Bonehead with freon

I replaced my a/c assembly hose today. I put on the green o rings ( even when the old hose had none). I tightened both bolts. Put in freon then I heard the HISS coming from the front. Not sure if I had it too tight or not enough. Wasted entire can of freon!!!!! Pointers??

 

Yes, you wasted the can of freon.

When the system is opened, it must be completely evacuated and a vacuum drawn on the system and held to verify that there are no leaks.
You also have to have the proper level of lubricant in the system.
You don't want air, and especially not moisture, in the system.

Take it to an AC shop and pay them to fix it like you should have the first time.

 

Ummm...... Ouch. Thanks!

 

It's a common mistake, but AC service is just not something that you can do without the proper equipment. You can buy the equipment for a few hundred bucks, but it's not worth it for one or two personal jobs. It becomes worth it when you're doing work for friends and family.

The most common misconception is that pressure is what drives the system, and that more pressure is better.
That is not the case. Each system has a specified weight of refrigerant that needs to be in the system. The actual pressure will vary with ambient temperature, and to get the levels correct you need a manifold that will read both the high and low pressure sides of the system, an accurate thermometer both in front of the radiator and in the AC vent... then a table that shows what you should be reading.

The "quicky fill" kits at Autozone that have a gauge are only a rough ballpark and work "okay" for a system that is only "a little low" but is still for the most part sound (though any "low" means that the system does have a leak and needs proper service).

 

What stinks Rich is that I told them it was completely empty... He handed me the can and did a "here is this, just fill it up." never mentioned vacum

 

Auto parts store employee?

Ya... There's a reason he's working the parts counter for minimum wage and California now prohibits him from plugging a scanner into your OBD port and reading codes.


A shop should be able to fix you up though.
Unplug the compressor so it doesn't kick on if you need the defroster. They'll be able to check your hose connection and let you know if you did it right or not. If not, parts shouldn't be too bad.
The R134a and lubricant recharge shouldn't be more than $50 or so in parts... they might hit you an hour labor, but sometimes having a case of Bud in the back of the truck can help reduce that.

 

Here is a pic from where the hiss came from. Notice the green o-ring. When I put it on it did not seem like it would reseed into the metal. NOTE: When I removed the old one there was NO o-ring. I checked to see if it was stuck in there but it wasn't. Should I try with no 0-ring? BTW, my mechanic wants to charge 150.00 to check the hose and replace freon correctly.

 

I had to go look at mine to confirm what I thought I was seeing. At first I thought you had the wrong hose, but I do see what looks like a metal "lip" in the area under where your o-ring is.

Ya, that's definitely not right. The o-ring should be on the tube inside of the condensor's fitting. Where it is, it definitely will (and did) extrude.

Either way, you're going to need a shop to properly evacuate and recharge the system... you can't properly charge it at home in the state that it is now.
$150 is a LOT cheaper than a blown compressor (I spent over $1000 on my Suburban).