- Local time
- 8:15 PM
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2012
- Messages
- 38,805
- Reaction score
- 141,318
- Location
- Granite Bay CA
With the Summer not too far away, I want to get the system working properly again.
I added the refrigerant 6 weeks or so ago but testing for cold air when it is 45 degrees in the shop wasn't telling me much.
Rooting around in the shop, I found this stuff:
I borrowed this from a guy that later moved out of state. I've had that happen before in another way. Back in my construction days, sometimes I'd borrow a tool from some guy that got laid off and left early without his tool.
30 lb tank. I guess this can be refilled? I have no intention of refilling 15 cars like a full tank of this kind would allow but I'm guessing one could just get a partial refill?
Of all the videos I've seen, they all look similar. Blue line for the low side, yellow for filling and extracting, red for high side. NONE of the fittings fit any of the other ports, they are unique.
To evacuate the system, a vacuum pump like this is necessary.
I've learned that the condition where a system sits at a high level of vacuum somehow generates heat that eliminates the humidity and contaminants in the system.
I may just play this by ear....I may only do leak testing, I may take it further and actually fill it too. I'm curious about why it lost pressure.
To recap:
I installed the system in late 2019. It took until Spring 2022 before I had it charged. I went to a BMW repair shop owned by a guy that I've known for years. I've framed the roofs on 4 of his homes so he was kind and did the job free.
The guy that charged it did not follow the stated procedures where the system had to be sitting with a vacuum for 30-45 minutes. He didn't charge it with the engine off. I don't know if he even used the exact amount of refrigerant. The guy doing the work was an employee of the shop, not the owner. Some mechanics are like Doctors where they don't like to be told what to do.
The air blew cold afterwards so I figured that we dodged a bullet.
The instructions state....
If I need a new compressor, so be it but that doesn't explain why it loses pressure. If I can put a vacuum in the system and if it holds, at least I know my ugly hose crimps are actually holding.
I added the refrigerant 6 weeks or so ago but testing for cold air when it is 45 degrees in the shop wasn't telling me much.
Rooting around in the shop, I found this stuff:
I borrowed this from a guy that later moved out of state. I've had that happen before in another way. Back in my construction days, sometimes I'd borrow a tool from some guy that got laid off and left early without his tool.
30 lb tank. I guess this can be refilled? I have no intention of refilling 15 cars like a full tank of this kind would allow but I'm guessing one could just get a partial refill?
Of all the videos I've seen, they all look similar. Blue line for the low side, yellow for filling and extracting, red for high side. NONE of the fittings fit any of the other ports, they are unique.
To evacuate the system, a vacuum pump like this is necessary.
I've learned that the condition where a system sits at a high level of vacuum somehow generates heat that eliminates the humidity and contaminants in the system.
I may just play this by ear....I may only do leak testing, I may take it further and actually fill it too. I'm curious about why it lost pressure.
To recap:
I installed the system in late 2019. It took until Spring 2022 before I had it charged. I went to a BMW repair shop owned by a guy that I've known for years. I've framed the roofs on 4 of his homes so he was kind and did the job free.
The guy that charged it did not follow the stated procedures where the system had to be sitting with a vacuum for 30-45 minutes. He didn't charge it with the engine off. I don't know if he even used the exact amount of refrigerant. The guy doing the work was an employee of the shop, not the owner. Some mechanics are like Doctors where they don't like to be told what to do.
The air blew cold afterwards so I figured that we dodged a bullet.
The instructions state....
If I need a new compressor, so be it but that doesn't explain why it loses pressure. If I can put a vacuum in the system and if it holds, at least I know my ugly hose crimps are actually holding.