DIY A/C Servicing

[Steeda04SVT]

Have any of you guys ever got them do it yourself a/c recharge kits from the auto parts store? If so is it even worth it or is it better to take it to a shop and have them do it?

 

[azbronco2]

never had good luck if you need freon there is a reason save the thirty bucks and take it some where

 

[Steeda04SVT]

Is that bout what it runs to have it recharged at a shop?

 

[Twister]

Is that bout what it runs to have it recharged at a shop?

That's about what the kit costs at autozone. Has your Bronco II been converted to R134a or is it still R12? The little kit they sell at autozone or other parts stores is R134a and will mess up your system if thrown in with existing R12 in your system. Some people have gotten away with replacing a few parts including the o-rings on their current system and then using the kit but most advise against it. Getting it recharged with R12 at a shop is going to be more than $30 because R12 is rather expensive due to it being illegal to produce.

 

[moogvo]

Autozone DIY A/C kits are crap. Once the pressure in the A/C system becomes equal to that in the can of freon, it won't charge any further. The shop has a heater that heats the freon to build pressure to fill the system. You will never get it full with the DIY cans unless you have some way to heat it... and a torch is NOT a good idea.

 

[BRUTUS_T_HOG]

Autozone DIY A/C kits are crap. Once the pressure in the A/C system becomes equal to that in the can of freon, it won't charge any further. The shop has a heater that heats the freon to build pressure to fill the system. You will never get it full with the DIY cans unless you have some way to heat it... and a torch is NOT a good idea.

i don't have a heater at the shop. i just run the a/c system and it sucks it in. i don't use a can however.

OP you can't recharge your R-12 system with those kits. those kits are junk anyway and most contain stop leak which is a disaster.

just take it to the shop and get it leak checked (illegal to charge a known leaking system) and then have them charge it.

im recharging my R-12 system this summer after i replace the condenser and hoses. can't wait it will be ice cold

 

[Steeda04SVT]

Yeah, trying to find a shop that works on R-12. Just hope it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

 

[shane96ranger]

In the long run, you may be better off converting. I guess it depends what and if anything is wrong with your system. My 91 needed a new compressor, so I converted to 134A. I also got new lines too because the compressor shot crap through the system.

 

[moogvo]

All you have to do to convert your system is to evacuate the R12 freon and oil, change the fittings and refill with 134A and oil designed for 134A. The problem with adding 134A to an R12 system is that the molecules are a different size. The 134A molecules can't carry the R12 oil and it fails due to a lack of lubrication. Some people get away with just throwing 134 into the system because there is still enough R12 left in the system to carry the old oil.

 

[4x4junkie]

I also would say just go ahead and convert it over to R-134a. All your hoses & seals are over 20 years old now and everything probably should be replaced anyway.


I converted my '90 to use R-134a back in '08.
Replaced the original compressor (leaky) with a new OEM-type one (Visteon FS-6), replaced all the hoses, accumulator & orifice tube (red), and flushed out the stock condenser & evaporator with solvent. Did the normal evac routine and then charged it up with 32oz R-134a freon and 10oz PAG oil and it now blows out at a nice chilly 38° on full blast.
Total cost was around $700 or so in parts (the compressor being the bulk of it). A cheap reman compressor would've saved a bundle, but I didn't want to take a chance with having it only last one season or something so I went ahead with the good stuff as much as I could.


Oh and to get those little cans to empty out all the way, place it in a pan of hot water.

 

[Steeda04SVT]

All you have to do to convert your system is to evacuate the R12 freon and oil, change the fittings and refill with 134A and oil designed for 134A. The problem with adding 134A to an R12 system is that the molecules are a different size. The 134A molecules can't carry the R12 oil and it fails due to a lack of lubrication. Some people get away with just throwing 134 into the system because there is still enough R12 left in the system to carry the old oil.

What fittings needed to be changed out? Was it hard to be changed out?

 

[4x4junkie]

The high-side & low-side access ports.

Often what's done is you pull the valve core from the old R-12 fittings and screw R-134a adapters onto them (IIRC, they also have a locking thread or something making them difficult to remove afterward. Which is fine... There should never be a need to remove them and you don't want them ever coming loose on their own).

 

[Steeda04SVT]

Found out my a/c compressor clutch isn't working on mine. Could be a reason why it's not working. Is the a/c clutch hard to change out?