AC machine?

P2B

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Toronto & Muskoka, Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon
I don't suppose any local member owns an AC refrigerant recovery machine I could use to diagnose my better half's wagon?

TIA
 

P2B

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Toronto & Muskoka, Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon
I could use one myself. 4 cars to fix.
Group buy?

 

TurboABA

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 24, 2010
Location
Kitchener, ON
TDI
RIP-2010 Jetta 6spd 2014 Touareg Execline '14 A6 Technik S-line
I just went through this gongshow with my Touareg... ended up using el cheapo over the counter R134a cans from Parts Source for the diagnostics, etc. Spent about $250 on some amazon gauges\pump\detector setup.... once confirmed all works, drop across the border and bought proper R134 from Wallymart (and oil) for something silly like $80 or so....
 

P2B

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Toronto & Muskoka, Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon
I gave in and took it to Perjad. There was only 160g of refrigerant in the system, but it holds vacuum and works perfectly with a full charge. Apparently they need refilling every 20 years or so 🙂
 

TurboABA

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 24, 2010
Location
Kitchener, ON
TDI
RIP-2010 Jetta 6spd 2014 Touareg Execline '14 A6 Technik S-line
My Touareg's system quit working after only 10 years.....
I took it to a specialist who claimed almost nothing was in the system, re-charged it and sent me a video of a massive leak.
It looked like the o-rings at the condenser connection, but dude wanted $1200+ tax to replace them, and wouldn't give me any reassurance that "it would be fixed" after that.... there could be other issues.
I snapped, and did what I said in #5 so that I could vacuum and test the whole system myself, and was unable to find a leak. Recharged it myself and it's been working fine for the last few months. (since the start of May)

It sucks when you don't have the tools to check or do things and you go to rip off experts.... you're lucky that you went to a good shop instead.
 

P2B

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 11, 2006
Location
Toronto & Muskoka, Canada
TDI
2002 Jetta, 2003 Jetta, 2003 Jetta Wagon
It sucks when you don't have the tools to check or do things and you go to rip off experts.... you're lucky that you went to a good shop instead.
In hindsight I could have saved a few bucks by taking it around the corner where they were offering a $79.95 recharge special, but I trust Perjad to be honest and fair.

My son went that route without asking me for advice first and paid the $79.95 to find out the system already had a full charge and get a quote for close to $2k to replace compressor and drier. I dunno how long the $40 Amazon clutch coil I just installed will last, but his wife and newborn are enjoying cool A/C for now.
 

dieseldonato

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2023
Location
Us
TDI
2001 jetta
Group buy?

Looks kinda like a knock off of the Robin air portable unit we had at the shop. You still need a recovery tank and scale to complete it, and it doesn't recycle/filter the refrigerant like an actual recovery machine does. I'm pretty sure it didn't separate out the oil either. They work in a pinch/out on the road where a big recovery machine wouldn't work well. Whenever we got back to the shop we'd suck the refrigerant out of the recovery tank and run it through the machine, then charge another tank to take back out on the road with us. (Always kept a few tanks of new refrigerant on hand.) Best way we found to find leaks was pressurizing the system with 325psi of nitrogen if it held for ~15 minutes if it didn't leak under pressure, then vacuum to 25 microns. Which is unobtainable if the system leaks under vacuum. Nitrogen is pretty readily available, easy way to test the system. No need for a special micron gauge(it was a fast way for us to tell if the system was holding vac.), just make sure the system hold vac for ~15 minutes.
 

amit9

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 7, 2004
Location
Toronto/Scarborough
TDI
None...
My son went that route without asking me for advice first and paid the $79.95 to find out the system already had a full charge and get a quote for close to $2k to replace compressor and drier. I dunno how long the $40 Amazon clutch coil I just installed will last, but his wife and newborn are enjoying cool A/C for now.
Good to know that it's still full after 22 years... ;)
 
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