[beastyben1]

Yesterday let the vacuum sit on the system, put in a used a/c compressor, filled up and this morning after about 10min of use i do my part in destroying the ozone.

I appears the leak is right at the bottom of the redrier, my question is what is that brass looking fitting with the pin-hole at the bottom of it? Does it some sort of pressure valve if it gets too high?

I put in new o-rings when I put the condenser in.

 

[vwpieces]

Driers are cheap & should be replaced if the system is open to air for any time more than just replacing a part or if the compressor went bad. With the hole in the end of that brass plug, it does look like a pressure valve but I can not say for sure.

I did the AC work in my 83 TD Jetta, R134 retro fit, SD508 compressor, made new hoses to fit the setup. Been good for over a year but R134 ain't that great... still considering other options.

Also what refigerant are you using? R134A?

If the rad fan is not working properly you will over pressurize the system pretty quick. Did you calculate the volume of refrigerant used? You should fill 134 by volume, not pressure. If you fill by pressure on a moderate day you may find it is over pressurized on a really hot day.

Are your high & low pressure switches working properly?

 

[beastyben1]

I am using 134A. System was retrofitted a few years ago by the previous owner.

The drier is newish and wasn't open to air for more than the a/c compressor switch. The correct amount of 134A was filled by volume.

Rad fan is working correctly according to the fan switches on rad, but I just tested putting the a/c (empty of freon of course) temp control on and the rad fan is not automatically coming on. The system was filled at about 90F and this morning it was about 80F.

Anywho, the system won't take any freon as it all comes out that pin-hole.

Thanks for the very informative post vwpieces, much appreciated. :thumbup:

 

[vwpieces]

I am sure our cars are not the same but I ran into a couple problems making my AC work.

I had nothing in the engine bay when I got the car. I made the Rad fan harness from scratch & never integrated to the AC system. Few years later I wanted the AC to work... Initial startup of the AC system my rad fan did not come on. In seconds the high side hit 300psi... My buddy started yelling "shut it off, shut it offf..." Hit the condenser with a water hose & it immediately dropped pressure. I figured out what I missed inthe AC, rad fan curcuit but still no fan. Turns out the under dash controls had a bad micro switch.

NP on the info. I knew nothing about AC before I dove into this. Most on here rip out the AC if it don't work. Keep the AC & getit working. :thumbup:

 

[GTIMaxx]

i got to replace that same part. I was loving my AC for the first 3 minutes. Then it stoped. I bought a new dryer and broke the damn line on the condensor. Now i need a new one.

oh well. sooner or later i'll have AC

 

[beastyben1]

Ah yes, last year one of the valves on the condenser had a crack, replaced that.

Then later that year I cracked one of the pressure sensors while putting in a dual-slim fan.

What is weird is that a few weeks ago the rad fan was turning on with the a/c then all the sudden it wasn't.

I'll look at fuses, put in a new drier and see whats up...

 

[still_a_G]

Yeah, that's a pressure relief mechanism. It's popped so you need a new drier.

 

[beastyben1]

Update. Got a new drier, cross-threaded it. :banghead:

Then used an temp sensor to plug the old hole on the drier. Works perfectly. Charged and wicked cold!

Re-wired the rad fan (dual slim) to come on high every time the a/c is turned on.

Problem: i'm constantly blowing 30amp rad fan fuses at a rate of about 3 and hour so I stopped using the a/c. I just think kaaaaaahboooom.

Moar problems but its cold.

 

[vwpieces]

Sucks on the drier but you found "something" to plug the old.

Sounds like you need to relay the rad fans.

 

[beastyben1]

I'm still learning . The a/c on now turns on the rad fans to high speed through the relay. My mechanic did this for me.

Through trial and error I found exactly when the fuse blows. I can turn the climate control to a/c once and leave it and it'll work continuously. However, when I then turn the setting to Off and then back to A/C it'll blow. Wonder if the system can handle a 35amp fuse?

 

[beastyben1]

update, the dual fan system i put in last year was pulling 29.86 amps :banghead:

new single fan motor that pulls 3 amps = problem solved

:thumbup: