I have never filled my AC before. A friend offered to put some of his left over Freon (or whatever it is) into my car. My AC has always worked but wasn’t extremely cold. I had just used the air and it was working, the same day as he put in the charge. He said put the air on and then he started putting it in. The gauge on the container didn’t seem to move he ended up putting in an entire can. This took maybe 10 minutes or so. He noticed my air conditioner was cycling. It would turn on then almost immediately turn off. After 10 seconds or so of being off you could hear it and see the clutch kick in, then almost immediately stop again. This is all it does now. Tries to start, turns on for a split second, then turns off, ten seconds of being off then repeats. At this time my friend noticed the can showed it in the beginning edge of red, being too much.
So it looks like it’s overfilled. Does anyone know how this works? Is the AC damaged? Is there some kind of safety keeping it from running? Did over filling it cause a leak? I noticed a weird kind of sweet smell afterwards.
Any knowledge on this would be appreciated. I have a 2004 Toyota Matrix
The system is overfilled, there is a pressure switch that shuts off the compressor if the pressure is too high or too low.
The correct amount of refrigerant is 17.28 ounces, plus or minus 1.06 ounces. You can’t add a random amount of refrigerant. Have a repair shop reclaim the refrigerant, place a vacuum on the system, then add the correct amount of refrigerant.
Suggest to not run A/C at all until over-fill problem is corrected. Remember that the A/C turns on in “defrost mode” too. If you run the A/C, compressor might fail and spew metallic debris throughout the A/C system requiring replacing many of the components, not just the compressor, and a very expensive repair.
Sounds to me like low refrigerant charge was not the problem to begin with…and now it’s overcharged. Most likely, the expansion valve is defective, and someone with an actual set of refrigerant gauges (as opposed to a spray-and-pray can of refrigerant) would have noticed the problem.
Yup. Too many people, mechanics included, just throw some refrigerant in when the issue has nothing to do with refrigerant. I would say half of the automotive A/C complaints I see are purely electrical in nature and can be fixed without so much as a set of gauges. Failed relays, switches, sensors, etc. are often the cause.
This screenshot is from after the car has been sitting all night and before starting the engine. The A/C pressure sensor voltage indicates the car has nearly a full charge. The ambient temp sensor is showing 17 degrees, when the actual temp is 67 degrees. The car thinks it’s below freezing so it won’t allow A/C operation. A $40 sensor fixed the problem and air blows cold without even touching the A/C system.
But Autozone will gladly sell you the “Spray and Pray” (thanks @bcohen2010 , I like that one) and cause as many problems as they fix.
The DIY charger cans have a gauge dial that is colored to designate the proper ~ (?) pressure on the LOW SIDE when the system is operating properly. When the compressor is not operating the refrigerant flows to become equal on low and high side If the system is low those gauges .indicate over charged when the compressor cycles off.
Like others I strongly advise taking the car to a good shop. I have seen the results of people in parts store parking lots trying to get their AC to cool.The results can be expensive and terribly dangerous. And your friend is obviously dangerously clueless.
