2010 Jeep Commander Sport
3.7L/NAG1 QT1
AC system has the rear AC in addition to front
My evaporator developed a leak, then the compressor seized.
I did the repair myself on the cheap, using a pretty weak set of AC tools.
Replaced the evaporator and compressor (rebuilt), as well, the recommanded parts after a Compressor seizing, the Condensor, both front/rear expansion valves and the filter/drier. Flushed out all oil/debri, added the spec amount of oil, vacuumed down in excess of 1/2 an hour, and added the spec R-134a charge. The rebuilt compressor instructions stated to add the spec amount oil to the compressor in addition to the 1.5 oz of Cool32 already in the compressor from the factory, which I did, so there may be an extra 1.5 oz of oil.
The first day, I got a DTC for AC pressure to high, I monitored it with my Autoenginuity and it did seem higher than spec, released an oz R-134a and the DTC never came back and the pressures read within what the FSM says for the conditions. Might be because of the extra oil in the system forced me to reduce the R-134a charge an oz, or maybe I overcharged an oz more than I should, remember I improvised with some pretty cheap and old tools. Eitherway that does NOT seem to be a problem now. The AC blows very cool, it seems to be holding pressure and NOT leaking.
But the AC system is making noise now, every once in a while I get a fluid rushing through a tube noise and/or a creak/moan for a second or two. Its only when the AC is on and has built up some pressure. It most likely happens when the car shifts its weight, accellerating/decellarating, going around a turn. It has only happened once from the front of the AC system, every other time it is near the rear. I.e. Only once from the front evaporator/expansion valve and all the other times it seems to come from the long tubes running to the rear and/or the rear evaporator/expansion valve. Turning on the rear AC seems to reduce how often the noise happens.
I suspect it might be extra oil collecting in the long lines to the rear, that it built up and got pushed through the system like a shot, maybe force its way past the expansion valve. I was hoping the oil hadn't circulated all over the system yet and I was getting some build up pushed through making noise, until it got more evenly spread through the system. Anyone have enough AC repair experience to confirm that?
The rushing fluid sound in the lines seems to have gone away now, and I've been operating the AC enough, to include running the rear AC, over the last couple of days that it has got have fully spread out by now. Its just seems to be a creaking/moan from the rear expansion valve every once in a while. Is this the sign I may have a bad expansion valve out of the box? Or maybe damaged it with a slight overcharge or a little extra oil in the system?
-------Extra Details------
All the new parts were Four Seasons, except the condensor which was Spectra. They looked to be good quality, but NOT as good as the OEM parts they replaced.
Four Seasons recommend to add the full amount of oil to the 1.5 ounces of Cool32 lubricant that was already in the rebuilt compressor. So if anything I have extra oil in the system, but no more than 20% over the spec amount of oil, we're talking an extra 1.5 onces. I did NOT have an accurate way of measuring the R-134a weight, but the spec amount is 2 oz shy of 3 cans, and there seem to be 2 oz left in the last can before I stopped charging.
Yes, I flushed all the lines and remaining parts, heck even the new parts just to be sure. But, since this is a DIY repair on the cheap, I used 99.1% Isopropyl Alcohol and then Non-Chlorinated Brake Cleaner as the degreaser/solvent/flush with compressed air, NOT to mention giving them a full day open to low humidity air to make sure everything evaporated out. NOT the approved flush, but both evaporate quickly with no remaining residue and the compressed air helped. I also vacuumed down the system, reapplying vacuum several times for 2 hours in case there were fumes of these flush materials still left.
My gauges were cheap to begin with 10 years ago, they leak slightly and I'm NOT 100% confident they are fully accurate. I could NOT get the system to hold a vacuum, I was pretty sure because of the cheap gauges connected to the system was leaking, but I keep the vacuum at 20-30" for an entire 2 hours by continuing to reapply vacuum on the system. The fact its been two weeks now and the standing pressures and operating pressures seem to be the same is pretty good evidence what I hoped was right and it was the gauges and their lines leaking the vacuum and NOT the AC system.
3.7L/NAG1 QT1
AC system has the rear AC in addition to front
My evaporator developed a leak, then the compressor seized.
I did the repair myself on the cheap, using a pretty weak set of AC tools.
Replaced the evaporator and compressor (rebuilt), as well, the recommanded parts after a Compressor seizing, the Condensor, both front/rear expansion valves and the filter/drier. Flushed out all oil/debri, added the spec amount of oil, vacuumed down in excess of 1/2 an hour, and added the spec R-134a charge. The rebuilt compressor instructions stated to add the spec amount oil to the compressor in addition to the 1.5 oz of Cool32 already in the compressor from the factory, which I did, so there may be an extra 1.5 oz of oil.
The first day, I got a DTC for AC pressure to high, I monitored it with my Autoenginuity and it did seem higher than spec, released an oz R-134a and the DTC never came back and the pressures read within what the FSM says for the conditions. Might be because of the extra oil in the system forced me to reduce the R-134a charge an oz, or maybe I overcharged an oz more than I should, remember I improvised with some pretty cheap and old tools. Eitherway that does NOT seem to be a problem now. The AC blows very cool, it seems to be holding pressure and NOT leaking.
But the AC system is making noise now, every once in a while I get a fluid rushing through a tube noise and/or a creak/moan for a second or two. Its only when the AC is on and has built up some pressure. It most likely happens when the car shifts its weight, accellerating/decellarating, going around a turn. It has only happened once from the front of the AC system, every other time it is near the rear. I.e. Only once from the front evaporator/expansion valve and all the other times it seems to come from the long tubes running to the rear and/or the rear evaporator/expansion valve. Turning on the rear AC seems to reduce how often the noise happens.
I suspect it might be extra oil collecting in the long lines to the rear, that it built up and got pushed through the system like a shot, maybe force its way past the expansion valve. I was hoping the oil hadn't circulated all over the system yet and I was getting some build up pushed through making noise, until it got more evenly spread through the system. Anyone have enough AC repair experience to confirm that?
The rushing fluid sound in the lines seems to have gone away now, and I've been operating the AC enough, to include running the rear AC, over the last couple of days that it has got have fully spread out by now. Its just seems to be a creaking/moan from the rear expansion valve every once in a while. Is this the sign I may have a bad expansion valve out of the box? Or maybe damaged it with a slight overcharge or a little extra oil in the system?
-------Extra Details------
All the new parts were Four Seasons, except the condensor which was Spectra. They looked to be good quality, but NOT as good as the OEM parts they replaced.
Four Seasons recommend to add the full amount of oil to the 1.5 ounces of Cool32 lubricant that was already in the rebuilt compressor. So if anything I have extra oil in the system, but no more than 20% over the spec amount of oil, we're talking an extra 1.5 onces. I did NOT have an accurate way of measuring the R-134a weight, but the spec amount is 2 oz shy of 3 cans, and there seem to be 2 oz left in the last can before I stopped charging.
Yes, I flushed all the lines and remaining parts, heck even the new parts just to be sure. But, since this is a DIY repair on the cheap, I used 99.1% Isopropyl Alcohol and then Non-Chlorinated Brake Cleaner as the degreaser/solvent/flush with compressed air, NOT to mention giving them a full day open to low humidity air to make sure everything evaporated out. NOT the approved flush, but both evaporate quickly with no remaining residue and the compressed air helped. I also vacuumed down the system, reapplying vacuum several times for 2 hours in case there were fumes of these flush materials still left.
My gauges were cheap to begin with 10 years ago, they leak slightly and I'm NOT 100% confident they are fully accurate. I could NOT get the system to hold a vacuum, I was pretty sure because of the cheap gauges connected to the system was leaking, but I keep the vacuum at 20-30" for an entire 2 hours by continuing to reapply vacuum on the system. The fact its been two weeks now and the standing pressures and operating pressures seem to be the same is pretty good evidence what I hoped was right and it was the gauges and their lines leaking the vacuum and NOT the AC system.