Chris95Z

iTrader: (3)

Hey all, it is pretty damn hot here and driving from work in the afternoon for 30 min in the heat has become old really quickly. Today I bought some r134a and noticed that I had a lot of pressure in my system. So because I'm psychic and can see things in my mind I noticed lots of dead air in my lines with little freon when I envisioned my self pushing a screw driver and rag in the low side valve all the while there was very little freon deposits on my rag. So While in this altered state of consciousness I obviously saw a drop in pressure with my guage because I wouldn't dare do this for real

My question is this though, for those of you who have had your system drained and refilled by an a/c shop, how much did it cost to drain/fill? I just wanted to get some idea of what it will end up costing, thanks.

Camaroholic

iTrader: (1)

Keep in mind, I'm no expert. I've just been learning about A/C systems.

You don't "dream about seeing freon", I don't think, you'd be "dreaming about seeing oil". Doesn't mean it's not in there. A/C systems have oil in them.

By high pressure, what do you mean? If you see the condition where the high side of the system is overcharged, and the low side of the system is undercharged, then odds are good that you have debris in the system and would need at least a new expansion valve (it could be clogged, hence the pressure differentials), likely a new compressor, new accumulator, and have the system completely flushed.

Were you using a gauge set, and were you taking measurements of high side and low side? I think that's really the only way to do an initial diagnosis.

My whole point is, that a drain/fill may not fix your problem, because you may have 'junk' in the system that will cause you to waste your money. A flush involves removing components from the car and cleaning them out piece by piece (by spraying an A/C cleaner through them).

Chris95Z

iTrader: (3)

I didn't touch the high side valve but I noticed aout 40psi on the low side and while my a/c clutch was eng/dis my pressure was jumping back and forth and it would kick back and forth literally every few sec, it worried me because it would jump to about mid 60s. But when I drained the system a bit on the low side with a screwdriver I took a guage reading of a little less than 30 psi if i remember correctly. I also noticed that my a/c clutch wasn't going nuts either anymore, so I figured it was a positive sign and furthermore was simply wondering if I could get the old stuff out and filled with new oil/conditioner/freon to see if it would keep the car cold for a few mo. replacing parts is likely not going to happen anytime soon if it was to come to that

epa/legal disclaimer: this never happened

Phoenix 5.7

iTrader: (7)

if you know a gooooood A/C shop, i would see if u can get a free diagnosis. it shouldn't take them more than 5 min to do a quick check and make some recommendations

joshp14

iTrader: (5)

R134A pressure is equal to ambient temp. So if it's 75 degrees outside, and your car has been sitting outside for a few hours, then your gauge should read around 75psi on EITHER pressure side fitting. An Evacuate/Recharge is usually $100-125 depending on the shop. If you have a leak then it will be more because they will have to find the leak, then replace whatever is leaking.

BTW, I believe the only 4th gens that had an expansion valve (TXV) system were the 93's. Everything newer is fixed orifice tube (FOT).

Phoenix 5.7

iTrader: (7)

what are you talkin about? the low side should be around 35 and the high gets up to like 200

joshp14

iTrader: (5)

Yes, when the vehicle is running. But if you read above, I said after it has been sitting for a few hours with the car off to let the refrigerent reach ambient temps. If the vehicle is running, pressures on the high side can reach 300 psi if its a hot day.