1997 850 N.A. A/C refilled, months later warmer

mika · Post by **mika** » 01 Jul 2015, 10:29

I have tried researching AC theory and trouble shooting, but feel like it is making no sense to me. I am only looking for practical advice I guess: here is the situation:

An "a/c service" was done in May of 2014 (dye, vac, and re fill). Summer came around (May2015) and the compressor was not engaging. The clutch gap was already fixed, so I figured it was low on Freon. So I got a hose and a can of ac refrigerant, filled her up with a medium sized can, and AC has been working OK for 2 months or so. Now, it is slowly getting not as a cold, and also I can hear the clutch engaging quit often (every few seconds). I would assume there is a leak somewhere.

q's:
-should I just "top it off again" and not worry about it till next summer?
-Would the correct course of action be to find a guage to measure the pressure, say from the rent a tool program at orielly's?
-Do the guages plug into the same port as the fill can? What is the recommended pressure?
-I would also assume there is a correct way to vaccume the old stuff out, but if mine is leaky, did it already go to the atmosphere (know this is bad for mother earth)

obayha · Post by **obayha** » 01 Jul 2015, 10:51

At the age, I would try and add more and limp through the summer. The service you pulled on it should of showed problems if they were there then, but anything can happen the next day or week. Get a can with the gauge on it and fill it per direction and watch for the air getting warmer or the cycling of the A/C, which will tell you it is happening again. The fix is a job from what I have read. The new stuff is not as bad for the atmosphere as the old.
Others will chime in, as I think we all have this problem as some time.
Shane

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 01 Jul 2015, 15:43

Chances are your evaporator is packing it in, it won't get any better on its own but I have nursed a couple of them through a summer by adding R-134A. The problem becomes one of cost, I think they are getting somewhere around $9.00 a can for refrigerant and that can add up quick if you are dumping in a can every couple of weeks.

I don't think any of the chain stores "rent" manifold gauge sets but there are some cans that have a rudimentary gauge built in but that comes at a cost as well. I saw some on an end aisle display at Home Depot a couple of days ago and I think they were around $34.00 and I don't know that the gauge is usable on the cheaper cans after the first can runs out. If you catch a sale at Harbor Freight the manifold gauge set is around $40.00 and you can use the small cans with it.

The clutch cycling does typically indicate that it is low on refrigerant.

...Lee