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Hey guys, im working on a 2005 Ford Windstar minivan. I was asked to come over and just put in 3 small cans of the refrigerant. No vacuum pump, no leaks detectors or full set of gauges, just the 1 foot long connector with a single gauge in the middle.
Van started, ac on max, installed slowly all three cans until the gauge stayed in the range and the cans were all empty. Compressor kicked in just fine, but the air did not get cooler than 81 degrees in the shade of his garage.
Also, the ac does not shut off. No codes to check, although I did check. I also noticed the hard ac lines stayed at room temperature, usually one gets hot and the other gets cool.
I started wondering if the controller or a blend door is bad? I have limited tools to work with, but I did confirm that it doesn’t seem to have a leak. I pushed the Schrader valve about 15 minutes later and it’s still very pressurized.
The pic I included shows the controller, and again, no idea why it won’t shut off.
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Without a set of manifold gauges at the very least, and some idea of what you are doing, the possibility of causing significant damage (perhaps over $1000 worth) is pretty high.
Why did the system need 3 cans of gas? What is the capacity of the system to begin with? Did it have any charge in it when you started? There is a fair chance that the system is either grossly over charged, or has a considerable quantity of air in it. My honest advice is to seek the help of a professional before this becomes a very costly mistake!
Timh, thanks for the reply. I didn’t see anything on the gauge from the simple fill hose I used before starting. I made the assumption that because it has rear ac, it may need 3. Have no idea the capacity it takes.
Any idea why the control wouldn’t shut off?if there was no refrigerant in the system to begin with, there is a leak
if you used 3 12oz cans then you put in 36oz, that van takes 53oz when empty
i would add UV dye to the system and see if you can find the leak…… if you find the leak have the system evacuated, fix the leak (replace the drier too since you are opening the system), then have the system vacuumed out and recharge
If the gauge was showing no pressure when you started, then you have a significant leak somewhere. In addition, the system has been exposed to atmospheric pressure. As the previous poster stated, you need to locate the leak, have the gas recovered out of the system, replace the leaking part, as well as the receiver / drier since it has been exposed to atmosphere, replace the proper quantity of oil for the leak, and what ever part you are replacing, and then vacuum, and charge the system by weight so as to have a proper charge in it.
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