How Many Cans of Freon?

LEO_WRANGLER · Oct 27, 2013

How many cans of Freon R134 would my 98 Cherokee XJ (4.0L, Auto) hold?

I broke the system today. Was working on the radiator, trying to replace a leaky drain plug. Had the radiator partly removed, just unbolted it and lifted it up and halfway out without disconnecting the hoses. Had just put in the new drain plug and was fitting the radiator back down into position, when somehow I managed to pop off one of the A/C lines going to the A/C condensor coil up front.

As you can imagine, a big bunch of greenish gas spewed from the separated line, followed by an equally greenish spew of cuss words from me, followed then by a strong shot of whisky (for attitude adjustment).

Yeah I know, go ahead and laugh. There's a sign out there for a plumbing company, which says "Call us when your DIY becomes OMG!" Obviously meant for someone with luck like mine. Well, I've got some manifold gauges, and I'm 'sorta' familar with the recharging procedure, but don't know how how many cans I should expect it to take.

bluecherokee01 · Oct 27, 2013

8 oz. Pag 100 oil and 20 oz. 134a from "dry system" . Google instuctions on interweb .

deermjd · Oct 27, 2013

Be sure to pull a good vacuum on the system before you add refrigerant. May also want to replace the o-ring on the line that came off in case it got damaged in the process.

AZ Jeff · Oct 27, 2013

You will need a vacuum pump and will need to pull a vacuum on the system for 30 minutes before filling with refrigerant.

The correct amount of R134a is usually posted on a decal under the hood. DO NOT overfill. Unlike R12 systems, R134a is not tolerant of excessive refrigerant.

LEO_WRANGLER · Oct 28, 2013

Thanks for all your replies, folks. I do have a vacuum pump, and an R134 manifold kit. I had bought these tools for use on other project cars, and was hoping to gain experience using them on those other cars, not on my main daily driver, the XJ. But fate is full of the unexpected.

What bugs me most about this is that I was able to cause that line to separate, even with that safety clip in place. Maybe while trying to put the radiator back in place, I pulled on that line so hard that it overcame the safety clip? Are those clips replaceable from some source?

bluecherokee01 · Oct 29, 2013

I'be seen them at the auto parts stores.

kjpeter · Nov 4, 2013

I figured I would put my two cents in.

I used the cans of Freon a couple times in my jeep. What I didn't realize is that the cans you buy at the store usually contain oil. On a drained system it usually isn't a problem. What happened on mine is I wound up putting TOO much oil in and I could hear the compressor working very hard. Eventually I brought it to a shop, explained what I did, and had them vacuum the system and oil. After a couple of times of them draining and recharging the system without putting any oil in, It works perfectly.

How Many Cans of Freon?

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