Air Con Question

[Boiled Octopus]

Hi folks. I have a 2013 W212 and want to re-gas the air con myself. Can anyone confirm that the low pressure port is the one at the top with the thicker pipe? Picture below:



Many thanks

 

[alecmascot]

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[DSM10000]

Hi folks. I have a 2013 W212 and want to re-gas the air con myself. Can anyone confirm that the low pressure port is the one at the top with the thicker pipe? Picture below:

View attachment 96442

Many thanks

I am curious as to why DIY?

The kits you can buy cannot do the job properly. If you need to re-gas then you may have a leak. An A/C specialist will vacuum your system to safely remove any remaining refrigerant, hold the system in a vacuum to check for leaks. If leaks are found these clearly need to be addressed and would then re-fill your system also adding the correct amount of lubricant.

Considering how much it can cost to fix A/C I cannot see that any cost differential could be that great to have it checked and fixed professionally?

There are also plenty of mobile A/C specialists that can come to you.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Hi. don't waste your time and money. If you just want to get it running cold on the morning you are selling it then go ahead. Otherwise get it done properly, it's not that expensive. The car is only 7 years old, let the people with the right kit and know how do it, then it should last another bunch of years. Don't forget to replace the cabin filter(s).

 

[alabbasi]

Low pressure is always the line that's fatter.

 

[Martin 1]

Illegal and dangerous ! Can you extract and dispose of the old gas ?

 

[alabbasi]

Yes, as others have suggested. If you try to do this yourself, the sky will open up and a giant ozone monkey is going to come down from the heavens and sit on your face.
If that doesn't scare you, just do a bit of reading and get a proper set of gauges so that you can do it properly. You'll learn a new skill and give yourself an excuse to buy new tools.

 

[zipdip]

Well as others have posted,there is no point doing it yourself,my local garage charge £40 to test and charge up a air con system,the fact yours needs charging could mean that the condensor is shot or there is a leak something the test will show,some time ago I looked in Halfords and they were selling aircon kits for £30 ,it is just not worth the time and the risk of damage to your system

 

[slade1]

If you have the aircon 90% of the time you probably would not have this problem. I have done nothing to aircon, apart from filters on 2 cars for past 12 years.

 

[Wolfie1]

I am defra approved for working on vehicle ac systems and i have tried these diy systems and they are not great, the secret to really cold ac is the vaccum time, the longer the more moisture that boils off and the more efficient your system is.
the only diy product that actually gives good results is ac stop leak (depending on the speed of the leak and where it is) if its a rubber o ring these products make the seals swell and make them air tight again

 

[Trickythemerc]

I just leave my aircon on all year round.

 

[Boiled Octopus]

Low pressure is always the line that's fatter.

Thank you for answering my question!

 

[pmcgsmurf]

Thank you for answering my question!

You know you could have also answered or acknowledged everyone else that took the time to reply.

Maybe I'm just mean but pisses me that the other responses "have been" (at this time) ignored.

 

[Petrol Pete]

OP , it is likely that your car has a variable displacement AC compressor, this type has no clutch and runs when the engine is running whether you have the a/c switched on or not , as a result it must have the correct level and type of gas in the system for it to be lubricated properly. Having a full service with the all important vacuum stage completed ensures the system is dried properly and the only medium in there is the correct gas/liquid and just as importantly the correct amount.

A proper service is the only way to do it correctly as the vacuum induced is also used to draw in the new refrigerant. The ones from Halfords etc just blow it in under pressure as you hope for the best.

 

[Boiled Octopus]

You know you could have also answered or acknowledged everyone else that took the time to reply.

Maybe I'm just mean but pisses me that the other responses "have been" (at this time) ignored.

I'm not entirely sure why you have decided to suddenly jump-in? Are you bored? Other than being a supporter of this platform, I don't really understand your necessity to make such a peculiar comment.

 

[pmcgsmurf]

I'm not entirely sure why you have decided to suddenly jump-in? Are you bored? Other than being a supporter of this platform, I don't really understand your necessity to make such a peculiar comment.

Firstly I was curious why anyone would want to do this themselves given the risk of disposing of the gas, checking the system for leaks etc. as has been pointed out.

So no I am not bored, I was simply looking for an answer to the previous questions.

Of course it is up to you to just ignore them if you like, perhaps you do not like the questions or things pointed out.
I just feel it is good manners to acknowledge where someone has taken the time to reply.

My apologies if you feel I have been rude, that is not my intention, sorry.

Question still remains though, why?

 

[alabbasi]

To be fair to the OP, he only had one question in his original post which was to identify the low side port. Many of the responses did not provide an answer.

 

[Boiled Octopus]

Firstly I was curious why anyone would want to do this themselves given the risk of disposing of the gas, checking the system for leaks etc. as has been pointed out.

So no I am not bored, I was simply looking for an answer to the previous questions.

Of course it is up to you to just ignore them if you like, perhaps you do not like the questions or things pointed out.
I just feel it is good manners to acknowledge where someone has taken the time to reply.

My apologies if you feel I have been rude, that is not my intention, sorry.

Question still remains though, why?

No worries. You're likely a super bloke, but if you look at my question and then look at the responses, only one individual answered directly. The rest were ranging from the sarcastic 'Google is your friend' (I looked and couldn't find anything prior to my post), 'illegal and dangerous' to others commenting on 'why?', and 'you should do this', none of which were combined with answering my original question. I therefore thanked the person that actually answered my question.

 

[DSM10000]

No worries. You're likely a super bloke, but if you look at my question and then look at the responses, only one individual answered directly. The rest were ranging from the sarcastic 'Google is your friend' (I looked and couldn't find anything prior to my post), 'illegal and dangerous' to others commenting on 'why?', and 'you should do this', none of which were combined with answering my original question. I therefore thanked the person that actually answered my question.

Perhaps those of us that asked why and / or pointed out the potential problems with DIY Re-gassing were just trying to ensure you had the relevant information to make an informed choice as to DIY or not?

Also it was worth pointing out the differences that a professional A/C re-gas would give you over a DIY version an example being that it is essential that the system is held under vacuum to remove as much moisture as possible to gain full performance.

 

[alabbasi]

Perhaps those of us that asked why and / or pointed out the potential problems with DIY Re-gassing were just trying to ensure you had the relevant information to make an informed choice as to DIY or not?

TBH, I've spent a lot of time on this forum and it seems like there's a lot of people who don't know anything about how an A/C system functions, including some that appear to make a living from working on cars. Maybe it's a climate thing? I can relate. I live in Texas and I have no idea how wearing just a string vest can keep anyone warm in Newcastle in the middle of November. It's one of those mysteries.

The whole concept of re-gassing without finding out what happened to the gas that was in the system before it leaked out is nonsense. It just indicates that whichever shop is working on the car bought an A/C refrigerant recovery machine, and that they're charging you to hook it up and press a few buttons, without diagnosing or fixing the problem. I'm glad that the OP is trying to figure this stuff out himself. You have to start somewhere and we should help him along instead of discouraging him.