recharge?

[eurohb]

anyone know how to do it on a 318ti ? i did on my e34 and been searching around but no luck which port do i use/wheres it located/ things like that? help please need new freon cuz car is hella hot

[mohaughn]

Passenger side, right behind the headlights. There is a tube with a black cap, take off the black cap, plug in your refill can.

[eurohb]

oh sick thanks a lot :D

[MyTi82]

Passenger side, right behind the headlights. There is a tube with a black cap, take off the black cap, plug in your refill can.

are u serious.......thats it? when u say can, u mean like one of those ez chill cans u can get from autozone or advanced?
i would really wanna know how to do this myself cuz i the guys at my shop said it would 160 bucks just in r134a alone......so this could save some money!

[tiFreak]

are u serious.......thats it? when u say can, u mean like one of those ez chill cans u can get from autozone or advanced?
i would really wanna know how to do this myself cuz i the guys at my shop said it would 160 bucks just in r134a alone......so this could save some money!

$160 is probably for the full drain and refill, not really necessary

[spidertri]

Passenger side, right behind the headlights. There is a tube with a black cap, take off the black cap, plug in your refill can.

Are you sure its the one behind the headlights and not the one next to the battery? One is high pressure and one is low pressure, I don't recall which is which though.

[MyTi82]

were u able to successfully recharge the system?
i really wanna get mine done to, so any helpful hints would be appreciated.

thankz

[lysergicsurfer]

Dont use the one next to the headlights. Use the one next to the battery. The nozzle on the freon canister wont fit on the wrong one side it is high pressure.

Actually I am not sure if this varies year to year, but I had a leak and I had to do this a few times. I couldn't figure out how to do it since the fitting on the high pressure hose was different from any store bought kit. Very easy to do... All the kits have instructions on back, make sure to get one with the hose and gauge.

[MyTi82]

thankz surfer, about how many cans would i need? i know i have a leak aswell, so how did u fix your leak?

[JunpoweR]

thankz surfer, about how many cans would i need? i know i have a leak aswell, so how did u fix your leak?

Using compressed air to find the leak would be the best way to go first.
Then after locating the leak, REPAIR then charge!

[tiFreak]

Using compressed air to find the leak would be the best way to go first.
Then after locating the leak, REPAIR then charge!

you can get dyed freon too, makes it a little easier to find the leak

[MyTi82]

so i know i wont be able to use compressed air unless they sell a can at the store....lol

so i guess the best way for me to look for it is with dye.

how would i do that....please be a lil more detailed cuz this is a new area for me. if there is a thread with pics and stuff that anyone knows about, that would def be helpful.

thankz guyz

[tiFreak]

last time I was in my local Advance they sold a leak finder kit, it came with a can of dyed freon and a little blacklight, because the dye reacts to the black light, I'm pretty sure you could find it at a local autoparts store, I'd think it would come with instructions too

[MyTi82]

last time I was in my local Advance they sold a leak finder kit, it came with a can of dyed freon and a little blacklight, because the dye reacts to the black light, I'm pretty sure you could find it at a local autoparts store, I'd think it would come with instructions too

oooh that would be awesome. i will look out for that. hopefully the leak is somewhere simple like i just need to change a gasket or sumthing. i looked on realOEM.com n saw that the hoses are metal and cost a pretty penny.

[lysergicsurfer]

I was able to see the leak when I recharged my system the first time. It was where a hose connects to the a/c compressor. A hose can be cracked or damaged but usually it is where a hose connects. The hose easily came off with a allen head wrench. The O-ring was torn and in very bad shape, I was able to buy a variety pack of O-rings since I couldn't find the exact same size. I used one that was the exact diameter but just thicker, and it bolted back up perfectly. It has been one year now and it has worked as it should. I believe when opening up the a/c system you need to have the gases properly disposed of but since I had a leak there was none left anyway. Also when you open up the system you are supposed to replace the dryer, which can be bought for as little as 25$ online. I did not since I plan to do an engine swap soon and it has worked fine for me. When refilling for the first time I recommend put a small can of recharge with a bit of oil to make sure all the parts are properly lubricated. Have the car running with the a/c on high when recharging. You may have a bit of air in the system, I was able to vent the air out by pushing in the value on the low pressure port until the oil started to come out. This is not the proper way of doing this, and may be illegal, but it is free. I would get two cans just in case, and a small can of the gas with oil. Remember to have a recharge hose with a gauge on it as you do not want to overcharge the system.

[MyTi82]

hey......with the system basically empty, how many cans (oz) would the system take?

I tried to refill my system but i see that my compressor wouldnt come on and from what the intsructions say, the compressor has to be on in order to tell the actual pressure but my thinkin is if the compressor is broken then u could potentially over fill the system after a can or two and the compressor never comes on.

[80211mdr]

MyTi, if the system is completely empty it should take 2-3 cans. Most good kits come with a gauge so you know when to stop filling. Its generally a bad idea to refill without evacuating the system and replacing the reciever drier. Not saying it won't work fine in the short term, but in the long run you might be looking at a busted compressor.

[Htraitor]

Along these lines... I just refilled mine after replacing the condenser and the A/C blows cold as long as I'm driving around, but if I stop and let the car idle the air is clearly not as cool. Does that sound like I'm low on R134?

[MyTi82]

atleast u have AC i tried recharging twice with one of those kits from autozone. both times i end up busting the gauge for some reason n my compressor wouldnt come on. i figure my comp is bad........sad since i know it was working last summer. i guess i shoulda refilled it then.

[zoner]

I would never recharge an A/C system without having an A/C manifold gauge- ideally, one that measures both the discharge (high) side and the suction (low) side. Putting too much freon in the system can cause "slugging" and can destroy your compressor.

Keep in mind that on a hot day, even an A/C system in optimal condition is usually only going to cool a maximum of about 40*-45* below the ambient outside temperature. If you're looking for 40* out of your vent on a 100* day, it isn't going to happen.

[J!m]

And I'll add to that with having too much pressure in the system is like to Little- the compressor will not engage (to protect it).

So, the pressure needs to be CORRECT, not just "high enough". And, even with 'correct' pressure if the system was not properly evacuated, it will be compressing air, which makes more heat in the system.

A proper gage kit (and a bit of training) is the way to go so you don't end up hurting yourself or making a larger hole in the Ozone layer...:rolleyes:

[yoda]

I recently ordered a compressor to replace mine, and got one that is not the same one as the one on the car... even though it was sold as a ti one... it is the one with a plate in the back half (just like the diagrams for the 6 cyl one)... instead of the seiko that has the fittings in the front and back... Can it be made to work or do I need the seiko one???
Any and all help is welcome!

[Htraitor]

I would never recharge an A/C system without having an A/C manifold gauge- ideally, one that measures both the discharge (high) side and the suction (low) side. Putting too much freon in the system can cause "slugging" and can destroy your compressor.

Keep in mind that on a hot day, even an A/C system in optimal condition is usually only going to cool a maximum of about 40*-45* below the ambient outside temperature. If you're looking for 40* out of your vent on a 100* day, it isn't going to happen.

I have an 01 Honda Odyssey that has NO problem keeping cool when sitting still even on 105 deg days. But it seems like somethings just not right on the TI. If I'm driving and keeping the RPM's above 2k it blows cold...not just cold but rival's the Odyssey. I'm beginning to think the compressor is going bad. I'm considering taking it to a local shop to have the A/C tested to see they can narrow down the problem.

Sheesh...

[pdxmotorhead]

FYI ,,The pump on the BMW is fairly sensitive to proper fill, I have a commercial gauge set and found that it only takes a ounce or two to stall the compressor vs dropping it till it just stops running. The pressure range is less than 50 lbs from min to max.

If you use UV light you can see the marker dye from the leak, the oil in R134 fluoresces.
They sell UV LED flashlights at Autozone....
Dave

[zoner]

I have an 01 Honda Odyssey that has NO problem keeping cool when sitting still even on 105 deg days. But it seems like somethings just not right on the TI. If I'm driving and keeping the RPM's above 2k it blows cold...not just cold but rival's the Odyssey. I'm beginning to think the compressor is going bad. I'm considering taking it to a local shop to have the A/C tested to see they can narrow down the problem.

Sheesh...

I'd be curious to see what the temperature at the vent is on a hot (105*-110*) and/or humid day. When the ambient temp. is 105*, 60* feels colder than you think.

Regarding your ti, if staying cold at idle is the problem, I'd check the air flow across the condenser (is the condenser dirty?); check for not enough freon in the system (system pressure and system freon are not always directly proportional); and check to make sure that the engine cooling fan is operating correctly (especially when the A/C is on). If all those check out, then I'd probably start leaning towards the compressor.

[J!m]

Zoner is right on with this one.

This is not a Honda.

[yoda]

Well,
I installed the new compressor and dryer with new o-rings all around, and it's working.... Now when I took the old stuff out there was no pressure in the system, so probably that's what happened!... I know my compressor was making a weird whining noises at acceleration and then it just stop working all together, it never occurred to me to check the freon level since all the "advice" on it was that the compressor was about to die. Oh well!... Got it working, now my only concern is that I may not have the correct levels or oil in it, after I went into Autozone yesterday to buy the oil and 134... the guy didn't look in the computer just told me to get medium weight oil (but the one I bought was not PAG), thankfully it was the right weight but it is not PAG, the other thing is that the little gauge that came with the kit doesn't seem to read the right pressure, I'm supposed to have 55 psi at 90+ deg temp, but it is at about 37-40 psi anymore than that and it doesn't work correctly (compressor stops, then goes on, then goes off) the air that comes out is not cold at all... Should I just shell out the dough to have it evacuated and re-filled at pepboys???:confused:
It is currently working I just don't want to jack the new compressor up...
**To clarify, I used ESTER oil instead of PAG**

[turbo5s]

not sure about the oils, but pag oil is what i commonly see for R134a.. compressor kicking on and off is probably the pressure switch, not enough or too much pressure will shut it off usually. Is the 55lbs figure is from the refill can or BMW manual? i would probably take it somewhere, it's not super expensive but you usually have to wait awhile for them to vacuum out the system and make sure it doesn't leak..

OTOH if it works already you might just leave it alone and see how well/long it lasts. Nothing like a little experiment!