A/C refrigerant refilling?

[rickinAZ]

My cooling system has gone from cold to cool. Is recharging the refrigerant an easy DIY task? How should I diagnose?

Sponsored

 

[GATORB8]

I believe the new refrigerant has come down, the fittings are different than the old stuff, but the process should be the same. You can either get a nice gauge set, or buy the can with the built in gauge at the parts store.

 

[agentdr8]

Fairly easy if you're handy. To properly diagnose, you'll probably want a gauge set. It should come with fittings for R1234yf cans and lines.

Then follow one of the many videos on YT to check low/high pressures, and refill as needed.

Here's the temp/pressure chart from the service manual:

Just know that if it's losing refrigerant, then it likely has a leak somewhere.

 

[GATORB8]

You can kind of see where to look for the refrigerant ports here:

 

[BrandNewIn2022]

A/C guy here. Before attempting to charge the system, do a few basic checks. Make sure all fans are running and that the cabin air filter and coils are clean. For coil cleaning I would rinse the condenser with water and shoot a can of evaporator foam up into the condensate drain tube under the Jeep.
Doing this may boost performance.

If that doesn’t help, then with the system running, spray soap bubbles on all the tubing connections -to identify the leak. If found, it may require removing the charge and replacing an o-ring.

That’s what I would do before adding charge. To each their own. Best luck!

 

[DaltonGang]

My cooling system has gone from cold to cool. Is recharging the refrigerant an easy DIY task? How should I diagnose?

Read this, before you do anything else. Been there, done that.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/jl-needed-freon-1234yf-not-anymore.124304/


.

 

[rickinAZ]

OP Here:


This morning, I drove to Mayo, and while the A/C was noticeably cool, it wasn’t quite cold—just enough to be noticeable, but still on the subtle side. I mentioned this in post #1.


Fast forward four hours later: the Jeep has been sitting in 110° heat the entire time. I remote started it, went inside to clock out at Volunteer Services, and when I returned 10 minutes later, the A/C was blowing hot air—definitely no longer subtle. In fact, with the fan still on but the A/C off, the air was more bearable. I also noticed that when I switched from the dash vents to the foot vents, the air felt almost cool on my ankles, but still not cold. This might be related to the blend actuator door—something I had to replace on my previous JK. Thoughts?

At this point I'm totally fine with bringing it in for repair, but I'm torn on taking it to the dealer or taking it to an A/C specialty shop.

 

[Jeffy56]

Our humidity has been up a bit last couple days, but I think you need a repair. Naturally on the weekend. Good luck!

 

[jondotcom]

Those DIY single gauge low side charge cans do work, but haven’t needed to use one on my JL yet. I’ve used them on 5 family cars and it restored the AC performance on 4 of them. One was already full so it has a different issue. Personally I’d give that a shot rather than spending hundreds on an AC service that may lead to a major ripoff.

 

[DaltonGang]

OP Here:


This morning, I drove to Mayo, and while the A/C was noticeably cool, it wasn’t quite cold—just enough to be noticeable, but still on the subtle side. I mentioned this in post #1.


Fast forward four hours later: the Jeep has been sitting in 110° heat the entire time. I remote started it, went inside to clock out at Volunteer Services, and when I returned 10 minutes later, the A/C was blowing hot air—definitely no longer subtle. In fact, with the fan still on but the A/C off, the air was more bearable. I also noticed that when I switched from the dash vents to the foot vents, the air felt almost cool on my ankles, but still not cold. This might be related to the blend actuator door—something I had to replace on my previous JK. Thoughts?

At this point I'm totally fine with bringing it in for repair, but I'm torn on taking it to the dealer or taking it to an A/C specialty shop.

Do it yourself. Mine did the same as yours. For months before it gave out, the A/C made an intermittent hissing sound, which told me it was low on freon. Here is what I bought, which allows you to use the older 134a freon($10), without issues.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0B17KWNHT?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[DaltonGang]

Well, @rickinAZ , what did you finally do?

 

[roaniecowpony]

I ended up with the adapter fittings last year and filled with R134. I checked the parts list for Canadian models and they seem to have been delivered with R134. There are two hoses that have the fittings for R134 and a sticker which are shown in the JL parts lists. The orifice is the identical part as the R1234. Around here and what I found online, R1234 is running around $45 a can and you need 2 cans. R134 is about a 1/4 that. My system works fantastic and has since last year about this time.

 

[rickinAZ]

Well, @rickinAZ , what did you finally do?

Ultimately, I ended up taking the car to an A/C specialty shop. But before that, I learned a valuable lesson by first bringing it to the dealership.


They had the car for five days. The service advisor stopped returning my calls, and eventually the diagnosis came back: failed compressor. The estimate? $2,700.


In a rare moment of clarity, I decided to try a well-reviewed independent shop closer to home. They had the car for just 36 hours and fixed it for $1,400.


The only upside to the dealer visit? I got to try Waymo—twice—for the drop-off and pick-up. When the day comes (hopefully far in the future) that my kids take my keys, I hope this kind of tech becomes mainstream in personal vehicles. My dream scenario: I’m still driving like normal, but if I’m about to do something dumb, the computer quietly takes over. I'm in control... until I shouldn't be.


Shoutout to @DaltonGang for nudging me to post a follow-up. As a forum member, I often find the most value in seeing how these stories end.

 

[DaltonGang]

Ultimately, I ended up taking the car to an A/C specialty shop. But before that, I learned a valuable lesson by first bringing it to the dealership.


They had the car for five days. The service advisor stopped returning my calls, and eventually the diagnosis came back: failed compressor. The estimate? $2,700.


In a rare moment of clarity, I decided to try a well-reviewed independent shop closer to home. They had the car for just 36 hours and fixed it for $1,400.


The only upside to the dealer visit? I got to try Waymo—twice—for the drop-off and pick-up. When the day comes (hopefully far in the future) that my kids take my keys, I hope this kind of tech becomes mainstream in personal vehicles. My dream scenario: I’m still driving like normal, but if I’m about to do something dumb, the computer quietly takes over. I'm in control... until I shouldn't be.


Shoutout to @DaltonGang for nudging me to post a follow-up. As a forum member, I often find the most value in seeing how these stories end.

Still a $1,400 ouch. I guess the replaced most of the system for that money.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Still a $1,400 ouch. I guess the replaced most of the system for that money.

When a compressor actually bites the dust, not just loses a seal, it scatters metal debris through the whole system. The generally accepted way to fix it is to replace the condensor, dryer, compressor, flush the lines, flush the evaporator, put a filter on the return from the evaporator, and recharge. It's a big deal.

Sponsored