Originally posted by dbird:
if you are pretty sure you dont have a leak this is what i did... the wires going to the high side cut off valve(the insulation came off and the wires crossed, so the valve would not cut off.. high pressure and the high pressure service valve blew.... i ordered another valve for $20 from the dealer and then went to auto zone and bought two cans of R-134A and a $19.00 service hose with a small meter on it to put some r-134 in it.. I have an old vacuum pump for the old R-12 system but it does not fit the new R134 hoses... so i just put some freon in the low pressure side and then let the R-134 blow out the high pressure service valve..... this got the air out... i then kept adding the freon in until the compressor finally came on and started pumping..... in no time one can was empty... i then attached the second can and it continued to charge up and the compressor stopped clicking off/on/off/on..........
just about finished the second can and it seemed like it had enough freon in it as the inside of the car was cold as can be expected.... that was about three months ago.. so far no problems... still works pretty good.....

when the old freon blew out the valve it did hot have any oil with it.. i checked around and did not find any on the lining of the hood or other engine parts so i did not have to worry about any oil loss.......




FWIW, you broke the law letting the refrigerant intentionally vent to atmosphere. If caught, you could have a $50,000 Fine. Plus, if someone turned you in, I believe there is a bounty/reward. I doubt you will caught(I hope your not), but just wanted to make clear that your way is illegal and environmentally unsound and unnecessary. A 6 yr. old in Fla was cited for running an illegal business, ie: lemonade stand and was turned in for no reward by an irate neighbor. Imagine if that neighbor seen you and turned you in for a reward.

While your way works, so does kidnapping a certified A/C repairman and forcing him (or her) to repair your car at gunpoint. It works, but is illegal.

Second, while you put a usable amount of r-134a in the system, had you accidently overcharged it, you could of had a system rupture or relief valve blow off. If liquid r-134a contacts skin or eyes, you can be severly burned (Yes, burned by cold) or blinded. If someone on this board does this and does not stop adding r-134a at the right time, they could be injured. It is not in our best interest to recommend unsafe and dangerous ways of repairing our cars. This is like telling someone to climb under a jacked up vehicle without using jackstands. The danger of the car falling off the jack is high and just because someone did it without the car killing them does not make it a good way to do it. I am not preaching- nevermind, I AM preaching, but I think it is worthwhile to discourage unsafe and/or illegal practices. The site has a street racing discussion ban for this same reason.


My name is Richard. I was a Contouraholic. NOW: '02 Mazda B3000 Dual Sport, Black BEFORE: '99 Contour SE Sport Duratec ATX Spruce Green PIAA 510's, Foglight MOD, K&N Drop-in