94 r134a high side port R&R

[canyoncritter]

94ranger 4.0L R134a a/c .bought truck with the a/c not working.P/o said something about the high psi switch leaked,and it did. so changed that out. vacumed down the system and it held a vaccum for 3 days. Awsome....

went to my local manny,moe and jerk off, and got a few can of r134,$14.99 ea, plus a 10 dollar core charge.And a new Ca aproved tapper for the Ca aproved can. Yeah I was bitching too but I kinda like it.If you dont use the whole can, etc it seals its self off and can be used again later.

So charge it up, and I got myself some nice 40o vent air.on a 100o day.SWEEEETT.

pull the quick disco's from the service ports,thinking Im going to go frezze my ass off on the way to the gas station. But my dam high psi service port is leaking.

so I threw the quick disco's back on and shut them down to block up the leak.threw the gauges on, and watched the PSI's and they all were both in check.

So I capped off the disco's and ran with it for a couple day's.Cranks out the cold, no funny noises,and for dam sure would make healdlights on a female passenger.

thinking it was just your normal scharder valve core type of deal,I went back to the parts store, and got a valve core,let some guy from c-list evac my system.
go to stick my sharder valve tool in to get this dam core and UMMM WTF is this.....

So looks like your replace the whole "cap/fitting" so to say to replace this dam thing.

So who's R&R the high PSI port before, any tips, tricks and chuckels of good luck,with out twisting the line off.....

 

[adsm08]

The valve on the high side works similarly to, but is much larger than, a standard schrader valve. Replacing it should be the same. But some residue will be left on the top of the valve after charging the system. I won't condemn a valve without dripping some water in it and watching for bubbles first.

 

[4x4junkie]

went to my local manny,moe and jerk off, and got a few can of r134,$14.99 ea,

You did put 7oz. of PAG-46 lubricant in there along with the R-134a, correct?

 

[killj0y]

Mine just screwed off and the new one went on. I had bubbles.

 

[CraigK]

No help here on replacing the valve, but I just had a very similar issue with the newly replaced line and hi-side valve on my 94 Explorer - and ended up (so far) not having to do a repacement.

After hi-side gauge removal, tiny gas bubbles were visible coming from the hi-side valve (use a few drops of PAG oil into the valve well). Lost all pressure and freon within 24 hours. This valve appears to be different than a regular schrader valve, with a round plastic??? ball providing the seal, rather than a ring seal.

So, I put the gauge back on, screwed in the valve opener PART WAY (NOT all the way down as I had done originally) which lowered the metal stem to depress the sealing ball partway, repositioning it slightly, and then closed the gauge valve opener (retracted the stem) and removed the gauge. This time, again using a few drops of PAG oil, the ball seemed to have reseated properly, and no gas bubbles were visible. The system has now held pressure perfectly for more than a week. I think that when I first used the gauge, and opened it fully, it marred or damaged the smooth surface of the sealing ball. Repositing the ball by slightly depressing it seemed to seal the system. So far anyways.
Might be worth a try.

CraigK

 

[canyoncritter]

Junkie,Ill admit, I was jonesing for some AC,and may have skiped the full amount of oil. Its a 300 dollar truck so...who knew what really worked.I was sorta expecting something, other then such a simple fix.

I didnt need to check with bubbles. could feel it hissing just fine with my finger from the service port.Yes it not your normal every day schrader valve.

best pic I could find on the net.

Understand what you're saying about the ball getting galled/dry.

 

[CraigK]

canyoncritter

Just a thought . . .

When I thought my hi-side port had a permanent leak and realizing (because my cheapsheet replacement part did not have a removeable/replaceable hi-side valve assembly like the OEM Ford part . . .) that I might have to order and replace the entire line that attaches to the compressor that I had just replaced, and I had no time left before my trip, I began to consider alternatives. I came up with this, that I think I will follow up on, even though my valve is still holding.

Determine the thread size/pitch of the internal valve thread in the hi-side port (I'll be doing this this week and will post - unless someone already knows). Buy a short bolt of same thread, and shorten if/as necessary so it is only a few threads deep and will not depress the schrader valve stem when screwed in. (Or keep the bolt longer and drill out the center of the threaded portion to go over the valve stem.) Place a small green (R-134a type) o-ring on the bolt, tight against the bolt head. CAREFULLY (my valve assembly is soft aluminum) screw the bolt and sealing? o-ring in on top of the existing leaking port.

Might work, might not. But way easier and cheaper than removing and replacing the line, and can be done quickly as a hold over until line replacement.

CraigK