75ohm

Do my best to make sure even I make sense before explaining it elsewhere...

The two connecting lines, when taken off, will expose the receiver. When you buy a new one, it should be capped and you uncap it when replacing it. You don't want the desiccant sucking up the humidity from the air, nor getting any bugs in it.


Yes, you can get PAG oil at most auto parts stores.

Ideally, you will cut the old receiver open with a hacksaw and check to see if any dessicant is still in it. If there is, which you hope there is, you will be in good shape. If the desiccant traveled around the system, you will need to flush it... hopefully not.

Also, you make note of the amount of oil in the receiver. The oil will "travel" the system and some will collect in the receiver. You are making sure you add as much as you are taking out. Unless you're starting with a brand new system you're guessing at the amount of oil you're putting in unless you can empirically measure what you’re removing. Likely around a half ounce and you should be fine.

Get that done, seal the system back up, and draw a long vac. What is meant by this is leave the vac on the system for 30-40 minutes... running. The pump should run for upwards of 40 minutes and "draw down" the pressure. Then with the pump off, it should stay down... if it does not, there is a leak. I've not quite heard that pulling multiple vac attemps would fix a leak without intervention though. Recommend additional investigation if it doesn’t hold a vac.

With the vac held, then you can charge. If you know how to read the gauges, you will see the charge effect on them building pressure on cycle. The sight glass is your friend… bubbles=not enough… but don’t over charge.

Good luck.

BlackOp

Thanks Daryl and 75...appreciate taking the time to help. This was what I was getting at....if I should attempt the fix myself. It looked simple but there are definitely other factors involved. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is naive to the inner workings of the a/c systems in these cars....so maybe it helped a few.

V2Rocket

I am in the process of reinstalling AC to my car. Today I spent the day figuring out what parts I have and what I still need and figuring out wiring (in case you didnt see ). If my new O-rings show up tomorrow which I hope they do I will be putting the system together tomorrow (with the old receiver dryer just temporarily, I will put my new one on before getting the system flushed and filled).

Where should I attach my vacuum pump? One of the schrader valves? or in place of one of the hose fittings?

75ohm

You need to have your guages hoooked up correctly and have the line side on the vac pump...

DarylJ

If you can find anyone to help you hands on, its not hard (do it and you'll learn). Its just like you said - there are a lot of other factors. You need someone there who can see and hear what is happening. Once you've been through it once or twice its pretty easy stuff.

DarylJ

Why would you evacuate the system before you've closed it for good? Once it's vaced, you close the manifold gauges, remove the vac pump from the manifold gauge service line, and then charge it from there. You can't even take the manifold gauges off.

And I don't know what kind of "flushing" you expect to get done. Because you can't do it properly with the system assembled and installed.

And of course, 75Ohm is correct about how to do this.

V2Rocket

Okay, this is something I know next to nothing about except for how it actually attaches to the car.

My dad took his old van in recently to get the refrigerant recharged after he replaced the AC compressor. He said they flushed and filled the system, I don't know what that exactly entails.

I plan on going to the same shop he did to get it filled. Should I take the individual parts, the compressor, the condenser, the loose lines, to the shop and have them flushed there? And then button the car together and then have it filled?

The blower motor and the two longer hard lines that run on the firewall weren't touched when I pulled the compressor and stuff out and the ends of the lines were sealed up to prevent dirt and stuff from getting in. However my compressor, short hard lines, condenser have been sitting in my attic for 3 years.