air conditioning recharge

my air conditioning worked lat summer but it only has a slight chill to it this year. I went out and bought the recharge bottle from walmart but the coupler does not fit and it looks like all the other bottles have the same fitting. How can i charge up the system.

hi ..hate to be the person to bear the bad news to ya..but...its illegal to recharge an a/c sytem other then to repair the system..
recharing the sytem will only allow the r134 to escape and help to deterate our only ozone layer
please have it inspected by a certified repair shop... thx stan

wow can someone answer my question please this isn't a ozone forum

You Jeep is still set up for the R12 Freeon,which you cannot get R12 anymore.You need to get it converted to use R134.They do have conversion kits you can buy at pretty much any parts store,but in my opinion your better off spending 100 buck to take it somewhere to get it done so that the tubing is properly cleaned out and the old freeon properly disposed.

hi ..hate to be the person to bear the bad news to ya..but...its illegal to recharge an a/c sytem other then to repair the system

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What planet are you from?I recharge my ac all the time.r134 is available at wal-mart even.People come here to get good information not misinformation.please be careful what you post.

Cheap fix is to buy an adaptor for the low side fitting to add R134, the only problem is it could cause your compressor to go bad because R134 won't carry the oil from the R12 system causing the compressor to run dry, and R134 is made of smaller molecules causing it to leak faster. So if you have a leak already the R134 will leak out about twice as fast. Hope this helps!

This may be a dumb suggestion, so take it with a grain of salt...

Have you pulled the grille and cleaned your A/C condenser? It gets dirty, and needs cleaning now and then. Spray it with a good degreaser (soak that sucker!), let it sit, then hose it out with low-pressure jet of water. (Some folks use a power washer, I did and it didn't mess it up. You might be different so I hesitate to recommend it.)

It might help out a bit, or a lot; either way it's easy, cheap and something that could also help your radiator.

kahaikapu said:

hi ..hate to be the person to bear the bad news to ya..but...its illegal to recharge an a/c sytem other then to repair the system..

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Wrong. If it were illegal, as mentioned, it wouldn't be available at stores such as wally world for about $10-12 per can.

To the OP, by looking at your profile it shows you have a 2001. If this is correct, I would first start by pulling the grill off and thoroughly cleaning the condensor (the radiator looking thing directly behind the grill). As mentioned, they do get dirty seeing as they're right behind the grill and catch all the bugs and crap you hit on the road. I did this a couple of years ago and it made a noticeable difference in my a/c's performance.

The next step is to first verify that your compressor is kicking on, and then see how much your compressor is kicking on and off with in a minute's period. I believe the FSM states that anything over 12 cycles in a minute's time is too much, and indicates that the system is low on freon. However, if it's not coming on at all, that indicates that the system is too low to run, and the low pressure cut off switch has kicked in, and prevented the compressor from coming on, to prevent damage to the unit.

One thing to consider is that the evaporators in the 97+ XJ's are pure crap. They all leak. Mine is currently leaking, but it's a very small leak. I can usually get a full summer's use out of one recharge. For now, i'm not too worried about it.

Also, to recharge your system, you're going to need one of the hoses that can be both found in the recharge kits, and sold separately. You can't just plug the can into the port. Also make sure you're recharging on the LOW pressure side of the system, and not the high side. The hoses that you connect to the can, and then connect to the low pressure side port can only fit into the low pressure side. So if you unscrew one cap and it doesn't fit, try the other.

Also one more thing to consider is with our a/c systems, as well as any R134a system, they're real picky about freon levels. Too little freon, and it will not cool. Also, too much freon will yield the same result. My recommendation to you is to pick up a hose at wally world with a guage on it. While they're not the most accurate in the world, they're better than nothing. However, you really should take it to an a/c professional so they can hook up the proper guages to it and monitor both the high and low sides of the system.

Sorry if some of the info comes off as "well....duh" to you, but a/c systems are tricky about re-charging....and its not hard to completely screw up the system.

thanks guys for the replies. I will clean the a/c compressor tomorrow and then go from there.

shaddady34 said:

thanks guys for the replies. I will clean the a/c compressor tomorrow and then go from there.

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Condensor-- the radiator-looking-thing ahead of your radiator is what would need cleaning most.:rof:
--Shorty

Save yourself the grief and cost that goes with converting to 134. Use the product Freeze-12. It is a direct replacement for R-12 and is 100% compatible and there are no EPA issues either. Saw a boatload of the stuff on on Ebay. Check it out before you do anything.

Talk about "misinformation"!

From: http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/609/subsumm.html

"Under the Clean Air Act, releasing non-ozone-depleting refrigerants such as HFC-134a into the atmosphere has been prohibited since November 15, 1995. Section 609 of the Act requires EPA to promulgate standards for refrigerant recycling equipment and for the proper use of that equipment. The standards are effective as of January 29, 1998. Beginning at that time, any equipment used to recover or recycle HFC-134a from MVACs must meet EPA standards and be tested by an approved testing laboratory (UL or ETL). In addition, equipment that recovers, but does not recycle, one single, specific blend refrigerant must meet EPA standards and be tested by UL or ETL. Also, beginning on the effective date, automotive service technicians must be certified to handle non-ozone-depleting refrigerants.

Note that this regulation does not restrict the sale of HFC-134a or other non-ozone-depleting refrigerants. At this time, anyone may purchase these refrigerants, no matter what size container they come in (unless, of course, state or local regulations dictate otherwise). "

we arn't releasing anything, I don't want the stuff out in the air, i want it in my system cooling the cabin off. besides, if you listen to the right people, we already have to much ozone. or if you want, we need more ozone. pick your side, just dont expect me to care until you guys get your crap together about it.

Wow.I thought I was on a XJ site.Now all of a sudden I wound up on Al Gores.HELP!!!!!!!

Hay dude. Are you sure that you are trying to hook up with thge lower end of your AC system. The fittings on the lower and upper end are different sizes.

....And oh yeah. I just farted. Guess there is a little methane in the mix now too.

Freeze-12 $9.95 12oz can www.sherco-auto.com

if you're gonna recharge and nothing else, I've heard freeze-12 works well. It is not approved by any of the OEM or aftermarket remanufacturers as a refrigerant, but if you are filling an out of warranty AC system and want cold air, I have heard good things about it. I can't give any suggestions about it's opperating pressures, but at $10.00 a can, I'd be willing to give it a try.

if you're gonna replace anything else in the system, I would retro-fit for 134A.
it IS approved by the manufacturers and will not void any warrantees you may have on the replacement parts.

--Shorty

hey fyi i'm a dumbass and kept trying to fit the coupler on the lower side port. System now is fully charged and has been blowing ice cold for the past week thanks guys

shaddady34 said:

hey fyi i'm a dumbass

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You said it, I didn't.

134A replacement kit for R12 works. Well.....mostly. 134A is not nearly as efficient as R12. That is why it takes so long to get cold air and it doesn't feel as cold when it does come. The systems originally set up for R12 just dont work as well with 134A.
My 92 still has R12 in it and it works better than my 98 Durango that I use to have. Even when the 98 was new I would experience less than cold air at idle at a stop light. It would come back after a couple of blocks!

Haven't tried the Freeze-12, but it does sound interesting.

What is your freon foot print? How about your Lead Foot Print if you own a Hybrid? What is going to happen to all those batteries once they are depleted in 15 years? Don't answer that! Let stick to XJ's