Service Repair |
Before You Connect Bob's A/C isn't cooling like he thinks it should. His buddy, Ima Fixeruper, tells him, "It just needs a little freon." Ima just happens to have ordered some online, and Bob's more than welcome to it. Oh yeah, he's also got this self-sealing stuff Bob can put in, just in case. Can't hurt, right?
Now That It's Safe Once you've verified the system isn't contaminated, connect your service gauges and test the system's operation. I start with four basic measurements: low side pressure, high side pressure, ambient air temperature and center duct temperature. Operating pressures are affected by relative humidity and ambient air temperature at the condenser. Take this measurement a few inches in front of the condenser itself. If you've just moved the car from a hot parking lot into an air-conditioned shop (or the other way around), allow the system five to 10 minutes to adapt to the temperature change before taking your pressure readings.
Where Is The Leak? Most loss-of-cooling complaints are caused by loss of refrigerant in the system. This may be a normal loss over an extended time or due to a worn seal or leaking component. The two most common methods for leak detection in use today are refrigerant leak detectors (sniffers) and ultraviolet (UV)dyes.
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