AC Problem Diagonsis

[toyoonly]

I have owned my 92 V6 Camry for a little over a year and the AC has never worked. I have been doing some research into recharging the AC, and I think im going to try and do it myself. But before I do that, I want to make sure that the problem is that it needs recharged. How can I tell if the compressor kicks on? Also, how can I tell if my system has leaks that need repaired before I recharge?

Thanks in advance!

[chronoti]

easy! just look under the hood have a friend turn on the ac and lissen/watch to see if the compressor clutch kicks in. it kick in for about a second then disengauge.

for the leaks your going to need a evac pump and a gauge. evac the system and leave it under vaccume for a day if you find a leak well then it's time to go leak hunting.

[toyoonly]

Can I have a shop only do a system check? By that I mean check for leaks and evac all the old refrigerant?

[chronoti]

yes prolly a good thing to have the system evaced and if they find the leak as where and just do it your self for repairs and then have them evac the system angin and go recharge it as well.

[toyoonly]

Update: I tried to check the compressor to see if it is working, and im not having much luck. It doesnt sound like the compressor is turning on, however I have noticed that the green light on the AC button is turning on either. Occassionally it will turn on, just not when im in a position to check the compressor. Why would the AC light seemingly randomly turn on and off?

[chronoti]

it has a pressure switch so when it goes to turn on if the pressure is too high after a few seconds or too low it will shut it off and blink.

which could me it's low on gas, belt slipage, clutch not engauging.

[DFBonnett]

Originally Posted by toyoonly

I have owned my 92 V6 Camry for a little over a year and the AC has never worked. I have been doing some research into recharging the AC, and I think im going to try and do it myself. But before I do that, I want to make sure that the problem is that it needs recharged. How can I tell if the compressor kicks on? Also, how can I tell if my system has leaks that need repaired before I recharge?

Thanks in advance!

I believe the system in the '92 has R-12 refrigerant which is no longer available except with a license. The R-134A, the refrigerant in use currently, is not compatible with your system without modifications.
FWIW
YMMV

[chronoti]

Originally Posted by DFBonnett

I believe the system in the '92 has R-12 refrigerant which is no longer available except with a license. The R-134A, the refrigerant in use currently, is not compatible with your system without modifications.
FWIW
YMMV

he is correct. you can get a few cans of freeze 12 to recharge it with or pull the system apart and get some system flush, new o-rings and some gaskets it (also replace the dryer) it should fix most leaks.

[toyoonly]

Originally Posted by chronoti

it has a pressure switch so when it goes to turn on if the pressure is too high after a few seconds or too low it will shut it off and blink.

which could me it's low on gas, belt slipage, clutch not engauging.

After inspection, I noticed that the light on the AC button comes on fine if the HVAC fan is turned on too. I would expect that this is normal... I apologize for being a noob.

EDIT: After thinking about this a bit, I thought of something. If my system needed recharged (and therefore had low pressure), wouldnt the AC light blink?

[toyoonly]

Originally Posted by toyoonly

After inspection, I noticed that the light on the AC button comes on fine if the HVAC fan is turned on too. I would expect that this is normal... I apologize for being a noob.

EDIT: After thinking about this a bit, I thought of something. If my system needed recharged (and therefore had low pressure), wouldnt the AC light blink?

Does anyone know if this is true?

[csaxon]

The blinking A/C light is linked with the rpm sensor on the A/C compressor clutch. When it notices the clutch is not turning, say for example a loose belt, the light will start blinking.