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A/C recharge

XJ5

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Sevierville, TN
Two weeks ago the a/c stopped working so I pulled the a/c clutch fuse, put it back in, and it started working again. I drove about 5 miles the other day with the a/c working fine, then it quit working again just like before. The compressor is not cycling at all. So if I buy a recharge kit, will I be able to use it without the compressor running?
 
It has nothing to do with your charge. If you had a low charge condition the low press. safety switch would just keep the circuit from closing. A blown fuse indicates an overheated or shorted wire/circuit.
 
Do a search, many have posted on this several times.

You don't know if you need refrigerant unless you have hi/low pressure gauges.

You don't know if you have added enough or too little unless you have hi/low pressure gauges.

If your willing to risk the whole AC system and you are very confident that all that is wrong with your AC system is a slow leak that has lost refrigerant, than MAYBE adding a can to the system may bring it back closer to working normally, it could damage the system worse and make it harder/more expensive to repair.

You indicate your AC problems may be associated with electrical control, how do you come to conclusion that it needs a recharge kit?

The AC has a low pressure switch to turn off the clutch, thus compressor, if the pressure in the evaporator gets too low, meaning it will ice over. That also serves as a safety switch to keep you from running the AC when its too low on refrigerant to lubricate the compressor properly.

IF THAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, IF YOU HAD AN AC LEAK THAT A RECHARGE KIT COULD BRING BACK SOME FUNCTION, THEN YOUR AC WOULD HAVE SLOWLY DEGRADED IN PERFORMANCE OVER THE LAST YEAR IF NOT MORE. IF the AC just quit, you either have a massive leak that recharging won't help, or the problem is something else altogether. Since playing around with fuses yielded some result, I'd suspect the latter, unless it was just a coincidence.

When you go to recharge, have the motor running and the AC turned on Full. As you charge, the pressure in the system will be raised and that will throw the switch and start the compressor. As the compressor runs, the suction will help empty the bottle of new refrigerant. The compressor may cycle on and off at first, since the each time it turns it drops pressure on the low side, but as you get more refrigerant it will be able to hold the min pressure above the pressure for the switch that turns it on.
 
When this happened the first time, the fuse seemed to have wiggled loose, it wasn't fully seated and there was some black carbon on it. I thought maybe it needed a recharge because I had found by searching that if it's low on refrigerant, the low pressure switch would keep the clutch from cycling. When it was working it seemed to cycle on and off quite often.
 
Cycling on and off more often is a sign of low refrigerant, it can't hold as much pressure on both sides of the system with less refrigerant, which results in the compressor cycling more often. That is assuming that the AC is under full load on a hot day.

The other sign is that the cooling capacity decreases with the lack of refrigerant. i.e. If the AC was blasting very cold air and then suddenly stopped, thats not a slow leak. Something else is wrong, it could be a fast leak, but if thats true, you shouldn't be charging it, one it won't work but 2 your required to repair the leak first.

The AC seemed to a little warmer and warmer over the last year, that a slow leak that you can hope to charge up, tighten all the fittings and not have to worry until next year, if your lucky even longer.
 
Can you buy a recharge kit at a parts store for a older model XJ, or vehicle in general, and not for a newer one? Isn't something like R134 or something for older vehicles? Does anyone know the cut off and where to buy the recharge kit?

My a/c blows hot air, and I just got the Jeep about 5 months ago in Illinois when it was cold, and didn't need the a/c, now in Sacramento it is hot as hell and I need some a/c. :laugh3:
I have a 98' XJ 4.0L/ax-15
 
The cut should be R-12 for earlier than '95 and R-134a for '95 and up. The '97 and up models are known for having the evaporator core rust through and leak, which is probably what is ailing yours.
 
lilredwagn said:
The cut should be R-12 for earlier than '95 and R-134a for '95 and up. The '97 and up models are known for having the evaporator core rust through and leak, which is probably what is ailing yours.
Yep what he said. I just had my son take my bone dry system into the shop he works for and one of the mechanics charged me $20 for the recharge $0 for the freon. Score !
 
last summer my A/C would go on fro a while, stop, then come back later if I turned the A/C off and drove for a while. The part wound up being the "ballast adjuster" if I remember correctly...
 
A/C has been working great the past month, then yesterday after driving 30 minutes, the compressor shuts off and starts blowing hot air. I stop with engine running, unplug the low pressure switch connector, and when I plug it back in, the compressor engages and we have cold air. Ran great for another 30 minutes, then same thing happens. What is going on here? Bad LPCO? How do I diagnose from here? Low side pressure is around 45.
 
new member with a 1998 cherokee. Just replaced the compressor and the evaporator and getting cool air but not cold . With the circulation inside only in the 62 degree range. with the out side circulation on 74 degree range. we are stumped. any suggestion?
 
barry silverstein said:
new member with a 1998 cherokee. Just replaced the compressor and the evaporator and getting cool air but not cold . With the circulation inside only in the 62 degree range. with the out side circulation on 74 degree range. we are stumped. any suggestion?
Did you evacuate the system before charging?
 
I am not sure the car we bought has 198,000 miles but very clean.Thw air had not worked for awhile per the original owner. we re placed the comprsoor and the evap last week as posted .My shop thinks that the valve in the hose may be suspect and we are about to replace that hose. we have removed the dash a second time to check the control bow which seems to be working but the air is as stated and not cold if not on recirculate . Freon is at 40 pounds and holding.
 
barry silverstein said:
new member with a 1998 cherokee. Just replaced the compressor and the evaporator and getting cool air but not cold . With the circulation inside only in the 62 degree range. with the out side circulation on 74 degree range. we are stumped. any suggestion?

Plugged orifice tube? What does your gauge set indicate for low and high side pressures?
 
thank you ,the low was mid 40's high was 200's out side 85 degree weather.we are starting to think that the heater door is not closing and letting the hot air laek into the system???this has been checked once. ihate to think we may have to replace the whole heater box just to fix this . any suggestions ????
 
barry silverstein said:
the heater box ? does anyone have any other suggestions before we do this ? thanks
Why don't you get a couple feet of heater hose, some connectors and some hose clamps, and loop the heater hose so that it doesn't run through the heater core and measure your temps. Once you've got a "cool" reading, hook it all back up the right way to see if there is any change. It would be less of a hassle and less expensive than replacing the HVAC box.
 
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