turbofiat124 Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 (edited) 2003 Baja: My AC is not working. I stuck a temperature probe in the vent and it's not cooling at all. It was working last fall. My guages seems to indicate the system has lost all it's refrigerant. The engine rpms drop a bit when the AC button is pressed. I believe it's just the fans kicking on. Due to the serpentine belt cover I can't tell if the compressor clutch is engaging. I hooked up a set of guages and turned the AC on. The low side is zero. I think the high side was 100 lbs . I tried adding a can of R134a but the compressor won't take it. I turned the can upside down BTW. I tried one of those simple tools that has just an inline guage. Still nothing. I'm thinking the low pressure switch on the receiver/dryer is not allowing the compressor to kick on and that's why I can't add refrigerant to the system. So do I need to jumper the connectors with a paper clip before I can add refrigerant or should the system take it otherwise? Edited April 23, 2019 by turbofiat124 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 you have a few ways to proceed but, there's an excellent chance any refrigerant you add now will leak right out. many folks find that o-rings on the suction and discharge hose-ends at the compressor need replacing - sometimes also, new 'cores' in the 2 ports can help. Use of a vacuum pump can also help find leaks as well as helping remove any moisture in the system. If you have a pinhole in the condenser or a leaky hose, that might be tricky to find and use of fluorescent dye can help with that. I bought gauges and I have borrowed vacuum pumps from the parts stores but really, for the hassle, I wish I had just taken my cars to a pro. I may still take my WRX which needs a/c work now. The system likely needs close to 10-12 oz. to get the low pressure switch to turn-on the compressor. Of course there can be other problems; bad a/c relays, bad wiring/connectors, slipping a/c clutches......there are a lot of failure points with the a/c. you might look through here for some help; https://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/99-do-yourself-illustrated-guides/43428-diy-c-air-conditioning-leak-refrigerant-repair-5-less-15-minutes-less.html 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 Replace the compressor fitting o-rings. Pull a vacuum and charge it. The vacuum will allow you to put in enough refrigerant to get the pump running so you can add the rest. You can usually get 16+ oz in by pulling the system into a solid vacuum. GD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tylertrend Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 1 hour ago, GeneralDisorder said: Replace the compressor fitting o-rings. Pull a vacuum and charge it. The vacuum will allow you to put in enough refrigerant to get the pump running so you can add the rest. You can usually get 16+ oz in by pulling the system into a solid vacuum. GD Jumping in here quick, where can we order those o-rings from and are they found specific to the vehicle, or compressor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 They are only a couple $ from the Subaru dealer. You can match them up to generic AC o-rings from an assortment also. We do whichever happens to be more convenient at the time. The diameter isn't as important as the thickness. A smaller diameter but same thickness will stretch. As long as there is some resistance when installing. Don't gouge the fittings and oil the o-rings prior to installation. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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