apac020

Today I managed to put my drill through the rubber AC tube into the dryer while drilling a small hole through my wheel well. WHOOSH - no more refrigerant. Lame...and really eco unfriendly . Oops.

Are there any maintenance items I should replace while the system is empty?

Otherwise I'll just fix the hose and figure out how to recharge the system.

CCKen

Replace the hose and take the Heep to an Automotive AC shop to have it serviced.

Rambler65

Basically you need a vacuum pump and a gauge set to do this. Harbor Freight sells a pump for about $100 that works well for occasional use, a gauge set for about $50, and there are plenty of Youtube videos showing how to do the job.
Vacuum pump:
http://www.harborfreight.com/25-cfm-...ump-98076.html

Gauge set:
http://www.harborfreight.com/ac-r134...set-60806.html

Sample video:

Some notes...

Technically, by the book, you are supposed to replace the drier any time the system is open to atmosphere. However many people get away with leaving in the old drier in, depending on how long it is exposed to atmosphere. Typically you would pull vacuum for a longer period of time than usual, say for several hours, if trying to reuse a drier.

Another problem is that the oil used in R134 air conditioning absorbs moisture from the atmosphere much more readily than the oil in the old R12 systems, and R134 forms acids when there's moisture present. Unfortunately the moisture in the oil is not removed by the vacuum pump. So if you wanted to be really particular about it, if open to air for any length of time the old oil should be flushed out and the proper amount of new, fresh oil introduced just before the system is closed up and vacuumed. (Anyhow, that's the ideal, in practice very few people actually do that.)

The problem is that the longer the air conditioning system is empty and open to atmosphere the worse the moisture/acid formation issue gets. Acid formation is the main reason that R134 AC systems are prone to evaporator leaks.

Also, optional, I use some stuff called "Nylog" on all the AC fittings, it's a thick goop-like stuff that helps assure a better seal.

Nylog "Blue" for R134:
http://www.refrigtech.com/Product/Se...ylog_blue.html

BlueRidgeMark

See all that he said? Sound fun? Sound like it's within your skill set? Got the the equipment? Time? Knowledge and experience to recognize when something isn't right?

No?

Then this shortcut works well:


Done.

Rambler65

Yes, the 'shortcut' is the best bet if not familiar with doing AC work.

It's not rocket science but does require some additional information and tools over and above other types of mechanical work. (I learned from a friend who was a master automotive AC tech for many years.)

In this case chances are that quite a bit of oil was lost along with the refrigerant. Since there's no good way to tell how much is left, aside from the moisture problem the system should probably be flushed and refilled with new oil anyhow to make sure there's the proper amount. (Modern AC compressors don't have a sump, so if there is too little oil mixed with the refrigerant they'll lunch themselves, sending shards of shrapnel throughout the other components - now you've got a real problem on your hands! )

apac020

Thanks for all the suggestions. The shortcut sounds good .

A couple questions

- The rubber AC hose that I punctured has 2 crimped ends. One end seems to go all the way to the radiator. Can that hose be repaired with a splice? Or re-crimped? I'm thinking an AC shop may be able to do that.

- Should I have the AC shop replace the dryer? What about the compressor? I've got about 145K, what's the expected lifespan of a compressor? It 'whirrs' a bit when running, but has blown cold for the 3 years I've owned the jeep.

Rambler65

It is possible to use a barbed fitting and clamps to repair the hose, but it's an old hose and better to just replace it. A full-service auto shop can crimp your existing ends onto new hose material so it will just hook up like original. Be sure to use new AC-quality O-rings on the fittings.

It's good practice to change the drier, you'll want the shop to do that so they can close up and evacuate the system shortly after installing it. The compressor is a judgement call. You can quickly get into cascading replacement of parts on a job like this to the point where it mushrooms into a major endeavor.

For example, a few years ago my daily driver needed a new condenser. Of course I did not want to put everything back together with nearly 20-year-old hoses. Then, well what about the compressor, if that fails I'll have to do the whole job over again. Etc. Etc. Following that line of reasoning I wound up replacing nearly every part in the AC system. A big job!

Of course I was doing the work myself so the labor was "free" and there was no shop markup on the parts. It would have been cost prohibitive to have a shop do that job, probably cheaper to buy another old car with working AC. So you can price out your options and see what it would cost and make a decision, factoring in how much you're willing to spend and how long you plan to keep the vehicle.

apac020

Ok thanks! I don't think I've got the money to fix it right now, but thankfully cold weather season is starting. Now I know how much to save .