A/C overcharged

[Chris Crash]

Hey guys.

First of all, I searched and found nothing.

Anyway. My dad bought one of those A/C recharge kits for my sisters car, which didn't need it.

So today I hooked up the gauge to my car just to see if I needed any because my A/C was never really that cold.

The gauge quickly went into the red "warning" zone around 250 PSI.

I did hook it up correctly because the gauge only fits on the Low Pressure hoses.

What can I do and what can cause this?

Also, when I turned the A/C on and opened the hood, the compressor started smoking a little bit. It stopped shortly after.

[davemac2]

Did you add any freon to the system at all or just use the gauge? ie. Was the A/C system working ok prior to this and the compressor smoking at the time you used the gauge just a coincidence? 250PSI on the low side is not normal. For a running A/C system, low pressure can range from 24 - 50 PSI depending upon if the compressor is running or not. High side pressure is typically 200-280PSI.

dave mc

[Stillrunning]

Originally Posted by Chris Crash

The gauge quickly went into the red "warning" zone around 250 PSI.

Static pressure or was the system running? Was the compressor smoking or was the compressor belt smoking on the pulley?

[Chris Crash]

Engine on, A/C on full blast.
I did not add freon, just used the gauge without the bottle hooked up.

The compressor seemed to smoke a little itself. I don't think it was the belt.

[96CamrySport]

That "smoke" may have been dust from the a/c compressor. Does your clutch cycle on and off(normal)? I have recently found that line pressures don't tell the whole story on A/C - I've had normal pressures, weak cooling, and most of the refrigerant is gone. Given the polluting nature of refrigerant (even 134a), I'd recommend taking your car to a good shop that has a r134a machine for an evacuate and recharge - it's the only accurate way to find out how much refrigerant is left, and dye can be added to find a leak if it's low.

If the pressure gauge went UP to 250psi, you were on the high side. This makes me think you have an R12 system - what year is your car?

[Chris Crash]

97.

The clutch does cycle on and off.

[96CamrySport]

ok, not R12. Not sure why your gauge would have read so high - you can't inject into the high side while it's running...you may have a blockage of some sort between the low side port and the compressor. You can find it by feeling the lines while the a/c is running (watch your fingers, they work better when they're attached). If a line is hot, it's got high pressure, if its' very cold, it's got very low pressure, and if you find a spot where it goes from warm to hot, that may be a problem location (but there are orifices and such, so check back with us to confirm. Pics help)

If the clutch cycles on and off, then your charge is probably acceptable. Of course, an acceptable charge may only blow 50 degree air - which is only mildly cool. I aim to see 34-38 degrees out of an R134a car, but that depends on weather conditions for the day.

[Stillrunning]

High low side usually shows overcharged system. Did you add extra R134a?

[Chris Crash]

I'll check the lines, but no I did not add any R134a.