A/C service/recharge '95 Camry - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

toyomofo · 06-03-2007, 04:54 PM

Hey everyone. The heat really got to me last week and I need to get my a/c going again. Everything seems to work (blows air strong) but its just not cold at all, it stopped blowing cold about 2 yrs ago and last summer I somehow made it without a/c. I located one nipple on the steel line running back toward the firewall, and from what I can tell it is a r134 system. Is that correct? I saw a kit for sale at Autozone for $40, which included 2 14oz cans and a pressure gauge. My friend told me I may need as much as 2lbs. I'd rather do it right once and be done with it, instead of recharging again down the road. So I guess the leak needs to be located first? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Paul

marc780 · 06-03-2007, 05:45 PM

If this were my car, i'd go ahead and try recharging it before taking it in to the shop to have my wallet raped. I'd make sure it is R-134 your car uses before you blow your money, its a 95 so it probably is as you say. Get a kit that has leak-stop included in the refrigerant and have at it, good luck-

Stillrunning · 06-03-2007, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toyomofo

I saw a kit for sale at Autozone for $40, which included 2 14oz cans and a pressure gauge.

I can't stress enough how important a high pressure gauge is when filling A/C systems, at least with R134. You need to pay attention to the pressure at ambient temperature chart which tells you at what pressure to stop filling. Do not just turn the refill can upside down and dump it all in at once. You're better off keeping it right side up and slowly filling with the gas not the liquid. Take your time and let the system catch up once in a while. If the system has a leak that has allowed air and moisture in then you will need to take it somewhere to have a vacuum pulled. If there is at least some pressure then you should be ok.

toyomofo · 06-04-2007, 08:22 AM

Cool, thanks. Do you guys think the gauge in the kit at Autozone will do? How can you tell if there is air/moisture in the system?

ShawnM · 06-04-2007, 09:55 AM

If you add any type of leak stop to you AC system, mention it to the shop if you take it in for any AC service. That stuff will destroy theyre AC recovery machine. Tose machines are not cheap!

Freshcort · 06-04-2007, 11:46 AM

just this saturday I recharged my a/c system with a can of arctic freeze from Target, it was $25 for a 18oz can.

The can came with a reusable guage and hose attached. It took me less than a minute to go from having no a/c to ice cold a/c. Highly recommended!
the best part is, if I end up needing more r-134 in the future, the guage and hose just screws on to the cheaper smaller cans too.

Stillrunning · 06-04-2007, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toyomofo

Cool, thanks. Do you guys think the gauge in the kit at Autozone will do? How can you tell if there is air/moisture in the system?

I use an inexpensive hi/lo combination gauge. It has worked fine for the little that I need it.

I don't think you can tell if air/moisture is in the system except to assume it if the system has had no pressure in it for some time. If you vent the low side valve slightly and coolant comes out you should be ok. You could have a shop do the initial vacuum pull and recharge and then just maintain it your self using the kit. My understanding is that if moisture has entered the system you should install a new dryer.

***toyomoho*** · 06-04-2007, 01:48 PM

The A/C system should have a sight glass on the dryer. You can run the system and look for bubbles indicating low Freon. For details consult the service manual at the link below.

http://oregonstate.edu/~tongt/camry

Mike Gerber · 06-04-2007, 02:25 PM

"I located one nipple on the steel line running back toward the firewall, and from what I can tell it is a r134 system. Is that correct?"

Yes, that's correct. Toyota went to R134A refrigerant for the Camry starting with model year 1994.

Mike

toyomofo · 06-05-2007, 10:29 PM

Well, I took it to a shop and had it vacuum pulled, there was about .3 lbs of stuff left in there. The system held pressure for 15 min. About 2 lbs of fresh r134 went in along with some dye. Could see the yellow/green color through the sight glass. The labor was $75, the freon, dye and disposal was another $75. Bit it on this one a little, but the a/c is cold. The only thing I can add is that the compressor seemed kinda noisy switching on/off. But I never payed attention to it before so who knows.

I learned some things from the guy who did it though. He said to watch out for cheap blended freon on the market which contains propane, r134b or r134c (or something like that), which has been known to cause explosions in the engine compartment or inside the cabin. He also said that r134 (especially the cheap stuff) is very corrosive and quickly destroys sniffers used for detecting air/moisture in the system, which is why most places use dye.

Thanks for all the tips. Enjoy the global freezing.

ShawnM · 06-06-2007, 09:55 AM

The sniffers are terribly inacurate. Constant false readings, especially if your looking for a very tiny leak. Breathing on it will set it off. The illegal blend freon ive only seen in one car in the last 10 years, so id say its not really a common problem. Not in this area anyway. That was in an older mercedes with an r-12 system that someone tried to do a halfass retrofit on.

Venom_5 · 06-06-2007, 10:01 AM

if the compressor is noisy, it might be getting old ... that was the first sign of mine dying before it finally crapped out ...

now i rarely get cold air, but theres no way im buying a $600 compressor + labor

Mike Gerber · 06-06-2007, 02:59 PM

"The labor was $75, the freon, dye and disposal was another $75. Bit it on this one a little, but the a/c is cold. The only thing I can add is that the compressor seemed kinda noisy switching on/off. But I never payed attention to it before so who knows."

Did they also add some compressor oil?

Mike

toyomofo · 06-06-2007, 04:21 PM

No, no oil was added to the compressor. The guy who did the work didn't think it was a problem. He did mention that the seals can go bad, when I asked if the compressor can leak freon. Is the compressor difficult check and service?

marc780 · 06-06-2007, 07:21 PM

Quote:

He said to watch out for cheap blended freon on the market which contains propane, r134b or r134c (or something like that), which has been known to cause explosions in the engine compartment

amazing how cheap companies are! then again, maybe not - corporate America:

I think there'd have to be a leak first for an explosion to happen. No air is in the A/C system, ever.