[V6-12v] RE: ac refrigerant question

[Todd Young]

I have an early '93 model and I can say for a fact that it uses R134a, 
as will all models after it.

I think Elliot was referring to me in his post below, so here goes. As 
always, do this at YOUR OWN RISK. I take no responsibility for your 
results (or injuries).

I have heated up a can to charge through the high port, but not a can of 
R134a. Well, not a 16oz can at least. I heated up a can of some additive 
that also contained some extra system oil and a little bit of R134a. I 
think the total was around 4oz. My system was just a "tiny" bit low and 
with that stuff it has been great ever since (going on 4 years). I can't 
remember what it was called, but I picked it up at Walmart.

As for heating the can. That is something you want to be REAL careful 
doing. I used a thermometer to test the hot water coming out of the tap, 
it was close to the limit mentioned on the can. Read the warning label 
on the can, it will tell you the burst temp, stay below that temp. I was 
fortunate enough to have hot enough water right out of the tap. I 
started with an plastic ice cream bucket almost full of hot water. After 
slowly lowering the can into the water, the water temp dropped. I then 
added some more hot water to bring the temp back up some.

I had already installed the "fill" hose onto the can before warming it, 
so I just carried the bucket of water with the can in it out to the car 
and hooked it up to the high side port, turned the can up-side-down, and 
pierced the can and let it dump into the system.

IMPORTANT TIPS:
1) Do NOT heat the can above the burst temp listed on the can.
2) Slowly heat the can, don't just dump a 60 degree can into hot water.
3) Turn the warmed can upside down to dump into the system (totally 
opposite of what you do when filling to the LOW side).
4) MOST IMPORTANT, do this on a COLD car in the early morning.

It really blows not having a low side port. I was able to easily charge 
my sister's Jeep Grand Cherokee with my hose set. Funny thing, here in 
Minnesota you can stop at Walmart and pick up an R134a hose set and 
refrigerant. Just across the border in Wisconsin, you can not. Gee, I 
wonder where all the Wisconsin-ites are going for their R124a?

Elliot wrote:
 >I've heard of people charging through the high pressure port using those
 >cans of R134a from a FLAPS (Todd?), but they boiled the cans first and
 >that would make me very nervous.  (I'm not an Audi engineer, but I did
 >take a class in thermodynamics my junior year at GT ... had I not
 >skipped most of them I might have a different view)
-- 
Todd Young
7079 Dawn Ave. E.
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076