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  #1  
Old 08-06-2008, 12:57 PM
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Just replaced the condenser coil and still have A/C issues

I just replaced the A/C condenser coil and still am having A/C issues...

I pulled a vacum in the system then added R134a..
The condenser kicked in and started cooling a little... I continued to add R134a as the system was still low..

Then the compressor kicked off... Then a kicked back in after a ~10 seconds. Then kicked off after a couple of seconds and repeated this process.

I noticed that the belt was loping a little bit going from the crank to the compressor. (Note that the belt did not lope any place else)
Tightened it down a little (although I thought it was tensioned right before hand). Started the process over again and same thing happened.

Looking at how the belt moves, it when it goes from the crank to the compressor and tht is where it's loping. I am figuring that the compressor is resisting turning and that is way the loping is occuring...

Because I had in pin hole leak in the condenser coil I figure the oil in the compressor should be fine. How do you tell if you need to add compressor oil to the system?
Because there was a pin hole leak at teh condenser, could it be that I need to add oil to the compressor. If so, how do you do this?

Thanks.
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Old 08-06-2008, 02:03 PM
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Re: Just replaced the condenser coil and still have A/C issues

It sounds as though you may have added too much. Before it started cycling was it on constantly?
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Old 08-06-2008, 02:56 PM
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Re: Just replaced the condenser coil and still have A/C issues

when you say "the condenser kicked in" i assume you mean the compressor kicked in.
Was r134a in the system to start with? If not, and f12 was there, e134a will not work with the compressor oil and will cause the oil to foam out of the compressor. Compressor without oil is a bummer.

Some of the oil can pretty much escape with a hole in the condenser.
I would get the right amount of the right type of oil in the compressor.

Then would put system together right and add refrigeration gas... not liquid... and then leave start the cooling cycle and watch the pressure.

As a safety, the compressor will not run if there is no pressure in the system.

If you are running the cooling cycle as you start recharging with refrigeration, the compressor could cycle because when it starts with a small amount of refrigeration gas the lo side pressure would come down and would shut off the compresor.

As you continue the process, the pressure would start it running again back and forth. If you finally get the system overcharged, the high pressure switch in the high side would cut off the compressor.

Maybe start over and put in new oil in the right amount and go forward from there?

Good luck,

Keith

Last edited by kwren; 08-06-2008 at 03:00 PM.
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Old 08-06-2008, 09:00 PM
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Re: Just replaced the condenser coil and still have A/C issues

The car is a 1995... R134a, never had R12 in it.
Last year the condenser developed a pin hole leak...
I replaced the condenser with a aftermarket Silla.

Never tried to add oin figuring that since it was a pin hole leak in the condenser, only the R134a refridgerent gas escaped. The oil should have remained in the condenser (as that is the only place it's really needed besides a trace amount to lube the o-ring seals at the connection joints...

Perhaps I over charged it (as I might have expected it to take longer than it did)...

THe one thing that would still puzzle me is way is the belt appearing sloppy from the crank to the conpressor and fine the rest of it
s route. When the engine is off, it's tight... Like I said it seems that the sloppyness is caused because the compressor is putting up resistence to turning.
I will get the gauges on it tomorrow and see where the high and low side are at.
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Old 08-06-2008, 09:04 PM
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Re: Just replaced the condenser coil and still have A/C issues

Some kits come with a little gizmo to test the oil content. It looks like a tiny clear test tube stuffed with cotton. It has a point on one end to depress the valve inside the A/C charging ports. You press on the valve, some refrigerant hisses out, and the cotton changes colour according to the oil content. Obviously, you need pressure in the system for this to work.
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  #6  
Old 08-06-2008, 11:28 PM
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Re: Just replaced the condenser coil and still have A/C issues

some Oil goes through the system along with the refrigerant.

Doesn't normally all just sit in the compressor. Some would be lost from the leak in the condenser. Lots of things to consider.
If the system is working right and the high side valve needle is depressed on the accumulator, oil will come out with the refrigeration gas. A hole in the condenser would have the same result. Just brought that up for you because a little running pf the compressor without the proper level of oil could be the end of that compressor.

I just thought it was worth suggesting for caution.

Keith
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  #7  
Old 08-06-2008, 11:29 PM
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Re: Just replaced the condenser coil and still have A/C issues

Quote:
Originally Posted by Crazy_pilot View Post
Some kits come with a little gizmo to test the oil content. It looks like a tiny clear test tube stuffed with cotton. It has a point on one end to depress the valve inside the A/C charging ports. You press on the valve, some refrigerant hisses out, and the cotton changes colour according to the oil content. Obviously, you need pressure in the system for this to work.
You are talking about the type of oil, not the amount of oil, right?
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Old 08-07-2008, 12:50 PM
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Re: Just replaced the condenser coil and still have A/C issues

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Originally Posted by kwren View Post
You are talking about the type of oil, not the amount of oil, right?
I think he is talking about type of oil...
Type of oil is not my current issue... I just want to confirm how do I determine if I need oil..
Then if I do need oil... I will get oil compatiable with R134a...
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Old 08-07-2008, 01:02 PM
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Re: Just replaced the condenser coil and still have A/C issues

Thread jack


Keith, I have a 92, and I have recharged mine with the R134....

Is this bad that I did this? I had the same issue as him, where it kicked on and off every 10 seconds... I indeed had too much in, and I let pressure out accordingly. Though I did have foam come out of the system a few times... And still, it is pickey when turning on. Sometimes it will, and other times it wont.

-Dennis

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  #10  
Old 08-07-2008, 01:54 PM
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Re: Just replaced the condenser coil and still have A/C issues

Quote:
Originally Posted by mysvxrocks View Post
Thread jack


Keith, I have a 92, and I have recharged mine with the R134....

Is this bad that I did this? I had the same issue as him, where it kicked on and off every 10 seconds... I indeed had too much in, and I let pressure out accordingly. Though I did have foam come out of the system a few times... And still, it is pickey when turning on. Sometimes it will, and other times it wont.

-Dennis

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It is bad that you did do that...
It will shorten the life of the condenser... By how much though???
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  #11  
Old 08-07-2008, 07:27 PM
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Re: Just replaced the condenser coil and still have A/C issues

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Originally Posted by Naim View Post
It is bad that you did do that...
It will shorten the life of the condenser... By how much though???
has to be oiled properly. There is a reason for everything and especially the right kind of oil so it doesn't foam all through the system.
Consider the car engine and bearings just fiding on foam instead of a sheet of oil.

Not a good thing.

Keith
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