A/C died..

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wag86
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri May 10, 2013 1:16 am

A/C died..

Post by wag86 »

During Europe's longest warm summer time (i live in Holland) my 86 GW airco gave up. So had it drained and refilled with newer modern, allowed stuff :shock: But unfortunately the system appeared to suffer from other issues :x After kickin' in the clutch engages and then disengages due to pressure not holding. the tube in front of the cut off valve runs cold but after that only warmer air seems to flow towards the interior. The a/c guys suspect he drier to be clogged allowing not enough gas to build up pressure but more can be wrong... Any good ideas on replacing parts before doing the expensive drain/refill all over again? Thanks guys!

letank
Posts: 4010
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2012 9:16 pm
Location: SF bay area

Re: A/C died..

Post by letank »

The modern stuff as you mentioned is probably R134 , usually the filter dryer has to be replaced after the refrigerant is changed, same applies for the oil as R12 oil is not compatible with the R134 oil, whatever that means, so the system has to be cleaned / flushed before swapping to new refrigerant.

My experience many years ago: I did not change the dryer/filter and only vacuum the system for 30min, vacuum was holding up, then added the R134... but the pressure was too much and the HP hose blew... and I did not work on it since then.

Unfortunately, the dryer filter is really a pain to remove, because everything is a bit corroded , it is a hard line connected to the condenser which may spring a leak if the hard line is twisted in the wrong way...

Before I forget, give us a pict of the compressor so we know what is installed, york or sanden?
Michel
74 wag (349 Kmiles... parked, next step is a rust free body)
85 Gwag (229 Kmiles... the running test lab)

Topic author
wag86
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri May 10, 2013 1:16 am

Re: A/C died..

Post by wag86 »

Thanks so far! in my GW it's a York. It seems to work fine, so is the clutch. The drier indeed is quite hard to reach..

Topic author
wag86
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri May 10, 2013 1:16 am

Re: A/C died..

Post by wag86 »

Just some extra info: the stuff that went in is R437a. the system was cleaned, oil changed and UV added.. then the party began.

letank
Posts: 4010
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2012 9:16 pm
Location: SF bay area

Re: A/C died..

Post by letank »

R437a is not avail in the US, according to searches.
Not too sure about the pressure needed, not too sure if you pressure switch was replaced, from a low pressure our OEM to a binary Low and High safety switch, which is the requisite for proper operation, to prevent blowing seals... so check for leaks at the compressor pulley seals.
Not an expert on AC, I installed an AC from a perfectly sealed unit collected at the junkyard on the old honda civic and put new dryer/receiver/filter and new compressor on R134, and it has been OK for over 2 years. It is cycling too often as well, but it is cooling, and I suspect low pressure because of few bubbles in the glass viewing window. CHeck the glass window on your fender to see if you have bubbles... not too sure if the new R437a shows in the window... Good luck
Michel
74 wag (349 Kmiles... parked, next step is a rust free body)
85 Gwag (229 Kmiles... the running test lab)

candymancan
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Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 11:32 pm

Re: A/C died..

Post by candymancan »

134a wilk leak through the hoses our jeeps have.. so replacing a dryer and the oil and filling it up isnt going to do anyrjing.. thr molecules are smaller then r12

yoir a.c guy should know this..

i just made a post on craigslist to find aomeone with r12 to fill my jeep up.. he put 2 cans in.. And its been blowing cold for 1 1.2 years now. I think it needs refilled again as it takes a little bit to get cold when its really hot out but then its cold and fine the rest of the day.

I know where my leak is too. one of my hoses are buldging and have a micriscopic leak i can see it.

Im not sure to fix that.. I thought maybe taking some rubber and a clamp and clamp it around it to stop the leak.. Like they with metal pipes carrying water
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited 219k
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 I6 laredo 430k
1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 155k
1976 Jeep J10.. 85k(repaired)
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kansasboy001
Posts: 234
Joined: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:47 pm

Re: A/C died..

Post by kansasboy001 »

You can get new high pressure hoses made at napa. Mine were 50 for one and 30 for the other. They use gates polar shield barrier hose.
1983 Cherokee Laredo. 360/ 727/ np228/ Junkyard 7427 TBI/ Msd ignition
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