Im trying to test the pressure in the system but im not sure where the nipple is. Basicly whats happening is that my A/C blows semi cool air, Definetly colder then the 90 degree air outside. But not as cold as it should be, so im making sure the freon isnt running low. i have the Testing kit ( pressure guage ) but im not to sure where the nipple is i attach it to.. anyone got an anwer for me.. thanks.

 

They're right against the passenger side shock tower between the ABS pump and the airbox.

If you don't know which is the high pressure side and which is the low pressure side I wouldn't check it yourself. Be certain your gauges are for R12 unless you've converted the system, otherwise your gauges won't connect to the fittings anyway.

 

are the caps color coded? i dont have the bible so im strugglin here.

 

They are different sizes. Your gauge will not fit on the high pressure line. If you car is a 94 or 95 than its easy to refill. If its a 93 you will not be able to do any of it yourself. If it is a 93, it will also cost you about 20 times more to refill it. No joke..

 

your a/c should never need recharging, if it requires that, you have bigger issues (as in, it will continue to drain, recharging is only a band-aid fix)

isolate the leak

 

dont put sealent in it.

 

?? Is this correct?? You NEVER need to recharge your R-12 freon? Even on our 10 year old cars?? That would mean all these refill kits are simply because people always have leaks??

Good thing I'm asking now...cuz my friend who works on A/C's for a living was coming over to fill my FB and Camry w/ freon... So if I shouldn't need a recharge, I won't let him recharge my FD while he's here...(it still blows cold...just thought I might as well since he'll have R12 w/ him)

 

Damn, I accidentally pulled my A/C lines when replacing my heater core. So I will never have A/C again?

 

This thread is so;

Some people should not even be allowed to look under their hoods!

 

Ok besides that...the other thread w/ the 411 on A/C made no mention of you never having to recharge your A/C if everything's working correctly...so....can you answer my question?

 

Anyone who REALLY wants to work and understand their car will/would of bought the Mazda Workshop Manual which explains most of everything.

Lazyness is not an excuse! How do you think us "OLD TIMERS" learned before the internet made it so easy.

So easy that most young new owners just don't get it.

 

How often do you need to "recharge" your refridgerator at home?

 

wtf?! what are you talking about?! If the freon has never been refilled since '93 of course its gonna run out, freon goes bad over time. Maybe you should do some research. Anyways, it's also usually done when the engine is rebuilt....obviously. You can get one of those conversion kits but I don't know if those work or not properly. I got mine recharged for $50 (and it took like 3 cans), not that expensive so I don't know where you guys are getting your info from but it's not hard to get R12 refilled or recharged. Just because it's low or empty does not mean you have a leak.

 

my ac blows only hot air. I took it to the Mazda dealer (didnt know I was converted to R134a, which the previous owner did ) (yes, i actually took it to the dealer....) and they told me that i had a hole in my condenser and i leaked out all of my freon. check that, it's the radiator looking thing in the front of your car

 

Seriously, before you put someone else down and talk smack, i suggest you know what YOU are talkling about. You should NEVER have to refill your AC unless there is a leak. No it does NOT go bad over time. It's not food for crying out loud. It a gas that is in a closed system that get compressed, cooled, expanded and heated, but NEVER goes bad. That is so rediculous for you to try to criticize someone when you have NO clue what you are talking about. As a matter of fact, it is against the law to add freon to a system without having it repaired, since that means it is leaking. People like you, spewing false information, and putting down people that acutually know what they are talking about, is what makes the internet a waste for obtaining info.

Read up AC Info

 

Wrong forum, but my 88 SE has the factory AC charge... and the point earlier about fridges & freezers is very valid. Most 25-30 year old fridges/freezers are still working perfectly on the factory R-12 charge.

-=Russ=-

 

My car is a 94, it blows ICE cold. Your freon should NEVER run out. Its possible that you have such a slow leak that it leaks out over a period of years .... atleast in theory.

 

i have a 93 with retrofitted r134. on a hot texas day, my a/c was blowing 37F........ thank god for a/c...

 

uhhh our a/c SHOULD NEVER NEED A REFIL. our r12 sys is self contained. if you need a refil you have a leak. its not that uncommon, seals can go bad, lines can break, and especially when we work on our cars for say like...radiator swaps....or fmic we are bending those a/c lines a lot. slow leaks are very common. normally if you have a leak your looking at about $150-$200 to fix and refill (with a good hook-up ) remember r12 is now not an acceptable form of a/c.

 

Actually both of you are correct (and wrong). The use of a fridge for an analogy is a poor one at best. The freon system in a fridge is not subjected to the same type of harsh environment as an auto a/c system.
First of all, on the comment of "when do you ever see freon being changed in a fridge", ok answer this "when do you see a fridge bounce up and down over 100,000 times a year?". The vibration on an automobile is murder on any type of sealed system, especially one that is 10+ years old.
Second, "when do you see hard debris hitting the fridge condensor at 60+mph?". The condensor on a car takes a big pounding depending on envireonment conditions and how much driving is done. This pounding causes microfractures in the metal. Freon (CFC) is capable of escaping from these microfractures. Once in contact with air freon turn into acid, this process will eat away at any and every microfractured metal surface causing the leak to become worse over time. That is why most auto freon system recharge interval (once it starts) gets shorter and shorter.
So yes, a perfectly healthy A/C system does not require charging. And no, an automobile is not a good environment to maintain a healthy A/C system.

 

You realize that your making my point for me, right? Im saying something caused the leak in the rx-7's a/c system. it ONLY empties when it leaks out.

Thanks for making my point for me.

 

Regriferators do not use rubber hoses and rubber o-rings. They use steel or brass pipe with all the joints brazed together.

 

Um, no, I was correct and he was wrong, and you just backed me up. I said you don't need a recharge unless there is a leak, and even then, you don't just need a recharge, you need it fixed 1st. He RX7SpiritR said some stupid crap about the freon "going bad" over time like it's moldy bread or something. So again, please don't come in here correcting people and spewing garbage to clog up the forum. You back completely what I said, and then said I was "correct (and wrong)" all in the same post, nice job!

 

I think everyone is missing my point. My point is that the cars AC system is not supposed to leak. of course the cars AC system is more LIKELY to leak than an a/c system. Some of these guys were saying that a cars ac system was SUPPOSED to lose its freon over time. When it loses its freon it indicates a leak which means parts have worn out, causing a leak.

 

Then I think your point is wrong The rubber parts are porous and due to continued heat cycling the freon molecules will migrate their way through the hoses and seals. This is a very slow process and does take years and years.

It's not supposed to but it happens over years and years. It's not something any manufacturer needs to worry about as it only costs a few dollars to top up the freon every few years. If you need to add every year then you most likely have a leak. If you have a 10+ year car that needs to be recharged I say that's perfectly normal. As I said refrigerators don't have this problem as they use solid metal hoses; no migration there.