Well i hit the air conditioning expecting cold air...when all i got was warm air. Kinda sucks how do you recharge the AC? Is it something that i can maybe do? Is it cost efficent to do it? Or should i just take it somewhere and say screw it.

 

First you have to find the leak. If you know nothing about A/C then let a professioanl do it. I'm sure you don't have the equipment to do it right. The most important piece of equipment necessary is the vacuum pump ($$$$$$) and a gauge set.....

 

the leak? just to recharge it?

 

If your note is on an 89 then recharging it is almost out of the question unless it's been converted to R134a or you have some R-12. You need to be certified to buy R-12 and a shop will not do it unless they find and fix the leak. R-12 is pretty expensive these days. You can buy R134a at your local auto parts store if it's been converted. In either case, you will want to find the leak or the refrigerant will leak out again. If you want to know if your compressor is capable of operating, unplug the low side switch with the engine runnning and A/C on and jumper the two terminals in the connector with a paper clip. If your compressor turns on then it is probably just a low charge. If your system is still operational but is low on a charge, you may want to consider converting to R134a. Hope this helps.

 

well damn! just figured itd be a easy charge..any other info?

 

If you can find someone with the 1lb. cans of R-12 then they may sell them to you. A recharging kit is pretty easy to get. If you get the R-12 and recharging kit then all you have to do is charge it through the low side with the compressor running. Jumper the low press. switch while you charge it to start the compressor. If you have a gauge kit then typical low press. is 35 - 40 psi when full. You can also tell by listening for the compressor to cycle or feeling the temp at the vents. Check on the evap. case, there should be a sticker with the amount for a full charge, typically 2 or 2.5 lbs. Don't go over this amount, you'll probably need less.
If you can't find R-12, I've heard of other people having luck evacuating their system and putting R-134a in. Supposedly the R-134A has smaller molecules and will leak through the fittings on the old R-12 systems. The people I have talked to haven't had problems yet. After the system has been evacuated, follow the same procedure above for charging. Good luck.
*** Disclaimer - the above info. is for informational purposes only. I do not condone it in order to keep the EPA off my back***

 

Could you please explain the jumper part on the compresser, I tried it and nothing happened for me. please help

Thanks alot.

email me m_mccance27@hotmail.com or aim: mem1184

 

Your low pressure sw. should be a 2 pin connector. It is located on the metal line that goes to the accumulator, the large silver canister. Pull the connector off and use a paper clip to jump the two female terminals on the harness side. This should cause the compressor to turn on. Make sure the A/C is on inside the car. Now that the compressor is running, it will pull refrigerant through the low side port. MAKE SURE YOU ARE ON THE LOW SIDE. IF YOU ARE ON THE HIGH SIDE, THE CAN WILL EXPLODE WHEN THE COMPRESSOR TURNS ON. If it doesn't turn on then check for 12v on one of the terminals on the harness side, the other is ground.
If all works well and you have gauges on the system, you will see the low pres. needle fluctuate. After you put a pound in, unplug your jumper and reconnect the low pres. sw. and see if the system will cycle on it's own. It will probably cycle quickly. If so then charge until you see normal compressor cycling or the air from the vents is cold. If not, repeat the above steps with the next can. It's been a long time since I did A/C work but I seem to remember the gauge will go down to about 25 - 30 psi with the compressor running, the compressor will shut off, then the press. will rise to about 40 - 45 psi then the compressor will cycle on again until it reaches 25 - 30 again. Hope this helps.

 

explode?
i dont like that

damn

maybe ill get someone to look at it

 

I converted to the 134a stuff and it works just fine for me.
But alot of guys don't like it, oh well.
Oh BTW, I converted it 5 years ago.

 

Mine has 3 prongs

 

I was doing some work on my engine and I emptied my refrigerant so I could move the AC lines out of the way. So either way I can't buy R12? Would a Ford dealership have R12, my friends older brother is in the AC/heating repair business...I think he has his auto certficate as well, can he get it for me?

 

94 has 3 prongs? I'll have to look into that. I'll let you know what I find.
R-12 is hard to come by. If you find it, it's pretty expensive. Last I heard it was $30/lb. I used to buy it for 99 cents before it got outlawed. As far as I know any A/C shop can still purchase it until the supply runs out. That was the last I read in an ASE newsletter about 7 years ago, alot may have changed since then. In Michigan, you could still buy it if you are certified in A/C repair and recycling. And I believe you had to get a certificate from the state to purchase it. I never pursued it because I got out of the hands-on work and don't work in a shop anymore.
Like I said before, I know several people that evacuated their system then recharged with r-134a without problems. It's always a cheap alternative to try.
I'll post on the 3 wire con. when I get some info.
Hope this helps...

 

Thanks I appreciate it

email me m_mccance27@hotmail.com

 

I checked on the 3-wire set-up, here's what I found. This system doesn't use a low and high side switch, it's incorporated into one switch. It's operating range is from 30 - 410 psi. The compressor is a continuously variable comp., which means it almost always is running with the A/C on and the output is varied to keep the pressures within specs. The switch is before the orifice in the liquid line. The pin out is: A=ground, B=5v ref. and C=A/C sensor signal to the PCM. You would have to jump the relay or run 12v to the A terminal at the compressor to turn it on if the PCM won't. The next easiest way (and safest) way to charge it is to slowly charge it through the port with the engine off. It's slow but there is very little danger of any damage. With the engine off, hook up your charging kit and let it slowly drain into the A/C system. It's best to elevate the can and you may have to heat it with a hair drier. This will heat the refrigerant, causing the can pres. to be higher than the system pressure, forcing it into the car's A/C system. When the can is empty, start the car and turn the A/C on. If the sensor senses enough pressure, it will run the compressor until it drops too low. Keep charging it in this manner until the system is charged ie. compressor stops cycling on and off or air is cold from vents. Do not charge more than the systems sticker says is a full charge. Hope this helps.