Problem recharging A/C on Previa

The A/C on my '92 Previa was working up to last summer. I figured that it
had run out of freon, and since freon is no longer available I figured that
I would no longer have air since I wasn't going to pay $1000-3000 to upgrade
the system.

I than found Red Tek 12a, which is an evironmentally friendly alternative to
freon, so I bought a couple of cans to recharge my A/C.

Problem was, when I tried to add the gas the compressor would not kick in
and the pressure was forcing the gas out of the can. Aside from being
extremely cold on the hands, no gas was being added to the system. I
checked the system and it had no gas at all. I verified that I was using
the intake valve instead of the high pressure valve, even though they have
different size connectors. I have recharged A/C units on numerous cars
before, including a Camry, but have never come across a problem where the
pressure was forcing the gas out. Usually the compressor will kick in, suck
in the gas, and the whole process will take about 5 minutes.

Anyone have any ideas as to what the problem could be? I thought maybe the
compressure might need to be replaced, but since the A/C was working last
year and the system is completely empty of gas I figure that the problem is
only that it ran out of freon.

Thanks!
Tim

"Tim" <willbell@NOsympaticoSPAM.ca> wrote in message
news:MOCEe.12918$je2.1330312@news20.bellglobal.com ...
> The A/C on my '92 Previa was working up to last summer. I figured that it
> had run out of freon, and since freon is no longer available I figured
> that I would no longer have air since I wasn't going to pay $1000-3000 to
> upgrade the system.

The cost of conversion to 134-A has come down a lot, more in the
neighborhood of $250-$450. It might be worth it to shop around.

>
> I than found Red Tek 12a, which is an evironmentally friendly alternative
> to freon, so I bought a couple of cans to recharge my A/C.
>
> Problem was, when I tried to add the gas the compressor would not kick in
> and the pressure was forcing the gas out of the can. Aside from being
> extremely cold on the hands, no gas was being added to the system. I
> checked the system and it had no gas at all. I verified that I was using
> the intake valve instead of the high pressure valve, even though they have
> different size connectors. I have recharged A/C units on numerous cars
> before, including a Camry, but have never come across a problem where the
> pressure was forcing the gas out. Usually the compressor will kick in,
> suck in the gas, and the whole process will take about 5 minutes.
>
> Anyone have any ideas as to what the problem could be? I thought maybe
> the compressure might need to be replaced, but since the A/C was working
> last year and the system is completely empty of gas I figure that the
> problem is only that it ran out of freon.
>
> Thanks!
> Tim
First, check the inspection window on the receiver dryer. It is a cylinder
mounted in front of the condenser. With the AC running, if you see foam, it
is low on refrigerant. If you see nothing at all, the system is empty or
full. If the compressor clutch will not engage, the low-pressure safety
switch has probably kicked in.

By the way, if gas is coming out of the can, don't keep trying. You should
be wearing eye protection when messing with AC and if there is enough
pressure to blow gas out, the can could burst.

I highly recommend taking it into a shop for proper diagnosis and repair.
--
Ray O
correct the return address punctuation to reply