FSM Spec for 5vz AC?

I broke and had a friend help me repair a high pressure AC line on my 3rd Gen 4runner.

System was evacuated with a vacuum pump for over 45 min with the needle pegged in the low pressure area max setting and held vacuum for over 2 hours.

I went with two 12 oz cans of r134a from oreillys and it was said to be just enough to fill the system in this Timmy video -

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zlRE0Zeeyrc&t=1231s&pp=ygUUdGltbXkgdG95b3RhIHRpbWUgYWM=

I did experience a minor mistake when I was purging the charge line by unthreading it a bit at the manifold and I can remember if I had the low side manifold valve open or not. It was only for a second and I synched the charge hose back up. I don’t know if this made things get messed up.

After closing off the manifold valves, the low side shrader valve got stuck open and I poured out a few rounds of refrigerant when removing the quick connect manifold connector until I got it to close by tapping it gently. I purchased another can of refrigerant to top off the ac and not knowing how much had escaped while the shrader valve was stuck open, I’m trying to find a way to accurately top it off. I’ve been trying to use the sight glass and it’s foggy and eventually gets clear but fogs up once the high or low pressure switch kicks the compressor on or off.

Here’s my readings at 61-64* ambient less than 40% humidity - low side is pretty stable right around 30 psi and high side is pretty stable right around 150 psi with rpm at 800-1500 (I’ll open the throttle on occasion to see if it makes much of a difference which the high side would go up as expected but nothing out of spec as far as I could tell).

I’m going off of this chart:



And it looks to be in range but the sight glass isn’t clear and I understand it should be clear except I’m not sure if there are certain operating conditions in which this should be the case (engine rpm, ambient temp, humidity etc) or if it is irrelevant and should work no matter what. If I know that then I can make sure I know if I’m ok and run the risk of overfilling it or if I should refill more.

I will also add that the system was opened when the high side hardline snapped off the condenser. I did not add any oil with the new refrigerant as I was not sure if the compressor might have kept enough oil in it to run properly.

@TnShooter @Speedytech7

 

I don’t do AC
I can look up specs, but I don’t do AC or internal transmission work.

@Dm93 is the guy you’d want to ask. (That’s what I do when I have an AC question)

 

Give me a min. I can look up the specs.
What year T4R? Just to be sure.

 

97. Thank you!

 

From the 1996-2002 manual

 

It doesn’t give a humidity % spec.

.2 map = 30 psi
1.47 map = 215 psi

But I recall 180 or so being “normal”.

I’d wait and see what @Dm93 says.

 

Thanks man - I appreciate it. And a couple more screen shots from the Timmy video



I believe his calculations were for 85* ambient temp but I can’t remember and it’s too late to look for it right now.

I don’t know if I should either trust the sight glass, the manifold gauge readings, or if there is something going on like moisture in the system.

 

Sight glass wont be clear on an automotive 134 system, don't pay it much mind

 

Those readings seem close for a cool day, I'm used to checking them when it's 85-100 out and we usually see 30-50 on the low side and 190-250 on the high side.
Rarely see anything with a sight glass anymore but it should be fairly clear with maybe a few bubbles, if the system is under a heavy load there will be more bubbles.

 

Are you also checking it with the A/c on bust(max fan speed, full cold). Check at idle speed and see what your pressures are. If you have 30 psi on the low side at idle then you're okay. Within reason, a lower high side pressure is better as it's basically showing you how well the condenser is condensing the charge.

It's also a good idea to check your vent temps after it's ran for 5-10 mins. Anything less that 4*C (39*F) is starting to get into the danger zone of being too cold and could potentially lead to the evaporator freezing up. That'll be evidenced by losing air flow as you operate the a/c for a while. Specifically that tends to be a problem on the highway when the condenser has more airflow. Between 4*C(39*F) and 7*C (45*F) is ideal. If the vent temps are too cold then add a little bit, run it for a bit then see where your temperature is at. TXV a/c systems which I believe is what you have, are reasonably forgiving to being not exactly charged to spec so here I would rely on vent temps mostly to know when you're good.

 

Toyota uses an evaporator temp sensor to prevent freezup so no worries there as long as that's working properly.

 

Good to know, thank you.