So I need to charge my ac tonight. I was wondering how much freon it holds. And if I need to add oil. Since it is empty since doing the heater core and evaporator about a year ago. I'm close to some parts stores and would like to get my supply's before going home.

I got a set of gauges too and would like to know what pressures should be reading. Thanks for any help

do you have a service manual? you'll want one. how about a vacuum pump? or are you just goin to hook it up to the vacuum on your intake? there should be a sticker under the hood with the amount of Freon it holds.

as for the pressures on the gauges that depends on the outside air temp while charging.

i think your the first person i've met that live in Dolores, awesome little town, we had a ranch in Cortez 180 acres, we still camp up just south of Rico in the old ball field every year.

You may want to replace the accumulator. It separators the oil from the 134A and it also has a desiccant bag for absorbing moisture in the system.  If the system has been opened for any length of time the desiccant bag is saturated.  This will allow the unabsorbed moisture the possibility of freezing at the expansion valve and causing a blockage in the system and no cool is the result.  Yes, you need to replace the oil that is lost  when you change a component.  The evaporator take 2oz of PAG oil and another 2oz if you do the accumulator.  When changing any component you'll want to replace the O-rings for the fittings.  

Before charging the system you'll want to use the vacuum pump to draw the system into a vacuum.  This will not only remove the air that's in there but also, and the main reason, remove moisture. 

2 hours ago, Killer223 said:

do you have a service manual? you'll want one. how about a vacuum pump? or are you just goin to hook it up to the vacuum on your intake? there should be a sticker under the hood with the amount of Freon it holds.

as for the pressures on the gauges that depends on the outside air temp while charging.

i think your the first person i've met that live in Dolores, awesome little town, we had a ranch in Cortez 180 acres, we still camp up just south of Rico in the old ball field every year.

I don't have a service manual or a vacuum pump. I was hoping to just do a charge, and like IB mobile says I will get an accumulator while I'm at it. (If they have one) the system was opened up for a while when replacing the cores under the dash.

as far as camping at the old  ball park, I played a few ball games thier and drank a lot of beer with the Rico VFD. I live about 20 miles  south of thier. In stoner, of all places. Ha

you can rent the vacuum pumps, thats the best way to do it. if however you cant find one. use the center line on the gauges and hook it up to a vacuum line on a running engine. that will vacuum it down. you don't want to just charge it. make sure you put a vacuum on it. the more you open the system the more you'll want to make sure you vacuum it down. for a proper charge. without pulling it down your pressures will be off. they will be a lot higher and not provide the correct cooling.

you happen to own the Slippery Rock Fall in River Ranch do you?

we will be camping up there again this year last week in july. maybe first of august.

Edited March 12, 20169 yr by Killer223

35 minutes ago, IBMobile said:

You may want to replace the accumulator. It separators the oil from the 134A and it also has a desiccant bag for absorbing moisture in the system.  If the system has been opened for any length of time the desiccant bag is saturated.  This will allow the unabsorbed moisture the possibility of freezing at the expansion valve and causing a blockage in the system and no cool is the result.  Yes, you need to replace the oil that is lost  when you change a component.  The evaporator take 2oz of PAG oil and another 2oz if you do the accumulator.  When changing any component you'll want to replace the O-rings for the fittings.  

Before charging the system you'll want to use the vacuum pump to draw the system into a vacuum.  This will not only remove the air that's in there but also, and the main reason, remove moisture. 

Good info. Thanks, I will look for an accumulator while I'm at it.

Do you find the PAG oil where you get the freon or is it already in the freon cans.

Im not around my truck so don't remember what amount it takes  but I thought around 2 or 2.2 lbs or so. I guess I could get extra just to be sure.

 

 

See if you can find a can of 134A that also has an oil charge in it.  Sometimes I find them with 2oz of 134a and 2oz of PAG oil or a can with 11OZ of 134A , 2oz of PAG oil  and seal conditioner.  You might want something like this;http://www.autozone.com/a-c-charging-and-refrigerant-freon/r134a-refrigerant/quest-r-134a-plus-refrigerant-not-for-hybrid-vehicles-with-electrical-driven-compressors/233038_0_0/?checkfit=true

Remember that a 12oz can is equal to ¾ of a pound so 3 cans will give you 2.25 lb. It is better to under fill a system than to over fill it though you want to get as close to the volume required as possible. 

Always best to pull the compressor and drain the oil. Then recharge with 7 ozs of PAG 100 directly in through the drain hole. Guessing at oil charge is dangerous over charge and you could blow a compressor up or under charged and eat the bearings out of it.

 

As for recharge I typically run by pressures. Lo Side I aim for 35-40 PSI and Hi Side should run about 225 to 250 PSI. Typically right around 2.5 to 3 can (12 oz) of R134a freon. Best to have ambient temp above 70*F when you recharge. Too cold outside could produce lower pressures at that point I typically go by volume which comes back to the 2.5 to 3 cans. Properly charged system should not cycle the compressor even if the RPM's are raised to 1,500 RPM it should hold solid.

STANDARD PROCEDURE - REFRIGERANT OIL

LEVEL

When an air conditioning system is assembled at the factory, all components except the compressor are refrigerant oil free. After the refrigerant system has been charged and operated, the refrigerant oil in the compressor is dispersed throughout the refrigerant system. The accumulator, evaporator, condenser, and compressor will each retain a significant amount of the needed refrigerant oil. It is important to have the correct amount of oil in the refrigerant system. This ensures proper lubrication  of the compressor. Too little oil will result in damage to the compressor. Too much oil will reduce .the cooling capacity of the air conditioning system. It will not be necessary to check the oil level in the compressor or to add oil, unless there has been an oil loss. An oil loss may occur due to a rupture or leak from a refrigerant line, a connector fitting, a component, or a component seal. If a leak occurs, add 30 milliliters (1 fluid ounce) of refrigerant oil to the refrigerant system after the repair has been made. Refrigerant oil loss will be evident at the leak point by the presence of a wet, shiny surface around the leak.

Refrigerant oil must be added when a accumulator, evaporator coil, or condenser are replaced. See the Refrigerant Oil Capacities chart. When a compressor is replaced, the refrigerant oil must be drained from the old compressor and measured. Drain all of the refrigerant oil from the new compressor, then fill the new compressor with the same amount of refrigerant oil that was drained out of the old compressor.

                                         Refrigerant Oil Capacities 

              A/C System    210ml    6.2oz

              Accumulator     60ml     2oz

              Condenser       30ml     1oz

             Evaporator        60ml     2oz                                                                  

            Compressor drain and measure the oil from the old compressor - see text.

The above is from the 2001 Dodge Ram service repair manual, section 24 Heating & Air Conditioning, subsection Plumbing, page 24-57.  Draining the compressor then adding 7oz of oil to it might over fill the A/C system. 

 

Typically the compressor either has a label or you can call a local NAPA store for thee recharge quantity.

A 2001 dodge ram will take 32oz of 134A for a full charge in  empty system. 

http://www.techchoiceparts.com/refrigerant-and-oil-capacities/dodge-light-truck

On 3/12/2016 at 4:44 PM, Killer223 said:

you can rent the vacuum pumps, thats the best way to do it. if however you cant find one. use the center line on the gauges and hook it up to a vacuum line on a running engine. that will vacuum it down. you don't want to just charge it. make sure you put a vacuum on it. the more you open the system the more you'll want to make sure you vacuum it down. for a proper charge. without pulling it down your pressures will be off. they will be a lot higher and not provide the correct cooling.

you happen to own the Slippery Rock Fall in River Ranch do you?

we will be camping up there again this year last week in july. maybe first of august.

I got all my supply's, but I might as well just wait until I can get a good vacuum on it and do it right, I shouldn't need it right away anyhow. I thought it was going to be a lot hotter down in Arizona, but I think I can handle 80 without a/c.

I live 10 miles south of the Slippery Rock Fall in River Ranch,

They outlawed camping at the old ball park, but still a lot good places along the river to camp close by.

damn i've been camping at that spot for 30 years. hate what's happening to this country. when did they close it? we camped there last year. i have a 33' 5er so finding a good spot isn't easy.

On March 13, 2016 at 10:13 AM, Killer223 said:

damn i've been camping at that spot for 30 years. hate what's happening to this country. when did they close it? we camped there last year. i have a 33' 5er so finding a good spot isn't easy.

I can't tell exactly but that spot looks like looking south just a mile or so south of Rico. The actual ball field been closed for years, It had a back stop and remenates of an old baseball diamond. It was about a 1/2 mile north of scotch creek.