Hi,
I recently made a mistake, while changing out my radiator, of loosening an Air Conditioning high pressure line. Some of the freon (or whatever you call it these days) leaked out. I was able to re-tighten the fitting, and so I don't think I completely emptied the coolant.
Since, I have noticed anytime I put on the defrost or AC, I can hear the compressor kick on, make a small "hiss" for 3 seconds or so, then kick off. And then repeat in an eerie melody for as long as the AC or defrost is on.
I've purchased a re-fill can from Walmart with a guage on it. Up until now, I've been assuming that it's due to low (or extremely low) levels of coolant in the AC system. When I put the guage on (with the AC on Max as instructed), the guage fluctuates in rythm from 0 psi up to about 50-60 psi in that 3 second "hiss" time. (On the can, the needle reaches the yellow or orange. And says do not add - have someone inspect the system.)
I'm assuming this is the AC system trying to pressurize, then realizing there is no flow (due to low coolant), and shutting off the compressor.
Is my assumtion right? I would have expected to simply see low pressure, not ramping pressure that drops and re-ramps in repetative fashion. I don't want to add more coolant to the system if that's not the problem, but I don't know what else to make of the guage reading. If anyone could help, I'd appreciate it.
Tuesday, August 4th, 2020 AT 5:32 PM
(Merged)