Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and somewhat new to auto repair. Besides changing brakes, oil, window motors, water pumps, thermostats and adding after market things.

I've heard that refilling the R-134a refrigerant is somewhat easy and I'm fairly certain that's what needs to be done. I bought a Quest A/C booster from AutoZone after talking to the guy at the counter. He said I may need to jumper the compressor to get it to suck the R-134a out of the cans (he said it would probably take 32oz). Can someone send me two pictures of how to do this, please? One picture of the engine to show me where it's located and a detail picture of what to jumper?

I realize that there are other unknowns regarding this but this will be the first "recharge" in the almost 13 years that I've had it. I just want to make sure I have this procedure down in case I need to do it.

Thanks in advance,

Bg

P.S. How about those seat recliner handles?

 

Hello,
You'll need to pull the wire connector from the low pressure switch that is located on the receiver/accumulator (Silver can near the firewall). Pull it and you can usually use a paper clip to jump the harness.

If it's just low on R134a, 32oz seems like a bit much to me. Be cautious and don't overfill it. I would recommend getting a charge kit that has a gauge for reference. They don't cost much.

Add the 134a to the low pressure port also located on the accumulator.

Sorry, don't have pictures but a Haynes repair manual probably does.

 

Oh, by the way, here is an answer to your recliner handles:

http://www.wittydeals.com

 

This video should explain everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dEKH...eature=related

 

While the booster cans will work, they are only a temporary fix. AC systems, like brake systems, are completely sealed. The only way to lose freon is if there is a leak somewhere. And if theres a leak, then air and moisture have entered the system, and thats bad news for your compressor. If you just want cold air, go ahead and stick the can to it. But you'll have to do it again at some point, maybe yearly. Its best to have a proper AC evacuation and refill done with a UV dye kit so you can remove all moisture and identify where the leak is coming from. Most shops will do this for about 60-70 dollars.

 

What exactly do I jumper? Also, is the jumper-ing supposed the keep the compressor for turning on and off?

 

Well, I followed the directions exactly as on the can. When I hooked up the can of R-134a the pressure gauge read 0psi. So I slightly turned the **** on the top and the pressure reading went from 0psi to 60psi which was into the red of the pressure gauge. then the compressor kicked on and the pressure dropped to 25psi then the compressor shut off and the pressure climbed up to 70psi then this repeated one more time before I could turn the truck off and the gauge came to rest at 80psi. now, I know I don't know that much about cars, but i do know that when a gauge has 0psi at one end and 80psi at the other and the needle red-lines on 80psi, that's not a good thing...

All that said, I'm tired of dealing with this thing. In April of 1998 I placed an order with Hubler Chevrolet in Greenwood, IN to have this built just how I wanted it. almost 13 years later I still have it. It's Indigo Blue Metalic and still needs a little work but has a clear title. I have all service records and would be willing to part with it if someone wants to make me an offer. I''m just tired of this thing nickel and dime-ing me to death.

Bg

 

I did the same exact thing yesterday on my 97 blazer 4x4 LT. You are getting a high pressure reading because the compressor is not staying on. The compressor is not staying on because it has a sensor that cuts it off if there isn't enough freon in the system. All you have to do is keep filling it up and when there is enough freon in the system the compressor will stay on. I promise you this will work you dont even need to jump the compressor. Today I enjoyed the AC for the first time in 2 years. However you will need to take advice from the earlier post that said you need to find the leak because the freon had to go somewhere. I still need to find the leak in my system.

Also I have a label under the hood that says my system only takes 14 oz. of r134a.

Let me know if this worked or not.

 

At this point I'm afraid the canister is going to explode! Even after I summed up enough courage to tie a string to the quick release valve of the canister hose and pull it off from a distance the gauge on the canister hose is still reading 70psi, which is still well into the red on the gauge. I just don't feel like pulling chunks of metal out of my arms and face. However, maybe today would be a better day to try it since it's not 95F outside? Should I go buy a new canister and try it again?or should I turn the valve on the canister to release some pressure?

Also, I'm not so concerned with the leak. I'm only planning on keeping it for another few months but wanted to try to get the A/C working again for the hot summer months... Like I said, I've had this truck for 13 years it has some issues.

 

I know what you are going through. I thought the can was going to explode in my hand as well but On the can of r134a I have it says "Pressure reading can only be taken when the compressor cycled is on". So what I did was hooked up the can, turned on the car and the A/C and I waited till the compressor kicked on and then I would pull the trigger for the freon until the compressor shut off. Then I ran behind a the car and waited for the compressor to cut on and repeated this till the compressor stayed on (It took like 10 min. but the compressor started staying on for longer periods of time) Then I filled up the system in accordance with the pressure reading from the back of the can. Finally I took my Blazer for a ride and enjoyed the sweet feeling of A/C.

If you havent used that much freon from that can then you dont need to buy another but you may want to buy a proper gauge. However I did not.

It will work