1998 Volvo V70XC AC recharge

jonathand · Post by **jonathand** » 11 Jul 2009, 16:21

Not sure if I am doing this right.
I just bought a R-134a Recharge kit with the hose at Autozone.
I believe I am following the directions but not getting the desired results.

I found the Schrader valve near the passenger headlight, It was marked 6nm,
With the car running and the AC on max, I look at the pressure gauge (on the kit) and it cycles below 20 psi and 60 psi every 30 seconds or less.
The can does not feel like it lost any refrigerant, and the AC does not seem to be any cooler
I checked that the seal was broken on by unscrewing enough to hear the refrigerant coming out. I have to add that I did back off the screw after breaking the seal during the recharge process.

Additionally I was concerned as it appears the old Refrigerant was green. It was done by a professional last time and I am hoping that it was dyed intentionally. I believe I have the right valve because the kit hose fitting fit and the pressure cycled with the compressor.

Post by **matthew1** » 12 Jul 2009, 10:45

Sounds like you're doing things right. Just to be sure:

Post by **wheelsup** » 12 Jul 2009, 22:07

Sometimes those gauges can be inaccurate. I fill mine above the recommended gauge pressure because otherwise the compressor will continue to cycle. Also it seems the system will simply not take any more refrigerant above a certain point. In other words you really can't overfill it to the point of damaging it.

The green dye is a UV dye to be used in finding the leak. That's normal.

It takes a good 15 minutes or more to unload the 134a if the system is empty. I hold the can so that it "flows" out at about a 90 degree angle.

P.S. The 134a bottles at Wal-Mart are a lot cheaper than the ones at Autozone/Advance.

Jellobmw · Post by **Jellobmw** » 13 Jul 2009, 06:11

I tried the same thing on my 98 V79R. Couldn't get it to take a charge.

So I took it to the local A/C shop and he charged me $45 to charge and inspect the system.

He had one of those freon cans from AutoZone on display, and told me they have a crappy valve and rarely work.

jonathand · Post by **jonathand** » 13 Jul 2009, 15:28

Thanks for the replies,
After being reassured I had not done anything too misguided, I performed the recharge again.
I did miss a simple thing that I am including to prevent others from this mistake.
After screwing the valve from the kit down to puncture the can you need to back it off all the way in order for the refrigerant to flow

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 13 Jul 2009, 17:40

Hopefully you are nice and cool now.

...Lee