Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and 
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2011
- Messages
- 77
- Reaction score
- 2
- Vehicle Year
- 95 Ranger 2.3L
- Transmission
- Manual
Hey folks. I bought my beater '95 Ranger 2wd 2.3L this winter primarily for a work commuter. I have been going through it, fixing everything and making it reliable. With the recent warm weather, I tried out the A/C. Previously, I had noticed the low pressure switch electrical connector unplugged, on top of the accumulator. I plugged it back in, and the A/C worked, but the clutch seemed to kick in and out a lot, and the temp wasn't as cool as I would think it should be.
So, yesterday, I dug out my R-134a A/C manifold gauges and charge kit, and hooked it up to see what the pressures look like. It was about 70 degrees outside, and the low side was about 27 pounds and high side at 220. I know those numbers don't look too bad, but I had some R134a on hand, so I put a can in to bring up the low side a bit. All went well, and I got the low side pressure up to 32 psi, and called it good, since the air output seemed pretty cold.
I was in a hurry, and left the A/C on and engine running, and pulled the low side charge hose off and capped it. THEN, I pulled the high side quick disconnect gauge hose off, and PPPPSSSSSHHHHHHHTTTTTT. The high side service port valve malfunctioned, and it shot a nice blast of R134a at me. I quickly snapped the gauge hose back on and shut off the engine to try again, and pulled the hose off again. This time, it still leaked, but not as forcefully, and after poking around a little in the valve with a small screwdriver, I got it down to a small hiss...
Looking inside the valve, it isn't your typical replaceable schrader valve, but simply a hole machined down into the port, with what looks like a little black rubber ball or stopper at the bottom?! It appears, that to be fixed properly, I would have to buy the entire high side hose with all the gizmos attached. That would not be cheap, plus add in costs of evacuating the system, having it vaccuumed, and recharged, and I am up over what is practical for a truck I only paid $1200 for. For now, I just put the plastic cap back on and that seems to be holding the gas in for now, as long as I don't kick the compressor back on.
My question for you guys: My first idea at a cheap fix is to plug the port, by finding a bolt of the correct thread, wrap it with teflon tape, and remove the plastic cap, and screw this bolt down into the port, using the threads inside the port, that the plastic cap uses to hold the cap on. I know this would prevent using a gauge on the high side port in the future, but it isn't really all that necessary for my needs anyway (and I wouldn't have had this problem if I hadn't connected the stupid gauge in the first place). This seems to be a reliable method for solving the problem cheaply, the only challenge being finding the correct size threaded bolt to fit into the port. My thought is to remove the cap and put the gauge back on to save the R134a from hissing out, cut the skirt portion of the plastic cap away, revealing the threads, so I can check that on a thread-check display at the parts store. Any ideas on what pitch/size that may require?
I wish someone made a replacement valve that would screw into the port, that simply had a another port with schrader valve and cap on top. Similar to a high side R12 to R134a adapter, but instead, an R134a to R134a adapter, ha ha. That would be easy, but I haven't found such a critter anywhere online. Or, a sturdy brass or steel cap to replace the plastic one, would work nice too, but again, I am not finding such parts.
Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions?
So, yesterday, I dug out my R-134a A/C manifold gauges and charge kit, and hooked it up to see what the pressures look like. It was about 70 degrees outside, and the low side was about 27 pounds and high side at 220. I know those numbers don't look too bad, but I had some R134a on hand, so I put a can in to bring up the low side a bit. All went well, and I got the low side pressure up to 32 psi, and called it good, since the air output seemed pretty cold.
I was in a hurry, and left the A/C on and engine running, and pulled the low side charge hose off and capped it. THEN, I pulled the high side quick disconnect gauge hose off, and PPPPSSSSSHHHHHHHTTTTTT. The high side service port valve malfunctioned, and it shot a nice blast of R134a at me. I quickly snapped the gauge hose back on and shut off the engine to try again, and pulled the hose off again. This time, it still leaked, but not as forcefully, and after poking around a little in the valve with a small screwdriver, I got it down to a small hiss...
Looking inside the valve, it isn't your typical replaceable schrader valve, but simply a hole machined down into the port, with what looks like a little black rubber ball or stopper at the bottom?! It appears, that to be fixed properly, I would have to buy the entire high side hose with all the gizmos attached. That would not be cheap, plus add in costs of evacuating the system, having it vaccuumed, and recharged, and I am up over what is practical for a truck I only paid $1200 for. For now, I just put the plastic cap back on and that seems to be holding the gas in for now, as long as I don't kick the compressor back on.
My question for you guys: My first idea at a cheap fix is to plug the port, by finding a bolt of the correct thread, wrap it with teflon tape, and remove the plastic cap, and screw this bolt down into the port, using the threads inside the port, that the plastic cap uses to hold the cap on. I know this would prevent using a gauge on the high side port in the future, but it isn't really all that necessary for my needs anyway (and I wouldn't have had this problem if I hadn't connected the stupid gauge in the first place). This seems to be a reliable method for solving the problem cheaply, the only challenge being finding the correct size threaded bolt to fit into the port. My thought is to remove the cap and put the gauge back on to save the R134a from hissing out, cut the skirt portion of the plastic cap away, revealing the threads, so I can check that on a thread-check display at the parts store. Any ideas on what pitch/size that may require?
I wish someone made a replacement valve that would screw into the port, that simply had a another port with schrader valve and cap on top. Similar to a high side R12 to R134a adapter, but instead, an R134a to R134a adapter, ha ha. That would be easy, but I haven't found such a critter anywhere online. Or, a sturdy brass or steel cap to replace the plastic one, would work nice too, but again, I am not finding such parts.
Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions?
