new today
#11
07-25-2021, 08:10 PM
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Parkville, Missouri
Posts: 10
Well,
Now you are a lady with some AC experience 🙂.
Can you please post two pictures of the the reading on the gauge? One with the car not running, the second with the car running and the AC engaged.
Thanks.
Sorry if I have been coming off as an ***, obnoxious, impatient, etc. Been in a lot of pain with a chronic condition while trying to find a job which I actually did. Alot of stress. None of which is your fault.
And I am the things I mentioned at the beginning of the last paragraph. Just not keeping them in check lately.
Now you are a lady with some AC experience 🙂.
Can you please post two pictures of the the reading on the gauge? One with the car not running, the second with the car running and the AC engaged.
Thanks.
Sorry if I have been coming off as an ***, obnoxious, impatient, etc. Been in a lot of pain with a chronic condition while trying to find a job which I actually did. Alot of stress. None of which is your fault.
And I am the things I mentioned at the beginning of the last paragraph. Just not keeping them in check lately.
#12
07-25-2021, 09:42 PM
General rule of thumb is that when nothing is running, the low pressure reading should be approximately the same as the temperature outside. The gauges you get with the cans to refill your system are labeled in such a way that it is easy to misinterpret what you are seeing.
Most of the readings you would expect to get if the system is properly filled are in the 70s 80s 90s which are probably in the red zone of that gauge. That doesn't necessarily mean the system is overfilled. As long as it more or less corresponds to the temperature outside you should be okay with nothing running. Since the compressor it is not running, the low side pressure and the high side pressure (other side of the compressor should be about equal. Say 80 high 80 low.
When the compressor kicks in, the high side pressure rises to about 220 to 230 while the low side pressure drops from 80 to somewhere around 15 to 20.
So you read 220 high 20 low.
When you turn the vehicle off, after the pressure equalizes you are back to 80 and 80.
Based on your description, you probably filled it to the appropriate amount ish, but the red on the gauge instinctively told you otherwise because red means stop, danger, bad, vampire, etc.
The fact that it reads in the green without the vehicle running tells me you probably let most of the refrigerant out of the system. There's enough pressure left to not trigger the low pressure switch, but there is not enough refrigerant to compress to create cool air from.
Since your vehicle seems to have a leak, you may wish to invest in a not terribly expensive gauge set. I found one in AutoZone about 8 years ago. I can go look up for the manufacturer is. I'm sure the values are not quite spot on, but they don't need to be for a 26-year-old air conditioning system. The benefit is that being able to compare high side and low side pressures helps you to understand why you are seeing what you are seeing or not seeing what you are not seeing.
Even more importantly, it keeps you away from your ex, who, if he was a better man, would still be in the relationship.
The number of ounces of refrigerant corresponding to a full charged system are on a sticker under the hood, usually the same one with the diagram of the serpentine belt, the spark plug firing order, etc etc.
As long as you do not add more than that to an empty system you can't possibly be overloading it. Always measure the pressure first and track it as you go. It gets harder and harder to get more into the system as it gets full when adding it from a lowish pressure can the way we do so it is somewhat self-limiting.
Do you have the gauge with you or do you remember the brand name on the refrigerant bottle? Just trying to make sure I'm not blowing smoke you know where
Most of the readings you would expect to get if the system is properly filled are in the 70s 80s 90s which are probably in the red zone of that gauge. That doesn't necessarily mean the system is overfilled. As long as it more or less corresponds to the temperature outside you should be okay with nothing running. Since the compressor it is not running, the low side pressure and the high side pressure (other side of the compressor should be about equal. Say 80 high 80 low.
When the compressor kicks in, the high side pressure rises to about 220 to 230 while the low side pressure drops from 80 to somewhere around 15 to 20.
So you read 220 high 20 low.
When you turn the vehicle off, after the pressure equalizes you are back to 80 and 80.
Based on your description, you probably filled it to the appropriate amount ish, but the red on the gauge instinctively told you otherwise because red means stop, danger, bad, vampire, etc.
The fact that it reads in the green without the vehicle running tells me you probably let most of the refrigerant out of the system. There's enough pressure left to not trigger the low pressure switch, but there is not enough refrigerant to compress to create cool air from.
Since your vehicle seems to have a leak, you may wish to invest in a not terribly expensive gauge set. I found one in AutoZone about 8 years ago. I can go look up for the manufacturer is. I'm sure the values are not quite spot on, but they don't need to be for a 26-year-old air conditioning system. The benefit is that being able to compare high side and low side pressures helps you to understand why you are seeing what you are seeing or not seeing what you are not seeing.
Even more importantly, it keeps you away from your ex, who, if he was a better man, would still be in the relationship.
The number of ounces of refrigerant corresponding to a full charged system are on a sticker under the hood, usually the same one with the diagram of the serpentine belt, the spark plug firing order, etc etc.
As long as you do not add more than that to an empty system you can't possibly be overloading it. Always measure the pressure first and track it as you go. It gets harder and harder to get more into the system as it gets full when adding it from a lowish pressure can the way we do so it is somewhat self-limiting.
Do you have the gauge with you or do you remember the brand name on the refrigerant bottle? Just trying to make sure I'm not blowing smoke you know where
Last edited by derf; 07-25-2021 at 09:44 PM.
#13
07-25-2021, 09:58 PM
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Parkville, Missouri
Posts: 10
General rule of thumb is that when nothing is running, the low pressure reading should be approximately the same as the temperature outside. The gauges you get with the cans to refill your system are labeled in such a way that it is easy to misinterpret what you are seeing.
Most of the readings you would expect to get if the system is properly filled are in the 70s 80s 90s which are probably in the red zone of that gauge. That doesn't necessarily mean the system is overfilled. As long as it more or less corresponds to the temperature outside you should be okay with nothing running. Since the compressor it is not running, the low side pressure and the high side pressure (other side of the compressor should be about equal. Say 80 high 80 low.
When the compressor kicks in, the high side pressure rises to about 220 to 230 while the low side pressure drops from 80 to somewhere around 15 to 20.
So you read 220 high 20 low.
When you turn the vehicle off, after the pressure equalizes you are back to 80 and 80.
Based on your description, you probably filled it to the appropriate amount ish, but the red on the gauge instinctively told you otherwise because red means stop, danger, bad, vampire, etc.
The fact that it reads in the green without the vehicle running tells me you probably let most of the refrigerant out of the system. There's enough pressure left to not trigger the low pressure switch, but there is not enough refrigerant to compress to create cool air from.
Since your vehicle seems to have a leak, you may wish to invest in a not terribly expensive gauge set. I found one in AutoZone about 8 years ago. I can go look up for the manufacturer is. I'm sure the values are not quite spot on, but they don't need to be for a 26-year-old air conditioning system. The benefit is that being able to compare high side and low side pressures helps you to understand why you are seeing what you are seeing or not seeing what you are not seeing.
Even more importantly, it keeps you away from your ex, who, if he was a better man, would still be in the relationship.
The number of ounces of refrigerant corresponding to a full charged system are on a sticker under the hood, usually the same one with the diagram of the serpentine belt, the spark plug firing order, etc etc.
As long as you do not add more than that to an empty system you can't possibly be overloading it. Always measure the pressure first and track it as you go. It gets harder and harder to get more into the system as it gets full when adding it from a lowish pressure can the way we do so it is somewhat self-limiting.
Do you have the gauge with you or do you remember the brand name on the refrigerant bottle? Just trying to make sure I'm not blowing smoke you know where
Most of the readings you would expect to get if the system is properly filled are in the 70s 80s 90s which are probably in the red zone of that gauge. That doesn't necessarily mean the system is overfilled. As long as it more or less corresponds to the temperature outside you should be okay with nothing running. Since the compressor it is not running, the low side pressure and the high side pressure (other side of the compressor should be about equal. Say 80 high 80 low.
When the compressor kicks in, the high side pressure rises to about 220 to 230 while the low side pressure drops from 80 to somewhere around 15 to 20.
So you read 220 high 20 low.
When you turn the vehicle off, after the pressure equalizes you are back to 80 and 80.
Based on your description, you probably filled it to the appropriate amount ish, but the red on the gauge instinctively told you otherwise because red means stop, danger, bad, vampire, etc.
The fact that it reads in the green without the vehicle running tells me you probably let most of the refrigerant out of the system. There's enough pressure left to not trigger the low pressure switch, but there is not enough refrigerant to compress to create cool air from.
Since your vehicle seems to have a leak, you may wish to invest in a not terribly expensive gauge set. I found one in AutoZone about 8 years ago. I can go look up for the manufacturer is. I'm sure the values are not quite spot on, but they don't need to be for a 26-year-old air conditioning system. The benefit is that being able to compare high side and low side pressures helps you to understand why you are seeing what you are seeing or not seeing what you are not seeing.
Even more importantly, it keeps you away from your ex, who, if he was a better man, would still be in the relationship.
The number of ounces of refrigerant corresponding to a full charged system are on a sticker under the hood, usually the same one with the diagram of the serpentine belt, the spark plug firing order, etc etc.
As long as you do not add more than that to an empty system you can't possibly be overloading it. Always measure the pressure first and track it as you go. It gets harder and harder to get more into the system as it gets full when adding it from a lowish pressure can the way we do so it is somewhat self-limiting.
Do you have the gauge with you or do you remember the brand name on the refrigerant bottle? Just trying to make sure I'm not blowing smoke you know where
WOW more info than I would have ever thought thank you so very much! I used A/C pro brand it was like 50$ a can . Yes it's a nice reusable gauge . Ended up buying one for the ex also. But that's a good fix to have a when it's 100 out side. Watch for me for my next great adventure 😊 it'll be coming soon!!!
Hope it's good for rest of Summer.
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