When refilling my R134 the gauge is deceptive, what does it really mean?

Question

I have a 2000 Explorer (V6 Vin X) which I have been posting for over the past few days. I put one can of R134 in yesterday and the Y! Community suggested that I was still low. This morning I bought another can with a gauge to refill the AC. The gauge is "Artic Freeze R 134" and on the gauge there is green, blue, yellow and red. It says green is low, blue proper, yellow do not add and red do not add, other problem. My gauge sits at 25 PSI (bottom threshhold for blue or proper) and rises to 45PSI (top threshhold for blue or proper). As the compressor clicks on it drops back down to 25 PSI. This does this every five seconds or so. I added more R134 but the gauage never went into yellow but my AC still isnt that good - should I keep adding or am I at the appropriate levels?

Answer 1

ever think about a leak

Answer 2

i own a shop and you should be where it needs to be at,try letting a little of the running pressure off of it ,just a little and then check it,i think its building pressure but not circulating the freon good use the valve at the fill point and just release a small amount a second or two should do it then run it,and check it,it should be alright,and it can also have dirt in the system that will cause a blockage,and you wont get real good cold air from it,sometimes it will clear up,but if its still clicking on and off that's a sign its still low on freon,it shouldn't hold no more than 3 cans from dead empty though,be careful and don't over charge it,good luck.

Answer 3

Considering that the only way to SERVICE R-134A is by specific weight I am shocked at the "shop owners" advocating this methodology and the uncontrolled release of R-134A into the atmosphere(A Federal Offense).

Seek a real shop with real tech that are A/C certified and actually allowed to work on this!

ASE Cert Tech, 30 years, Shop Owner, A/C cert since 1978

Answer 4

The pressure gauge is only meant to use when the compressor is running. You can short out the low pressure cutoff switch to keep the compressor running while you fill it. You also need to turn the temp adjustment way down if you have one of those fancy climate control systems to keep the compressor from cycling.

Answer 5

i can't really diagnose your problem through your question, but i can tell you that overcharging will damage your system. Here's an idea, take a look at the junk mail and find yourself a coupon for a free a/c checkup. Lots of service centers offer them for free to get you in the door, you have no obligation to use them to fix your problem but you can get a professional diagnosis with pro equipment so you know where to go from there.