Just to be sure...

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petethepug

Michael
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Having air cooled cars til I was 18 meant no a/c to defrost. Had to carry a towel on rainy days for a manual defrost [emoji3]. I never take the HVAC for granted cold or hot.

Pop off the caps on the service valves and dab some hvac fluorescent bubble liquid on the schrader valves. It’s about time for them to act up and slowly leak. The tricky thing with the schrader valves is that they don’t leak when they’re under vacuum most of the time and won’t leak with the fittings on the service valves.

Hope that’s what it is because it’s an ez fix.
 

Rocket Man

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Didn't think to check the lines for coldness. Yes, I reckon that there is a small leak somewhere but being as I just got out of the hospital, not ready to do any big work on the truck. Just doing what I did was taxing enough today.
What were you in the hospital for, James? I must have missed something.
 
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swathdiver

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Schrader valves, I forgot about them Michael, thanks! We replaced those a few months ago on the Montana as they were leaking too.
 
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swathdiver

swathdiver

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Thanks to all for your advice. I had to push really hard to walk outside and get started on this this evening. My girls got out the manifold and vacuum pump and I showed them where and how to hook up all the fittings. My oldest picked up 4 12 ounce cans of straight 134 at O'Reilly's and then the fun began. After evacuating the system and running the vacuum pump to check for a leak, there is one somewhere, we began putting freon in the system, only, we couldn't get the darn cans to deliver the goods.

After much frustration and a trip to O'Reilly's I determined that the o-ring in the adapter that attaches the cans to the manifold was too thick. I was going to cut it in half but decided to just run it without. Well, we got most of 3 cans into the system and the temp at the vents is now 40 degrees. Tomorrow we'll get another can and top it off and then have to get a freon sniffer to track down the leak at my leisure.
 

Bigkevschopshop

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Thanks to all for your advice. I had to push really hard to walk outside and get started on this this evening. My girls got out the manifold and vacuum pump and I showed them where and how to hook up all the fittings. My oldest picked up 4 12 ounce cans of straight 134 at O'Reilly's and then the fun began. After evacuating the system and running the vacuum pump to check for a leak, there is one somewhere, we began putting freon in the system, only, we couldn't get the darn cans to deliver the goods.

After much frustration and a trip to O'Reilly's I determined that the o-ring in the adapter that attaches the cans to the manifold was too thick. I was going to cut it in half but decided to just run it without. Well, we got most of 3 cans into the system and the temp at the vents is now 40 degrees. Tomorrow we'll get another can and top it off and then have to get a freon sniffer to track down the leak at my leisure.

Easy way for the future, two and a half times the ambient temp on the high side. 80 degrees should be around 200 area. Low side should be around high 30s to low 40s. You are deff on the right track. I would actually check the schrader valves first and foremost. That is the normal leak spot most people overlook. Then the actual compressor connections etc is another hot spot, if you go down all the lines etc and find no leaks etc, you have a bad evap or a pinhole leak on one..

Man, try to take it easy, do small things man, it will take a while to get some stamina back for sure. Glad your still among the living brother.
 
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swathdiver

swathdiver

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Never got that last can into the system, went back to the hospital for another spell and got home the other night. Still blowing cold with just 2 lbs in there but want to finish the job right when I can. Thanks Kevin for the kind words.
 
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swathdiver

swathdiver

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Update:

The schrader valve on the accumulator has green stuff inside the cap, when we put the sniffer near it, it goes off a little bit but only when the cap is off. Same for the other side. When we touch the sniffer to the line or big hose, it goes off, like it is detecting refrigerant through the line. It went off passing the exhaust pipe too. Did not go off testing the front and rear vents inside the cabin, or at the compressor or condenser.

We very slightly tightened the schrader valve and will see if she is still leaking, if so, we'll replace both fittings with new ones. Comments or suggestions?
 

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