[s-cars] AC low side recharge adapter

Tue Jul 3 12:37:55 EDT 2007

Gentz,

There is a switch on the passenger's side up near the windshield, a
local tech uses an "adapter" where he threads out the switch and
puts in the adapter and fill/reads gas there.

I'll ask him for more specifics next time I'm down there.

Chris

--- "Young, Steve" <sryoung at trane.com> wrote:

> 
> Having read these A/C posts with interest, I'll add my $0.02.  I will
> be
> looking into my A/C system soon, as it provides no cooling.  So bear
> with me as I have done no investigation to date.  If the low pressure
> cutout switch is the type that screws onto a threaded schrader valve
> port, any refrigeration supply house should have a tee fitting that
> could be installed between the A/C line port and the cutout switch
> leaving an additional port for gauge hookup.  This assumes that there
> is
> physically enough room to add the tee, and then orient it so that a
> gauge hose can be attached.  It also assumes that Audi did not use a
> fitting with a non-standard thread.
> 
> http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/3GD02
> 
> An alternative would be the pick up a braise in port fitting and
> install
> it in a manageable place on the low side of the system.  If you
> system
> is already empty, this option will take about 30 minutes to install
> by
> drilling the proper hole in the low side line, and braise in the
> fitting.
> 
> http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/3X729
> 
> Or use something like this.
> 
> http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/3WU91
> 
> YMMV, and please verify the line size before purchasing.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> 				TRANE
> Steven Young
> Local Operations Manager
> Albany Office
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
> [mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com] On Behalf Of Tom Green
> Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2007 10:31 AM
> To: s-car-list at audifans.com
> Cc: calvin at earthlink.net
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] AC low side recharge adapter
> 
> This issue has been revisited many times without any definitive
> answers
> given to the list.  The most often asked is about adapting a gage set
> to
> the low pressure port for a DIY recharge.  But no one has offered any
> specific details for this even if they said " I did this myself". 
> Even
> the local dealer service manager claims they never use the low
> pressure
> port, only connect to the high pressure port at the condenser,
> evacuate
> and refill a measured charge with the engine off, and measure the
> high
> side pressure and interior duct temperature for any fine tuning of
> the
> charge with the engine running at 2K rpm.  There is some risk of
> introducing liquid refrigerant into the compressor by using the low
> side
> port if you are not careful or overcharge the system even though
> shops
> use this system on most vehicles, and of course, the high side
> pressure
> will burst a DIY can and will only allow a recharge with the
> compressor
> off.
> 
> My high side valve is on the front right side of the condenser and
> easily accessible on the S6.  I don't know about the R12 systems on
> the
> S4.
> 
> Is there someone on this list who can put these issues to rest?    
> That is, can someone provide a source
> for a low side adapter?  Does anyone have specific details of the
> differences in the URS4 systems using
> R12 and the URS4/6 systems using R134a?
> 
> Tom
> 
> 
> > Date: Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:24:49 -0400
> > From: Kent McLean <kentmclean at comcast.net>
> > Subject: Re: [s-cars] AC low side recharge adapter
> > To: s-car-list <s-car-list at audifans.com>
> > Message-ID: <4689A561.5060607 at comcast.net>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
> >
> > Aaron Ryba wrote:
> >> Like others have mentioned I took off the low pressure switch (F
> >> 73) located in
> > the right
> >> plenum and planned on filling her up there however it seems like
> the 
> >> threaded male connection with the schrader valve there is a metric
> 10
> 
> >> mm thread size which won't work with anything I can get at
> Autozone 
> >> or Advance Auto parts. I am trying to avoid spending $100 bucks on
> 
> >> the high end manifold gage set or paying a shop $120 to fix it for
> 
> >> me.
> >
> > I'm almost in the same boat.  With 3 Audis with weak or no AC, I 
> > thought I'd be better off investing in the equipment and doing it 
> > myself. I bought the not-quite high-end manifold gage set ($60 at 
> > Robbins, a supplier to mechanics in S. NH, not the $39 set at the 
> > local national consumer chain.
> > Plus another $30 in the R134a-specific hoses.). I bought the R134a 
> > adapters.
> > I haven't gotten around to actually doing the conversion(s) yet.   
> > But my
> > understanding so far is that the gage sets needs to tap into both
> the 
> > high- and low-pressure sides of the system, so you still need to
> have 
> > access to a low-pressure side valve.
> >
> > My am also under the impression is that the valve on the compressor
> is
> 
> > meant to drain the oil from the compressor, but as it is on the
> low- 
> > pressure side,
> > -- and here I'm not 100% sure/convinced -- it can be used to
> recharge 
> > the system. I'll leave it to someone with more experience to
> confirm 
> > or reject that idea.
> >
> > --
> > Kent McLean
> > '91 200 TQA #1, for sale
> > '91 200 TQA #2, no name yet
> > '94 100 S Avant, "Moody"
> > '89 200 TQ, "Bad Puppy", up in smoke
> 
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