Quote:
Originally Posted by jlsanborn
Awesome work Mike!
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Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by shearjs
Mike,
Did you have any trouble evacuating and charging your a/c system? I've rented a vacuum pump and the gauges from the local Auto Zone, and plan on tackling this myself. Any tips or hints you can give to an a/c rookie?
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Jason,
I didn't have any trouble evacuating or charging my system. I did however overcharge mine and it caused me a day or two of frustration. What I learned is that the Vintage Air system I have ( sure fit early model cable driven) only requires 1.8 lb. of Freon. I had installed two cans plus what I thought was about a 1/2 can. It made my compressor cycle frequently because I was over pressure on the high side. Check
THIS out . I would start with 2 cans and go from there.
I'm not an expert by any stretch but this is how I always do my evacuations.
1.) purge the system with dry Nitrogen (150-200PSI). If you don't have nitrogen, I suppose you could use filtered compressed air. but this will add moisture to your system. Moisture
is no good for a/c system. But there is no need to dump gas in it if you have an obvious leak, so pressure check is kind of mandatory in my eyes.
2.) check all fittings for leaks and see that the gauge stays at pressure
3.) Gently drain the nitrogen out to 10 psi or so then connect vacuum
pump.
4.) I like to evacuate mine at least 4 hour or longer if possible. Vintage air recommends like 45 minutes min.
I borrow a manometer
HERE from work that reads vacuum pressure down to .000 PSI. This isn't necessary but since I have access I use it. You can use your gauges to do the same thing it's just hard to tell if there is a small rise in pressure. If it doesn't hold vacuum it will more than likely leak. It might be small but over time the gas will leak out.
5.) charge with Freon. They recommend not flipping your cans or shaking them like we did in the old days with R-12. This can cause spike in compressor and damage it. Just be aware it will take a while longer to empty the can.
6.) enjoy cold air