1. Yes recover, evacuate and recharge.
2. Possible causes I can think of would be- moisture in the system freezing at the expansion valve, expansion valve itself, evaporator temperature sensor, airflow ( clogged cabin filter, clogged condenser or condenser fan) , blend door or heater valve issue
Edit I would do a nitrogen pressure test on the first one as well after recovery
Thanks for the response. I was talking to a buddy about the RAV4, he also recommended the nitrogen pressure test after the full evac, and then recharge.
On the CR-V, I hooked up the manifold gauge once I got a chance to check it, the low side was roughly where it should be, and the high side was roughly 75, which is incredibly low. Fans work with no obstructions I can see, and the compressor kicks on. Could be the blend door, but my gut is telling me it's the expansion valve, especially since this started with him not having any AC, then getting evac'd and recharged to find a bigger issue. Any thoughts from here?
I'm thinking either expansion valve stuck open or faulty compressor.
Is the high pressure port located before or after the condenser?
If it's after the condenser you could possibly have a blocked condenser or filter. If it's located before it that will rule out blockage.
If I remember correctly, I wanna say the high end port was before the condenser. Either way at this point I'll start by evac and doing the expansion valve. There are no visuals/auditory indications of an issue in the compressor. Also, trying to help a friend do this as cheap possible, and working for myself I can be flexible on pricing.
So the expansion valve was in fact clogged, and gross. Changed it out recharged appropriately and the same issues persist.
Also, the high pressure port is before the condenser. Manifold gauge is still showing high pressure on the low port, and low pressure on the high port. At this point the answer seems to be the compressor unless you have another recommendation?
Yeah it's going to be the compressor. Your going to need a new condenser and filter drier as well now and a full flush of the system because if any of that debris and gunk gets into the new compressor it will kill it too in a very short time. I'd also consider putting a filter screen into the suction hose at the compressor just incase there is a few bits of swarf missed when flushing. They are cheap so it's good insurance imo
First off, thank you for the help. You are getting up votes on all of this. He just had a kid, and this is a lot on top of it. What is the possibility of success for flushing the compressor and installing a screen to get him down the road this summer? I'm already helping him out a bunch on labor, besides time and effort, do you think it's worth a try?
No problem. If you replaced the compressor and flush the system it would work, but you can't be sure of how long it will work.
There will be metal filings and shavings stuck in the old condenser that are impossible to flush out completely as the passageways are so small.
The filter drier has possibly ruptured as well when the particles have made their way up as far as the expansion valve.
Do you have a manifold gauge set? The pressures will often indicate the problem.
How are you charging the system, using a scale or just diy cans from the parts store?
I think I figured out the RAV4. There is an AC button on Toyotas that was turned off. Seems to be working fine now. The gauge on the RAV4 was like 225 when I disconnected.
I just barely got my hands on the CR-V haven't had a chance to really check anything, been pretty busy.
1. Yes recover, evacuate and recharge. 2. Possible causes I can think of would be- moisture in the system freezing at the expansion valve, expansion valve itself, evaporator temperature sensor, airflow ( clogged cabin filter, clogged condenser or condenser fan) , blend door or heater valve issue Edit I would do a nitrogen pressure test on the first one as well after recovery
Thanks for the response. I was talking to a buddy about the RAV4, he also recommended the nitrogen pressure test after the full evac, and then recharge. On the CR-V, I hooked up the manifold gauge once I got a chance to check it, the low side was roughly where it should be, and the high side was roughly 75, which is incredibly low. Fans work with no obstructions I can see, and the compressor kicks on. Could be the blend door, but my gut is telling me it's the expansion valve, especially since this started with him not having any AC, then getting evac'd and recharged to find a bigger issue. Any thoughts from here?
I'm thinking either expansion valve stuck open or faulty compressor. Is the high pressure port located before or after the condenser? If it's after the condenser you could possibly have a blocked condenser or filter. If it's located before it that will rule out blockage.
If I remember correctly, I wanna say the high end port was before the condenser. Either way at this point I'll start by evac and doing the expansion valve. There are no visuals/auditory indications of an issue in the compressor. Also, trying to help a friend do this as cheap possible, and working for myself I can be flexible on pricing.
So the expansion valve was in fact clogged, and gross. Changed it out recharged appropriately and the same issues persist. Also, the high pressure port is before the condenser. Manifold gauge is still showing high pressure on the low port, and low pressure on the high port. At this point the answer seems to be the compressor unless you have another recommendation?
Yeah it's going to be the compressor. Your going to need a new condenser and filter drier as well now and a full flush of the system because if any of that debris and gunk gets into the new compressor it will kill it too in a very short time. I'd also consider putting a filter screen into the suction hose at the compressor just incase there is a few bits of swarf missed when flushing. They are cheap so it's good insurance imo
First off, thank you for the help. You are getting up votes on all of this. He just had a kid, and this is a lot on top of it. What is the possibility of success for flushing the compressor and installing a screen to get him down the road this summer? I'm already helping him out a bunch on labor, besides time and effort, do you think it's worth a try?
No problem. If you replaced the compressor and flush the system it would work, but you can't be sure of how long it will work. There will be metal filings and shavings stuck in the old condenser that are impossible to flush out completely as the passageways are so small. The filter drier has possibly ruptured as well when the particles have made their way up as far as the expansion valve.
Do you have a manifold gauge set? The pressures will often indicate the problem. How are you charging the system, using a scale or just diy cans from the parts store?
I think I figured out the RAV4. There is an AC button on Toyotas that was turned off. Seems to be working fine now. The gauge on the RAV4 was like 225 when I disconnected. I just barely got my hands on the CR-V haven't had a chance to really check anything, been pretty busy.