Hello all. I have an '01 XJ with 202,000 on the clock. I bought it last year, and the A/C blew just fine, but was warm air. Anyway, today I decided to add refrigerant to hopefully fix the problem. I try to fix as much as I can on my own, but I've never dealt with any A/C issues, so I'm completely green on that subject. That said, I bought the hose/gauge and one can of R134. Upon adding the R134, the compressor ran smoothly and consistently, (after short cycling) and I had relatively cool air blowing in. The pressure wasn't up to the given specs after one can, so I figured I'd pick another one up tomorrow, and get it up to where it needs to be, and have nice cold air.

Now, after driving for approx. one hour, the compressor is making noise. Not a grind, (as I experienced with my last Jeep) but more of a whirring noise. This did not happen before adding refrigerant. Like I said, I'm green here.....I did research on A/C issues here on the forum, and noticed mention of oil and whatnot. Do I need to add oil to the compressor maybe? Is that even a thing? Any help is appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

Unless you had a major leak you probably did not lose enough oil to make a difference. Possibly you overcharged the system. Really the only way to be sure you have the proper refrigerant charge is to evacuate the system and put in the correct amount by weight.

 

If the system has been open any length of time chances are the compressor is trashed. It will sound like someone shaking a bunch of bolts in a coffee can just before it seizes up solid.

 

You definitely don't want that. When the compressor locks up it sends metal shards through the system requiring major flushing/cleanup and at the very least replacement of the condenser. (The parallel-flow condensers used with R134a can't be flushed out.)

A quick check would be to rotate the compressor by hand via the inner section of the electromagnetic clutch. It should turn smoothly without binding up or making noises.

 

Thanks for the advice, guys!


So, I pull the belt to do this, correct?

 

It should not be necessary as long as the AC clutch not energized. The inner section, which is attached to the compressor shaft, should turn freely.