will be unmistakable, and you will have found your leak. If a overpressure situation is happening, there is a high pressure switch that supposedly kills the compressor, much like the low pressure switch. But if that was the case, charging it would likely make the problem worse, and the compressor would run less than it did even before, and that doesn't sound like the case.
One dumb issue I had a problem with was valves. Make sure they are not leaking. I could tell it was my problem by charging, and then filling the valve with water, and I could see bubbles. Spraying soapy water all over the place could do the trick also, but is like a brute force method, takes time, but is a cheap troubleshooting tool.
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I've recharged my A/C system and troubleshooted it a couple of times.
Double check all of the fittings first. No point in buying Dye to fill your system if the problem is rather simple. This sounds like a dumb idea especially if you've fixed your A/C system before, but it happened to me. I replaced all of the seals, the valves, the canister, the orifice tube, and refilled the system. 1 year later (two days ago), I wanted to use the A/C for the first time and it wouldn't come on. The whole system was empty with a pressure of 0. I filled it up and I instantly heard the hissing sound of the leak, which happened to be the fitting right next to the valve. It was so loose you could turn it by hand, and I know I tightened it the first time I did this job.
If that doesn't work, buy the UV dye and use that in the system first. The dye can is pressurized, and if the leak is that large, you should be able to locate it instantly. As mentioned, the color is unmistakable. Mine is a very bright neon green.
If you find that there'* a leak somewhere at a fitting that'* already tight, you'll want to pick up an o-ring kit to replace all of the seals. While you're at it, replace the orifice tube, which is around $1 and gets clogged often, and replace the high and low side valves. Those are fairly cheap to replace.
Not sure how Bonnevilles are as I only did this job on my Regal, but you should be able to use just two conventional cans of straight refrigerant (not the larger and taller refill cans). You'll want your pressure to be between 30 and 40 psi while the A/C is running.
Double check all of the fittings first. No point in buying Dye to fill your system if the problem is rather simple. This sounds like a dumb idea especially if you've fixed your A/C system before, but it happened to me. I replaced all of the seals, the valves, the canister, the orifice tube, and refilled the system. 1 year later (two days ago), I wanted to use the A/C for the first time and it wouldn't come on. The whole system was empty with a pressure of 0. I filled it up and I instantly heard the hissing sound of the leak, which happened to be the fitting right next to the valve. It was so loose you could turn it by hand, and I know I tightened it the first time I did this job.
If that doesn't work, buy the UV dye and use that in the system first. The dye can is pressurized, and if the leak is that large, you should be able to locate it instantly. As mentioned, the color is unmistakable. Mine is a very bright neon green.
If you find that there'* a leak somewhere at a fitting that'* already tight, you'll want to pick up an o-ring kit to replace all of the seals. While you're at it, replace the orifice tube, which is around $1 and gets clogged often, and replace the high and low side valves. Those are fairly cheap to replace.
Not sure how Bonnevilles are as I only did this job on my Regal, but you should be able to use just two conventional cans of straight refrigerant (not the larger and taller refill cans). You'll want your pressure to be between 30 and 40 psi while the A/C is running.
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