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

[MyTi82]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by MyTi82

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by MyTi82

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]

Originally Posted by JunpoweR

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]

Originally Posted by 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

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.