Recharge Ac

[texxclark]

I know this topic has been discussed at length- but im not that technically savvy, so I need some clarificiaton.

I had my 1991 LS 400 retrofitted to R134A about 2 months ago when my AC started blowing hot air. They put the Ultraviolet die in and will be able to tell where the leak is once I take it back into the shop.

My problem is that with work I am really short on time and cant get back to the hsop anytime soon. Being in Miami, this is a problem so I mgoing to try a DIY for the time being

I bought a a can of Castrol recharge with valve, gauge, and all that good stuff. I just dont know where to hook it up.

Can anyone post any pictures of where I will need to conect the valve or describe in detail.

Thanks alot all.!!

[larryp]

On the firewall on the passenger side below the cruise control mechanism you will see a silver pipe entering the firewall with a cap screwed on the port. This is the low pressure recharge port. (There is a 2nd port below this one that is also low side, but you won't need to mess with it. It's also harder to get to.)

Hope that helps.

[texxclark]

Any thoughts on this-

So i recharged my ac and it blew cold for about 2 hours before the warm air returned.

I went ahead and dropped off the car at the shop this morning and they told me that it is leaking from the condenser and drier.

Therefore to replace all of the necessary components its going to be 1392 $ including labor, parts, tax, and 1 year warranty.

This is an independent shop that I trust, and im guessing that it is going to be cheaper than a lexus dealer.

I s this a normal problem for a lexus. I have had the car for about 1 year and this is the first major problem. It is a 1991 LS400 with 91000 miles on it. My grandmother bought it new back in the day and it has been driven solely in Pheonix AZ and Miami Fl so I guess the AC has had a lot of use in its 14 + years.

ANy thoughts if Im getting screwed?

[RFeldes]

Sounds typical when you convert to 134 without replacing the drier and all of the o-rings. Since 134 molecules are smaller, leaks show up more readily or become more severe. If you were a DIY the parts would run about $250 but the caveat is you have to pull the bumper to replace the condensor and I hear that is asking alot for weekend warriors. The price, though a little high will be monies well spent considering the condensor labor. I also like the one year warranty. I assume they will pull a vacuum and get all the old r12 oil out and that will help alot as well as add to the life of the compressor.

[wwest]

One step at a time................

Replace the drier first, I have been told that this is standard procedure when converting to r-134. It seems highly unlikely that both would fail simultaneously.

My 1992 LS400's A/C is still working just fine at over 100k, no work EVER on the A/C. So you went into the "conversion" already with a leak. Which the conversion shop should have found.

[larryp]

Agree w/ wwest. Replace the Receiver/Drier and replace all the o-rings you can easily get to (which means all except evaporator core). Advance Auto Parts has an o-ring kit for $8. If you lose the charge after this, then consider the condensor unless they can show you where the condensor is leaking. Check out acpartsnow.com for great pricing on the receiver/dryer. That's where i got mine.

Good luck.

[JasonInDallas]

Lucky for you the evap wasn't leaky! I have a refrigerant sniffer and it's really handy for chasing down leaks.

[monarch]

Is this a normal problem for a lexus.  I have had the car for about 1 year and this is the first major problem.  It is a 1991 LS400 with 91000 miles on it. 

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One thing owners take for granted is the fact the factory original Freon R12 AC system was troublefree for 15 years and would still be capable of being largely troublefree for another 15 years if factory approved parts and procedures are used when something minor goes wrong like a freon R12 leak in your case.

However, since most owners turn to an independent repair shop when something minor goes wrong, they get talked into modifying (shops call mods an "upgrade") their system (R12 to R134a conversion in your case) using unfactory approved parts and procedures (independent repair shops almost never used factory approved parts and procedures). This is turn sets into motion a chain of seemingly never ending AC system problems and can contributes to the owner's ultimate decision to sell / junk their 15 - 20 year old Toyota / Lexus. So even if you spend $500, $1000 or $1500 at the independent repair shop, don't expect it to be the end of your AC system problems. The shops know this too and that's why their repairs are guaranteed for only 1 year.

So in answer to your original question, it is NOT normal for a Lexus to need seriously expensive AC system repairs after 15 years, just minor repairs like replacment of an O-ring seal or two, and maybe a new compressor magnetic clutch and a new receiver-drier if the system has to be discharged of R12 in order to replace a seal. On the other hand, it is normal for a Lexus R12 AC system to begin having alot of expensive continuous problems (evaporator & condenser leaks, expansion valve failure, compressor failure, etc) if the initial minor problems mentioned above are performed by independent general automotive repair shop.

The point of my post is to point out alot of the reliability / durability potential of a Toyota AC system goes down the drain thanks to independent shops. Then owners wrongly conclude the Toyota AC system was weakly designed when in fact it was the owner him/herself who deserves the blame for authorizing independent shops to butcher up the engineering of the factory original system. Do-it-yourself owners can also degrade the factory original system if they use auto parts store recharge kits, auto parts store refrigeration oils and auto parts store 0-ring seals. By "degrade" I mean you can only expect the AC system to work a relatively short time using auto parts store stuff - certainly not anywhere near 15 years as the factory original quality stuff could last.