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1999 deville A/C refirgerant help needed!


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Hello All

I have a 1999 Deville and need to add R134 to the A/C system

I've got a couple cans of refrigerant in hand and my application hose, but I'm not which is the high pressure side and which is the low pressure side. I know refrigerant is only supposed to be added to the low pressure side but I'm not sure how to identify it. I don't have a manual and was hoping for some help here.

I see two fixed aluminum hoses, both with valve couplings. I figure on is high and one is low. Standing in front of the car looking under the hood, one hose (larger of the two) runs perpendicular to the firewall and has a smaller valve. The other hose runs parallel to the firewall, is of a smaller diameter but has a larger valve.

Is one of these two valves the low pressure valve where I can add refrigerant?

Or is it elsewhere?

Thanks!

Mason

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Thanks Jim & Larry

I figured as much when I noticed the two valves were different sizes and the applicator I have only fits one. Plus the accumulator is just downwind of the larger, lower pressure pipe.

Just figured a little extra advice couldn't hurt - not keen on having a can of refrigerant blow up on me!

Thanks again

Mason

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You didn't say so, but I'm guessing your DIC is diplaying a "Refrigernt Low" message. In this case the compressor has been commanded OFF and will not draw in the refrigerant you wish to add.

Ignore me if I'm telling you something you already know.

Otherwise, hook up your recharge cannister to the LOW side and "bleed" it appropriately.

Put the ignition key in the RUN mode and clear all codes. Then, after you start the engine, your thirsty compressor will be enabled and will draw in the required refrigerant.

Even though the system will "blow off" an excess refrigerant charge, it's still not a good idea to add refrigerant madly. Use caution and add slowly. If your system takes the whole can and still fails, you need to see a professional. STOP NOW!

Regards,

Warren

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There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises

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Hi Warren

EXACTLY!

I logged onto the forum this evening to ask the question you have essentially answered for me! Why won't refrigerant will draw from the can?

May I ask your help (or anyone's help who may happen to see this) with the following:

One - I understand how to bleed off pressure, but should I bleed it "all" off?

Two - how do I "clear all codes"?

Thanks very much

Mason

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Hi Warren

EXACTLY!

I logged onto the forum this evening to ask the question you have essentially answered for me! Why won't refrigerant will draw from the can?

May I ask your help (or anyone's help who may happen to see this) with the following:

One - I understand how to bleed off pressure, but should I bleed it "all" off?

Two - how do I "clear all codes"?

Thanks very much

Mason

Sorry Mason, it was poor form on my part to use the term "bleed." What I should have said was "purge."

There is air in the charging hose when you begin and you don't want to add that air to your system. You purge the air from the charging hose by cracking open the can's valve slightly so as to fill the hose with refrigerant and displace the air that was in the hose.

Connecting the hose to the charge port while it is pissing refrigerant will ensure that you don't add that small amount of air to your system. It's not a BIG problem, just good practice. Especially if the system will be topped off from time to time, in which case you will incrementally add more and more air to your system.

Regards,

Warren

Posted Image

There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises

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Thanks Jim & Larry

I figured as much when I noticed the two valves were different sizes and the applicator I have only fits one. Plus the accumulator is just downwind of the larger, lower pressure pipe.

Just figured a little extra advice couldn't hurt - not keen on having a can of refrigerant blow up on me!

Thanks again

Mason

The refrigerant can won't blow up on you - that was a potential issue on the old R-12 systems that had the same size ports for the low and high side - not the recent R-12 systems but ones from the early 1970s. Someone would accidentally connect the R-12 can to the high pressure side, overcharge the system and the can could rupture. At any rate, wear safety glasses.

Have you verified that you punctured the seal on the can enough with the can tap? I've had that happen - I thought I punctured the can enough but really didn't and the refrigerant flow out of the can was slow. Once I turned the pierce valve on the can tap deeper and opened it back up, it emptied easier. Also, hold the can upside down (hose on the bottom) to charge as a liquid and it will go much faster. The liquid refrigerant will quickly vaporize in the accumulator.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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