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Step 5Filling the System
Once you are sure that the system can hold a vacuum for an hour you may proceed to filling the system with Freon. If your car ran on Freon R-12 from the factory and you have the means to purchases it you can use R-12 or Freeze 12 to get maximum performance. If you are not certified then you have the choose Enviro Safe, R-134a and I have heard that propane can also be used. I chose to use R-134a for my retrofit. You probably will not notice difference between using R-134a instead of R-12 if you do not live in Death Valley California.
Once you have the can of Freon hooked up to the service line of the manifold gauge (middle or yellow), you should purge the air from the hose. If you do not have a purge valve then turn the can upside down and unscrew the hose a little bit until air starts to come out and as soon as liquid starts to come out - tight it. When refilling the system, I would recommend that you wear goggles. Once the air is removed you can open the low side and start filling. NEVER fill through the high pressure side as tough this may cause the can to explode. If you are adding a can of Freon with UV dye or oil you need to have the can upside down. This will cause liquid instead of gas to come out; you should open the low side valve just a little bit in order to have a little bit flowing. Be careful not to get liquid inside the compressor; as liquid is not compressible and can cause damage to the compressor. If you are just adding a can of Freon and nothing else than keep the can right side up and the valve fully open. If you want to speed up the refill process then dump the can in some warm water or heat it with a hair drier. Do not use heat guns, gas burners or boiling hot water. Once there is some pressure some pressure in the system, turn on the engine and the a/c fan to max.
Now it is time to determine when to stop filling the system. I find that the best way is to fill the system until it comes close to the chart above chart. Because every car is a little bit different you will need to find the best pressure for your vehicle and to do that you will need helper and digital cooking thermometer. What did was I had my brother in the car looking at the thermometer which is in the center vent. When the pressure in the manifold gauges is around 30 psi away from the chart value, I start to let in less Freon and I wait until my brother says to stop. What my bother is doing is watching until the temperature stops dropping or starts to rise and says stop.
System top off
If you are just adding a little bit of freon to the system and you don't want to purchase an expensive manifold gauge, then you can use the simple hose that comes with no gauge. The way to determine when the system is full is to look at the sight glass until you see liquid with no bubbles or no foam appears. Another way is to add freon until the low side line under the hood starts to have water condensation. The last way is to use the center vent temperature method mentioned above.
Once you have the can of Freon hooked up to the service line of the manifold gauge (middle or yellow), you should purge the air from the hose. If you do not have a purge valve then turn the can upside down and unscrew the hose a little bit until air starts to come out and as soon as liquid starts to come out - tight it. When refilling the system, I would recommend that you wear goggles. Once the air is removed you can open the low side and start filling. NEVER fill through the high pressure side as tough this may cause the can to explode. If you are adding a can of Freon with UV dye or oil you need to have the can upside down. This will cause liquid instead of gas to come out; you should open the low side valve just a little bit in order to have a little bit flowing. Be careful not to get liquid inside the compressor; as liquid is not compressible and can cause damage to the compressor. If you are just adding a can of Freon and nothing else than keep the can right side up and the valve fully open. If you want to speed up the refill process then dump the can in some warm water or heat it with a hair drier. Do not use heat guns, gas burners or boiling hot water. Once there is some pressure some pressure in the system, turn on the engine and the a/c fan to max.
Now it is time to determine when to stop filling the system. I find that the best way is to fill the system until it comes close to the chart above chart. Because every car is a little bit different you will need to find the best pressure for your vehicle and to do that you will need helper and digital cooking thermometer. What did was I had my brother in the car looking at the thermometer which is in the center vent. When the pressure in the manifold gauges is around 30 psi away from the chart value, I start to let in less Freon and I wait until my brother says to stop. What my bother is doing is watching until the temperature stops dropping or starts to rise and says stop.
System top off
If you are just adding a little bit of freon to the system and you don't want to purchase an expensive manifold gauge, then you can use the simple hose that comes with no gauge. The way to determine when the system is full is to look at the sight glass until you see liquid with no bubbles or no foam appears. Another way is to add freon until the low side line under the hood starts to have water condensation. The last way is to use the center vent temperature method mentioned above.
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