I have a 1997 Ford F150 XLT 4x4 with 139,000 miles on it. It is a 4.6L v8. Last summer the air conditioning stopped blowing cold air, and I was planning on refilling the air conditioning fluid to get it to blow cold again. I am planning on doing it myself, and when I look at advance auto to buy the fluid I have 2 choices on fluid, R-12 or R-134a. Which one should I use, and would refilling the air conditioning fluids solve my problem? If not where could the problem be and how could I go about fixing it? Thanks

 

Don't take this the wrong way, but if you don't know what kind of refrigerant goes in your truck, you may not want to mess with the A/C.

 

Thanks, none taken but thats what I am using this forum for, I am trying to learn and figure it out. I know mechanics I can talk to but I want to see how far I can get on my own, and I am not a total idiot, I have a few trouble shooting skills, and was able to fix my 4x4 on my own by learning and doing it myself. So any INFORMATION that you could send my way about my post would be appreciated. Thanks

 

its the R134 u want. they had R12 there? they stopped putting 12 in vehicles like 15-20 years ago. do u have a friend that knows how to work on cars? have them do it and u observe to learn.

 

Alright, thanks Keith, I will have a friend come over to help me, or step me through it, wichever. I saw they have recharge kits with gauges and fluid in it, and the whole procedure did not seem that complicated, but I haven't tried it yet and perhaps I was mistaken.

 

R134a is the deal. Don't overfill it. It easy. Use the kit with the gauge so you get it right. Recharging the AC is extremely simple.. Follow the instruction that come with the kit.

 

The first step is trouble shooting why it stopped blowing cold to begin with. Must have a leak somewhere, maybe a blown seal or bad compressor. They sell dye's you can inject into the system and then check with a black light of some sort to find the leak. That would be my first step...

 

how much of a pain is it to purge an opened ac system? yes im hijacking lol

 

Like was said before,( get the kit with the gauge ) and folow the directions.
It's very simple.
I charged my little beater car and my g/fs car and I haven't ever messed with that kind of thing before.
Both are still working.

Now,,,if you do have a leak,,,you'll wast the money on the kit but if you take it somewhere,,,plan on spending over 700 bucks. Because they will find something wrong with your system,,,,even if there's not!


Phil

 

its really not that difficult. ive never opened up a system before.. always just recharged with the kit. if you have a leak usually it will show up right away. i had a leak on my dakota turned out the condenser was cracked. i said the hell with it..those are expensive to replace. usually one of the tall cans of 134 will fill it up. dont overcharge though.

 

You can not just open a system and recgarge it you have to put it under vacuum to remove the air due to moister in the air. It will work. It will not be as cold.

 

unless you have an AC license you can only buy R134a.

get one of those recharge kits that hook up to the low side, also called the suction side. the low side has a cap marked L and has a small fitting.the high side has a cap marked H and has a large fittting.

stick a refrigerant/ac thermometer in the centre duct with the ac fan on high and the ac on max. add the r134a while reving the engine to 1500-1800 rpm.
when the thermometer gets to 42-44 degrees stop- you are properly charged.

 

thanks! whats needed for the vacuum? trying to weigh the cost of more tools vs having it done. this isnt something i plan on doing very often. just had a brain fart during my swap.

 

for about $15.00 you can buy a unit that hooks to an air compressor and will evacuate the system to about 29 in. Hg. for about $50.00 yo will need to get a set of AC gages.the evacuation unit hooks to the center hose (fill line) of the AC gages.

Keep in mind if you go to a shop it is illegal for the shop to recharge a system that has an identifiable leak.

 

it shouldnt have a leak, i opened it on accident is all.
i'll have to call napa see what they have. unless walmart has some sort of knock off i can hook up and hide from lol