clawhammer
Probationary Member
- 3
- 2
- Jun 30, 2006
-
Niles,
Michigan
I posted a thread earlier today looking for help, but I did not get any, so I thought I would do my own writeup. Here it is.
Here is what you will need:
[brains]
Not pictured, but still needed: stubby ratcheting 17 mm wrench ($11 at Autozone) and Safety glasses
First thing that you'll need to do is to remove the old R12 refrigerant that might still be in the system. It's illegal to vent to atmosphere, so you'll need to have a mechanic do it. If you can figure out how to vent it yourself, great, but don't ask me.
Next you'll need to locate low-side service port. Here is the area that you need to be looking at:
[x]
It's going to be on the drivers side of the engine bay, just above the compressor. Here's what you'll see:
[x]
It's the valve with the black protective cover. Remove the cover. It should screw off easily. Then you'll need to clean off the threads with some WD-40 and a wire brush. After you're done with that, take the longer of the fittings included in your kit, and screw it on the threads. Tighten it with the 17mm stubby ratcheting wrench. The threads of the new fitting should have some red loctite on them. It will take approximately 10 minutes for the loctite to form a permanent bond with the service port. Once you're done with this step, it should look like this:
[x]
Then you'll screw the recharge hose on the retrofit oil. Make sure that the valve on top is open, so you don't puncture the can quite yet. Then you'll put the other end of the recharge hose on the new service port. You'll need to pull back on the end to snap it on there. Turn the valve on top of the recharge hose clockwise to puncture the can, and the counterclockwise to open it up to allow the oil to enter the air conditioning system. It should look like this:
[x]
Make sure the can is pointing upside down. Turn the car on with the ac set on max. Once the can feels empty, turn the car off. Remove the can and throw it away. Attach the first can of R134a refrigerant to the recharge hose. Puncture the can. Open the valve again. It should look like this:
[x]
Make sure the can is pointing upside down. Turn the car on with the ac set on max. Once the can feels empty, turn the car off. Repeat the procedure with the second can.
Once you're done, put the black protecting cover over the low-side service port. Put the new fitting on the high-side service port so it looks like this:
[x]
This last step is required by law. Also attach the sticker to the car that came in the kit.
Enjoy the cold AC.
Here is what you will need:
[brains]
Not pictured, but still needed: stubby ratcheting 17 mm wrench ($11 at Autozone) and Safety glasses
First thing that you'll need to do is to remove the old R12 refrigerant that might still be in the system. It's illegal to vent to atmosphere, so you'll need to have a mechanic do it. If you can figure out how to vent it yourself, great, but don't ask me.
Next you'll need to locate low-side service port. Here is the area that you need to be looking at:
[x]
It's going to be on the drivers side of the engine bay, just above the compressor. Here's what you'll see:
[x]
It's the valve with the black protective cover. Remove the cover. It should screw off easily. Then you'll need to clean off the threads with some WD-40 and a wire brush. After you're done with that, take the longer of the fittings included in your kit, and screw it on the threads. Tighten it with the 17mm stubby ratcheting wrench. The threads of the new fitting should have some red loctite on them. It will take approximately 10 minutes for the loctite to form a permanent bond with the service port. Once you're done with this step, it should look like this:
[x]
Then you'll screw the recharge hose on the retrofit oil. Make sure that the valve on top is open, so you don't puncture the can quite yet. Then you'll put the other end of the recharge hose on the new service port. You'll need to pull back on the end to snap it on there. Turn the valve on top of the recharge hose clockwise to puncture the can, and the counterclockwise to open it up to allow the oil to enter the air conditioning system. It should look like this:
[x]
Make sure the can is pointing upside down. Turn the car on with the ac set on max. Once the can feels empty, turn the car off. Remove the can and throw it away. Attach the first can of R134a refrigerant to the recharge hose. Puncture the can. Open the valve again. It should look like this:
[x]
Make sure the can is pointing upside down. Turn the car on with the ac set on max. Once the can feels empty, turn the car off. Repeat the procedure with the second can.
Once you're done, put the black protecting cover over the low-side service port. Put the new fitting on the high-side service port so it looks like this:
[x]
This last step is required by law. Also attach the sticker to the car that came in the kit.
Enjoy the cold AC.
