A/C parts replace and refill

[retiredat44]

I called a shop asking if they could evacuate the R134a for me so I can replace a part, they guy freaked out and told me no way he would touch my car! I said all I am is asking for you to evacuate the R134a for me, and I am going to replace a part. I will then need it vacuummed and recharged, he just sound like the biggest asshole on the planet. he then told me he would charge me $180.00 to charge it! No Shit!

The **Ripoff Artists are Advance Auto in Vista Ca. I am already filling out forums with their business names as ripoffs!


I am going to put a new expansion valve in the evaporator in our 1989 Toyota Corolla SR5. I just want to find a shop that can evacuate the refrigerant. I wil put the new valve in and go back have it vacuumed and refillled. is too to hard to find a shop that will evacuate it. Will they give me credit for it when I come back for the recharge?

[toyomoho]

You wanted the shop to remove the Freon 134A. Then you would replace the parts and have the A/C recharged again. Correct?. What reason did the shop give they would not work on the car?

Try calling some other shops. If they say they will not work on your car, find out why.

There may be some concern about receiving Freon 134A that may be contaminated with R12. But I am guessing. Was this A/C system originally R134A or R12? Was it converted over to R134A.

[retiredat44]

it was orignally R12, but was changed to R134a with a new Compressor and Drier, O-rings....
it has been running but has an intermittent cooling problem, so I am going to put a new Expansion valve in. Nothing hinky here. Just want to keep the freon instead of blowing it off.... if I had a storage tank I would do it myself...

[toyomoho]

Just guessing! As this was a conversion, the shop may have been worried that some Freon 12 and/or compression oil was left in the system after the change over. And this would ccntaminate their stock of R134A. Perhaps the shop was burned in the past over this. He should have explained his problem.

I would call around and see what other shops say. I doubt if they would do it for free, but? R134A is too cheap.

Sometimes it is very difficult to do the right thing! I have been there also!

[retiredat44]

1989 Toyota Corolla and converted from R12 to R134a.. (the original compressor blew up after 15 years)..

After putting in a new Compressor, Filter/Drier and Expansion Valve... the A/C would not continue to run and would stop cooling after only a c ouple hours...

After lots of work on finding the problem..


This is what finally fixed the A/C. This may or may not be true for other cars and A/C components and parts, other brands etc...

It was a huge mistake to add oil to the Evaporator. It was also a huge mistake to add oil to the Condensor. In the future, on the Toyota, that uses this same A/C system, I will only put oil in the compressor (while it is off the car). And also the Drier/Filter. Oil clogged the Expansion valve and caused all kinds of grief. It would run for a couple days and then oil clogs up the valve.

After I purged the oil from the High Side line and the Expansion valve, and had to rebuild pressures, only then would the system go back to running properly.

Maybe you can add oil to each compnent in other A/C systems, but not in this Toyota Corolla you don't. It was a huge mistake. Let the oil circulate from the compressor and Filter.

Your experiences maybe different. I can only tell you what happened. I also read that Toyota has one of the most difficult A/C systems to tune and set to proper operation. It may also be that if you convert to R134a from R12, you probably better get a new and better condensor with a higher capacity, at least I am beggining to think that would be best. I miss the orignal R12, but the cost the R12 (through the rotten stinking politics of environmental wackos and greedy corporations with bogus studies) is way too much so when it's time to replace the old R12 compressor, it is still probably best to convert to R134a. But this is do to cost only, if you have money to burn best go with R12. otherwise R134a is about our only alternative ( I am leaving out other alternative refrigerants I saw advertised).

In any case spreading oil in this system killed it, I will only put oil in the compressor and Filter at future dates in a Toyota. Never again will I put oil in the other componenets. Even if it is an ounce or two Toyota A/C system used in my car the oil clogs the Expansion Valve and it's a real bitch clearing out the clog....

[91boz]

Other possible cause of system clog.

http://www.ackits.com/index.cfm?fuse...=black%20death

[tashirosgt]

Exactly how do you purge the oil? Is there a "drain" or do you simply unhook a connection?

[retiredat44]

Originally Posted by tashirosgt

Exactly how do you purge the oil? Is there a "drain" or do you simply unhook a connection?

You can't purge all the oil. You can only purge oil that is in the high/low sides that are in the tubes. I needed to remove the oil that was mixed with the R134a refrigerant by depressing the shrader valve on the high side. That removed an excess amout of oil that was flooding the Expansion valve before the evaporator.

If you want to empty the oil, you Must removed the compressor, from the car, open it, by removing the connectors, or the top off the compressor, and turn it upside down. I am not familiar with any other compressors. You really should ask the pros at an A/C forum.