1st Gen R53 Cooper S Most liked posts in thread: Air Conditioning !?!

I know it's too late now, but many of these recharge kits have a sealer in them, supposedly to plug any leaks in the system - kinda like radiator stop leak. However, like with stopleak, the cure is often worse than the problem, as these tend to clog small orifices in the expansion valve and wreak havoc with compressors, often requiring the replacement of the whole system, including the evap, condenser, dryer, expansion valve and compressor.

so word to the wise, if you're going to add Freon (which you should never do without a gauge set - and knowing what the gauge numbers mean) make sure you do not add the kind with leak stop in it, or you may regret it expensively.

A better bet is to take it to an A/C shop and have it done right.

 

Assuming the system still runs and has not tripped out on the low pressure safety switch, you can/should add vapor to the suction side of the compressor. Make sure that you keep the bottle upright to assure you do not suck liquid into the compressor. Liquid ingestion into the compr suction will slug it and likely break the valves. The charging connection will be the larger of the two connections. (suction connection is larger than the discharge connection) Running the system will allow you to "drag" the vapor out of the bottle... Be sure not to overcharge that can be worse than undercharged.

 

Like any thing else, it's not that hard if you know what you're doing.

But the OP didn't know if it was OK to add Freon to the discharge port, those are the guys I worry about. Not only do they not understand how the system works, they don't realize how dangerous it can be to do things wrong. At least he asked before he tried to force the fitting over the wrong coupler.

The old "a little knowledge can be dangerous" coupled with the "plug and play " attitude most young guys have these days leads to some interesting discussions in my classroom.

 

Use the one in the picture right. The closest to the driver.

 

Yep... use this one!

 

BTW: That photo is a part of this how-to article on how to do a quick recharge:

How to top up AC Refrigerant in an R50/53 - Library

The other nice thing... the fittings on the high and low pressure sides of the system (you add coolant to the low pressure side) are now different, so you don't have to worry about getting the wrong one. Your coolant rig should only fit onto the one closest to the driver.

 

:cornut: ME TOO!

Jason

 

Make sure your charge has oil in it. When 134a leaks out it takes the oil with it.

 

^^^ very wise advice. Sometimes if you think its cheap and easy to fix it turn out to cost you 10 times over. I leave AC work to the pros.