My 2000 Cherokees A.C. stopped blowing cold. Is it still possible to go to your local parts store and buy the A.C. coolant and recharge the system yourself? If so, how difficult is it.
A.C. recharge
190941
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Pretty easy.
They sell an "AC Recharge for Dummies" kit.
But more importantly, you may have a leak somewhere that needs to be addressed before hand.
They sell an "AC Recharge for Dummies" kit.
But more importantly, you may have a leak somewhere that needs to be addressed before hand.
Lots of BAD ADVICE is being given here. Here is why:
1. unlike older cars, a 2000 XJ uses R134a as the refrigerant. Unlike the old R12 ssytems, that refrigerant is VERY SENSITIVE to too much or too little being in a particular system. Thus, just "throwing in some refrigerant" might wind up rendering the system no better, or in fact, WORSE than it is now.
2. I would STRONGLY recommend you have the system checked for leaks. The BEST way to do this is to start by pulling a vacuum on the system and seeing if the vacuum is retained, or if it begins to drop. If it drops, then it's time to find the leak.
3 The best way to find a leak is to PARTIALLY charge the system and then use a "sniffer" to detect the point(s) where the R134a is escaping.
4 Once the locations of leaks are know, repair or replace the defective parts, and then pay a professional to evacuate the system and refill BY WEIGHT with the proper R134a refrigerant.
1. unlike older cars, a 2000 XJ uses R134a as the refrigerant. Unlike the old R12 ssytems, that refrigerant is VERY SENSITIVE to too much or too little being in a particular system. Thus, just "throwing in some refrigerant" might wind up rendering the system no better, or in fact, WORSE than it is now.
2. I would STRONGLY recommend you have the system checked for leaks. The BEST way to do this is to start by pulling a vacuum on the system and seeing if the vacuum is retained, or if it begins to drop. If it drops, then it's time to find the leak.
3 The best way to find a leak is to PARTIALLY charge the system and then use a "sniffer" to detect the point(s) where the R134a is escaping.
4 Once the locations of leaks are know, repair or replace the defective parts, and then pay a professional to evacuate the system and refill BY WEIGHT with the proper R134a refrigerant.
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bad advice?
The only aforementioned advice was just that he can do it and to get a possible leak addressed beforehand.
Not really too much different than you told him.
He can do it himself if he's not an idiot and knows how to follow directions.
The only aforementioned advice was just that he can do it and to get a possible leak addressed beforehand.
Not really too much different than you told him.
He can do it himself if he's not an idiot and knows how to follow directions.
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2,481 Posts
Uh... You need to find out WHY it's blowing warm before you simply dump more refrigerant into it.
You blend door could be to blame. Maybe you have some blockage in the lines or a relay could have gone bad. You might have a bad clutch, faulty pressure cutoffs, even just a bad wire.
You blend door could be to blame. Maybe you have some blockage in the lines or a relay could have gone bad. You might have a bad clutch, faulty pressure cutoffs, even just a bad wire.
How is he going to fill the system correctly if he does not know HOW MUCH BY WEIGHT is in the system already.
Unlike R12 systems, R134a systems MUST be filled by weight with the EXACT amount specified on the under-hood decal. The tolerance is only plus or minus and ounce or so.
Thus, the ONLY way to refill correctly is to remove all the existing refrigerant (via vacuum pump) and refill from a totally empty system.
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I didn't do mine "correctly" according to AZjeff, but believe it or not the recharge kit did the job and its still blowing cold 4 months later. Yes, lucky for me the pressure switches and everything else were still good. For 40 bucks I fixed the leak and recharged the system to the correct pressure and it got the job done. Stop chastising people who are telling the guy to check for leaks first... If he didn't mind paying a professional to do it for him he wouldn't be asking people for advice on recharge kits.
I would have to agree with AZ jeff.
The AC system is complex machine that sensitive to a number of unseen elements such as moisture, corrosion, partial blockages, Freon/oil levels, and pressure readings. Without the proper tools and knowledge, improper maintenance is not only unhealthy for the environment but also unhealthy for your AC system.
For instance, you can run down to your favorite parts store and pick up a can of R134a and dump it in your AC. Sure it might blow cold out the vents for awhile, but what have you really done to the life of your AC? An AC system is balanced meaning it runs optimally on a certain weight of Freon. Too much or too little and it won't work correctly. Was it low on oil? No way to tell unless the system was flushed and filled with the correct amount. Too little oil, there goes the compressor. Did you introduce moisture into the system by not bleeding the fill hose first? Yes the drier is supposed to take care of any moisture, but how old is it and is it used up? After all, it was low on Freon. Moisture inside the lines causes corrosion. That corrosion (extremely small amounts) will break loose and get to the compressor causing it to wear prematurely. Compressor wears then starts to plug the expansion valve/orifice. The compressor is starved of oil and before you know it a domino effect has just taken out your compressor and littered your condenser and evap coils with contaminants. Replace the compressor without thoroughly flushing the coils and you get to buy yet another compressor. Did I even mention the stop leak they put in those cans of Freon? Equals bad, bad, bad, for your AC and shop tools.
There are way too many factors for the DIY'er to consider before "fixing" their own AC. I would recommend professional help or read up on what you're doing before you even touch the system. ackits.com is a very good place learn more about this stuff. Go to their forums and read up. There is no law against a company marketing a product will cause harm to your AC, so take it for what's its worth. A $15 can of DIY Freon repair or hundreds of dollars or repair later down the road?
The OP has a 2000 XJ which we know are prone to evap leaks. A simple vacuum leak check is good advice.
The AC system is complex machine that sensitive to a number of unseen elements such as moisture, corrosion, partial blockages, Freon/oil levels, and pressure readings. Without the proper tools and knowledge, improper maintenance is not only unhealthy for the environment but also unhealthy for your AC system.
For instance, you can run down to your favorite parts store and pick up a can of R134a and dump it in your AC. Sure it might blow cold out the vents for awhile, but what have you really done to the life of your AC? An AC system is balanced meaning it runs optimally on a certain weight of Freon. Too much or too little and it won't work correctly. Was it low on oil? No way to tell unless the system was flushed and filled with the correct amount. Too little oil, there goes the compressor. Did you introduce moisture into the system by not bleeding the fill hose first? Yes the drier is supposed to take care of any moisture, but how old is it and is it used up? After all, it was low on Freon. Moisture inside the lines causes corrosion. That corrosion (extremely small amounts) will break loose and get to the compressor causing it to wear prematurely. Compressor wears then starts to plug the expansion valve/orifice. The compressor is starved of oil and before you know it a domino effect has just taken out your compressor and littered your condenser and evap coils with contaminants. Replace the compressor without thoroughly flushing the coils and you get to buy yet another compressor. Did I even mention the stop leak they put in those cans of Freon? Equals bad, bad, bad, for your AC and shop tools.
There are way too many factors for the DIY'er to consider before "fixing" their own AC. I would recommend professional help or read up on what you're doing before you even touch the system. ackits.com is a very good place learn more about this stuff. Go to their forums and read up. There is no law against a company marketing a product will cause harm to your AC, so take it for what's its worth. A $15 can of DIY Freon repair or hundreds of dollars or repair later down the road?
The OP has a 2000 XJ which we know are prone to evap leaks. A simple vacuum leak check is good advice.
I am warning people that treating AC systems casually is a GREAT way to wind up spending even MORE money fixing them. Unlike many parts of your XJ, the AC system is one area that is VERY intolerant of improper service procedures. I am attempting to warn people that, if you are not careful, you can make the problem worse by using bad service techniques.
By the way, filling an R134a system to the "correct" pressure is IMPOSSIBLE, because there is NO ONE "CORRECT" pressure. This is why refilling R134a is ALWAYS best done BY WEIGHT, not by pressure. I am glad you managed to get your system working, but it was pure LUCK, and not good service procedures that got you the results you have.
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opCorn:same discussion every week, same results....
martin
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260 Posts
Bad advice = bull ****.
Go get the kit, use the gauge, fill the tank.
You can find specs on how much should be in there anywhere.
Theres not even a need to bring up r12, if he doesnt know how simple it is to recharge it himself then he probably doesnt know (care) about r12.
Some people on this forum need to stop being *****. Why would you want him to take it somewhere and get ripped off?
Do it yourself, its easy and takes under an hour.
Before you decided to be tough, save it because I have no intentions on coming back to this post.
Go get the kit, use the gauge, fill the tank.
You can find specs on how much should be in there anywhere.
Theres not even a need to bring up r12, if he doesnt know how simple it is to recharge it himself then he probably doesnt know (care) about r12.
Some people on this forum need to stop being *****. Why would you want him to take it somewhere and get ripped off?
Do it yourself, its easy and takes under an hour.
Before you decided to be tough, save it because I have no intentions on coming back to this post.
Joined
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10,880 Posts
yep, same results:rofl:
for the record...
i will use the tins if in a bind, say driving my big rig in the middle of nowhere and the ac quits. i always carry 2 full cans with me. the gauge is all but useless, i just fill till it blows cold. as soon as i can, it gets to the shop for an evac/charge. just spent $813 on the trucks ac....
for vehicles, an ac service is too cheap IMO. are cans cheaper? sure. can they damage other things? sure.
martin
for the record...
i will use the tins if in a bind, say driving my big rig in the middle of nowhere and the ac quits. i always carry 2 full cans with me. the gauge is all but useless, i just fill till it blows cold. as soon as i can, it gets to the shop for an evac/charge. just spent $813 on the trucks ac....
for vehicles, an ac service is too cheap IMO. are cans cheaper? sure. can they damage other things? sure.
martin
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10,880 Posts
funny how it always gets the same result isnt it?:laugh:
i gave my experiences with it, thats all you can do.
i am as guilty as the next guy for using the can stuff, but as stated already, i always get a full evac and recharge asap afterwards.
and for the guy that said it only takes and hour... that seems like a cheap hours labor to me. not to mention him saying he knows how much it takes. problem is, unless it is vac'd out, he does not have a clue how much is in there already:rofl: hhmmmmmm.....
sit back and giggle mate, it aint worth the hassle IMHO.:cheers2:
let them blow the seals on a compressor etc and learn for themselves.
martin
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