Refrigerant charge amount, engine air
I have a 1987 Gulfstream Class A with a 1986 Ford 460 driveline. I want to connect a recycler and evacuate the system, vacuum, and then recharge with R-12. My question is, how do I find out the recha...
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If your system is functional now, but not cooling fully, I would follow what dougrainer calls the "saturation method" and just slowly and carefully add more R-12 per his method and what I mentioned earlier in the thread.
IF you ever need to open the system again, then you can replace the drier with one with a sight glass, but I wouldn't open up a functioning non-leaking system just to install one.
If you have 15 lbs. of R-12, that should be enough to completely recharge that system 3 or 4 times at least.
As an aid to get the R-12 gas to flow into the system, put the R-12 bottle in hot water for a while before hand and while charging. Or leave it out in the sun. This will build up the vapor pressure inside the bottle.
You mentioned adding an electric fan. Not sure how it was done on that era vehicle, but I believe it's common for a vehicle to have an auxiliary electric fan that comes on with the A/C in addition to the normal cooling fan. This is to keep sufficient fresh (cool) air flowing through the condenser when the A/C is engaged.
For what it's worth, when I do this type of work, I make sure the refrigerant bottle and what I'm doing IS NOT in plain view of the neighbors and/or from the street. No sense in getting folks curious about what I'm doing. ;)
Good Luck,
~Rick
IF you ever need to open the system again, then you can replace the drier with one with a sight glass, but I wouldn't open up a functioning non-leaking system just to install one.
If you have 15 lbs. of R-12, that should be enough to completely recharge that system 3 or 4 times at least.
As an aid to get the R-12 gas to flow into the system, put the R-12 bottle in hot water for a while before hand and while charging. Or leave it out in the sun. This will build up the vapor pressure inside the bottle.
You mentioned adding an electric fan. Not sure how it was done on that era vehicle, but I believe it's common for a vehicle to have an auxiliary electric fan that comes on with the A/C in addition to the normal cooling fan. This is to keep sufficient fresh (cool) air flowing through the condenser when the A/C is engaged.
For what it's worth, when I do this type of work, I make sure the refrigerant bottle and what I'm doing IS NOT in plain view of the neighbors and/or from the street. No sense in getting folks curious about what I'm doing. ;)
Good Luck,
~Rick
