RealDealBJJ

ok so a few questions….
1) which type is the “orifice tube”?
2) what’s the quickest and easiest way recommended to evacuate the refrigerant?
3) when you say rip open the dash, how much are we talking? The entire dash needs to come off? How many hours of work are we talking about?
4) how much should those parts run me? Condenser, evaporator, compressor & dryer?

ive got the dash opened up in the center stack, could I get to everything from there or are we talking full dash rip apart?

thanks for the help.

if you got a link to that Amazon kit you were referring to that would be awesome.

im hoping to get this done this week because my wife and I are going on a week long camping trip up through the sierras.

RealDealBJJ

I just spent a bit of time checking all the vacuum hoses and fixed the other issue where the vent selection **** wasn’t working.

I was doing the work under a car port and pulled the keep into the sun and let it run for a while with the AC blasting full force and no issues.

then within 10 minutes of driving the keep with the ac blasting it shut off and then came back on.

so it seems that the only times the ac shuts off is when I’m actually driving. At idle the ac doesn’t turn off.

The temp also got considerably warmer after it shut off and came back on again and now I just popped the hood and the condenser clutch is not engaged.

not sure if that helps to color in more of the issue.

lawsoncl

It's possible you've overcharged it, which would explain the slightly higher than normal high-side pressure. It doesn't explain the low side dropping and staying low, which implies a blockage or icing up which can also be caused by overcharged. You'd probably see icing up more on low blower speed though.

agreen

1) it's a plastic tube that goes inside the high pressure line. I believe (don't quote me, I work on a lot of different cars) that the XJ orifice tube is built into the line.
2) quick and easy? Remove the Schrader valve. It's not legal, but it's both the quickest and the easiest way.
3) there are videos on replacing the evaporator. You'll need the whole dash out. Just flush it.
4) Rockauto.com


The pressures that I'm looking at are idle speed pressures. Revving it up can sometimes help diagnose, but the idle pressures are 99% of what you'll use.


Again, the low side pressure looks about right. As a general rule, the low side pressure should mirror the temperature leaving the evaporator core. So 35# and 35°F works. High side pressure should *generally* be about 100# over ambient temp, give a little for humidity. At 260#, I'd expect 110F and 100% humidity. See why I think it's overcharged with a clog?

You can try discharging a little to get the high side down, but that will lower the low side as well. It's worth a shot. I still think you're going to be replacing some components.

Before you ask how to remove the Schrader valve, I'm going to say that you shouldn't. But you should also know that you shouldn't discharge refrigerant to the atmosphere with the yellow hose on the manifold gauge set. Also, tires use the same Schrader valve on valve stems, and there is a tool to remove them that's readily available at auto parts stores... but you shouldn't use it for discharging refrigerant to the atmosphere.

Saudade

R-134a systems are charged by weight. It's really hard to tell how much is already in it when you "top off", especially using those "one eyed wonder" cans. The only way to be sure is to reclaim the existing refrigerant, evacuate the system (this removes all air and moisture, tests for leaks), then add the required amount of refrigerant. According to 2000 FSM, it's 1.25lbs.

Buy the tools or take to a shop. Your choice.

BTW, While R-134a does not deplete the Ozone, it's still a greenhouse gas.

lawsoncl

Very true, the best way is evacuate and re-add based on weight. Unless you pull parts and drain the oil, you're going to have to estimate on how much oil to add. I can usually guesstimate whether it's low just by watching how often it cycles at idle, and watching the pressures. More than 10x per minute or not at all is definitely low, and about half of a 12-ounce can is a reasonable start. 2 full cans is too much even starting from empty.

RealDealBJJ

Ok guys, so interesting update to report. I took the center stack on the dash apart to diagnose an issue with the vent selection not working and figured there was a vacuum leak somewhere. I also had a CEL from a major vacuum leak. I check all of the vacuum hoses and fittings and finally came all the way back to the carbon canister which had a rotting connector from the metal tubing to the carbon canister. I replaced that with some tubing and now not only does the vent selection work perfectly, the engine sounds amazing & all of the sudden has way better pickup.

Additionally, this is still TBD as I haven't driven it yet in the high heat of mid day, but the AC has been working fine today. I will test it more and report back tomorrow.....I'm not holding my breath that this is the fix for the AC turning on and off intermittently or blowing hot air......but if it is the fix, I will definitely not be mad about it.

Stay tuned, I'll keep you guys posted.