Hi-

I have a 92 SE and am converting over to 134a.
Have flushed system, put on adapters and went to
fill and the system and it is not accepting the refrigerant into
the system. I hook up the bottle with the gauge and it
reads danger level.

Went to my local auto parts store, they checked fittings and they
said the gauge is reading the bottle pressure, the refrigerant is
not getting into the system... and think that my
ac compressor is not engaging.... which they think has to happen
so the stuff can cycle through the system.

Checked all fuses.. they are o.k.
My manual says something about a relay but I have no idea
where that is or how to find it... or if that is what is causing the
problem.

Anyone had this problem or can give direction?.
Thanks

Is there a problem with the fitting on the low side? Why would it not accept refrigerant? Do you have electronic climate control?

fitting was checked.. seems to be working.

don't have electronic climate control.

Yes, in order for the refrigerant to get into the system, the compressor has to draw the low side down far enough to accept the charge. Look under the hood. The A/C relay is the one closest to the accumulator on the firewall.

found the relays. can't seem to remove it though... but
am working on it.

I have started my car after attempting to remove it and
the air cond. compressor now kicks in about 5 or 6 times, each time
for a period of about 5 seconds, and then it stops.

I thought maybe my wiggiling the relay might have done something...
which leads me to ask that if the compressor is now kicking in (briefly), does
that mean that it is definetly the relay ... or could it be something else?

tried to put refrigerant into the system, and it took a little (very, very, very little) and
then it stopped. Am I correct in thinking that when the compressor kicked
in it made enough room for a little bit more refigerant?

thanks for the help..

just tried starting the car again and turned the ac on and the
compessor did not kick in... so now nothing is happening with
the compressor...

puzzleing.....

You have to charge the refrigerant with the A/C on. If you have a code in the PCM for low refrigerant, then you are going to have to disconnect the battery for a minute to clear the code. Otherwise the compressor won't turn at all.

Do you have pressure gauges and a vacuum? Are you familiar with jumping the terminals at the low pressure switch?

It is normal for a system that is low or out of refrigerant, for the compressor to cycle briefly as you described. As the system fills up, the compressor will run for increasingly longer times until it runs pretty much continuously when fully charged.

As Fuddy said, make sure the AC is on high. I find that filling on the suction side when sitting can be a very slow process, but if you wire up the can in a safe spot in the engine compartment, so that you can close the hood and drive the car, the air forced through the condenser will allow the system to operate much more efficiently and it will take the charge much more quickly. You can tell when the can is empty by feeling near the bottom, if it is still cold, there is some left. If warm, it'* all gone and time for the next one. On a warm day, you can charge a 12oz can of 134a in about 4-5 minutes at 50 mph.

If the system was opened, it will need to be evacuated by pulling a good (29"+) vacuum for 45 minutes to remove moisture before you recharge. You may want to consider changing the receiver/dryer if the system was open to the atmosphere for a significant length of time, especially under humid conditions. AC systems cannot tolerate humidity at all.

It is safest to have the system evacuated before you recharge it. That way you can keep track of exactly how much refrigerant you put in so that you don't overcharge it.

Don't forget to put an oil charge in to replace what leaked out before repairs, or you can destroy your compressor.

Good luck

Thanks for all the feedback...

Put in a new ac compressor control relay... no change.

The system is just not accepting the refrigerant....

Will fiddle and see what happens...

Thanks

could there be a electrical problem somewhere