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So I know that I have a pinhole leak in my air conditioning. I had to top it off a couple of years ago (when my mom was still driving it), and then again this spring. It never got to the point that it was completely gone, but it was getting noticeably warmer than it should have. I have the cheap gauge that comes with the kit from a couple of years ago, so I just bought a can of refrigerant (about 12oz i think) and put it in. The pressure on the low line went from around 18 (In the white zone on the gauge) to about 25 (just licking the green zone). The compressor would occasionally cycle off for a few seconds until the pressure built up to around 35 or so and then it would kick back on again. I thought that i hadn’t bought enough refrigerant, so I just let it go for a couple months since it was blowing colder and would work well enough for me for a while. Today, I went and got another 12 oz can (with dye this time) and put it in. The only thing is that the pressure never really increased from 25. It would still do the same thing, cycle on for 20-30 seconds, and then off for about 5-10 while the pressure built up to around 35-40 and kicked back on again, bringing it back down to 25. With the temperature that it was outside, the gauge was telling me that it should read around 40 psi, but shouldn’t it read that with the compressor running, and shouldn’t the compressor stay running with the a/c on full blast? I’m not an expert on a/c systems at all, but when i watch your videos on YouTube it looks like the compressor stays on and the pressure stays steady the whole time. Please let me know your thoughts when you can.
Btw I do know that the fluid went in because the can was empty and I could see the neon green dye in the shrader valve when I disconnected the hose
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Is your condenser fan running? The high pressure switch will cut off the clutch if the fan isn’t running. Also, the gauges on the cans are not accurate. The system holds 23 oz charge. If you put two 12oz cans plus what was already in there, it may be overcharged now.
The condenser fans run on the same cycle as the compressor. Would an overcharged system be a reason for the compressor to cycle? It did it even before I touched the system, which is partly why i charged it to begin with
Yes it will. If it is overcharged, the pressure on the high side will get too high and the high pressure switch will turn off the system. When the pressure falls, it will turn on again. It will also do this if there is a blockage on the high side of the system. It will repeat this behavior as long as the A/C is turned on. I would advise taking it to a shop where the charge can be recovered, evacuated, and accurately replaced. Most A/C systems need to be charged by weight, not by pressure, anyhow.
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