ACtion Magazine - March/April 2012 - (Page 18)

Link followed: www.carsdirect.com/toyota/corolla/maintenance/how-to-recharge-corolla-freon This link appeared after searching on “Corolla air conditioning.” Toyota’s venerable Corolla has been around for years and continues to be a very popular product. Carsdirect.com exists to sell new and used cars; they sign up dealerships who then post their inventory, respond to inquiries, arrange financing, etc. One tab on the main page is “Research” by car maker, year and model. Additional articles, such as this one show up in the research area, but not every possible car search brings up similar results—there is an A/C repair article for this Corolla, but nothing similar found for a Nissan Sentra. This article we found is another example of page filler that is neither helpful nor safe. The Toyota Corolla air conditioning system is not difficult to recharge yourself. You can even save a lot of money by doing it yourself. .... A word of caution: Most air conditioning systems are sealed, so if your Corolla air conditioning is blowing hot, a leak is most likely the reason. If you have a leak in the system, recharging the Corolla Freon will not really help much as the Freon will simply leak out. So it is important to look for leaks before you start and repair them if you find one. The writer makes a specific effort to encourage leak checking, but fails to realize that all A/C systems are sealed. And not all failures to operate mean a leak. Step 1: Leaks Look at your Corolla A/C system carefully for any visible damages. If you do not see any with your naked eye, then use the leak detection kit to make sure there are none. Follow the directions on the package. If you find any leaks, have the vehicle repaired before going any further. ... If your car uses R12 it will need to either be retrofitted to allow for R134 or charged by a shop. R12 can no longer be purchased over the counter. The way to tell if your system is R12 is if your car is older than 1995; look at the A/C dryer and see if it has 2 connectors. A R12 vehicle will have a red connector on the high pressure side and a black connector on the low pressure side. Any cars newer than 1995 should have R134. Where to begin with this one? There is no mention of exactly what a leak detection kit is or how to use it. Is a visible oil streak at a leaky joint “visible damages”? The number of connectors tells you nothing about the gas within. R-12 is still available, but you need certification to buy it. The writer does get a point for mentioning a retrofit done by a shop. Then we come to these gems Step 3: Check your Corolla Air Conditioning Pressure Use the air conditioning pressure gauge to see if your Corolla A/C needs to be recharged. Do not forget to turn the Corolla A/C on high / cold at the dash board controls so you get an accurate reading of the pressure. If the pressure is low, you will need to add the R134 to the Corolla’s A/C system. Step 4: Low Pressure Port The low pressure port is located under the hood usually close to the firewall. It will be attached to the A/C dryer and should have a black cap on it. Unscrew the cap and attach the hose on the can of R134 to the low pressure port. The hose is specific in size, so it is impossible to put it on the wrong fitting. Step 5: Add Freon To recharge the Corolla Freon, hold the can of R134 upside down and wait until the system empties the can. This could take up to 10 minutes so be patient. Errors, many! The procedure is wrong, and the last step is dangerous. With no reference to correct pressures, how would a DIY’er know what “low” is? There is not a whisper of determining system capacity or how to know what is enough. Holding the can upside down will introduce liquid refrigerant into the vapor part of the circuit, quite possibly causing severe (and sudden) damage. The remaining steps continue to admonish “checking the pressures” with no reference numbers given. Overall rating for info on this site: F. Nothing of value here for anybody and it includes poor science, poor English, and unsafe procedures. No wellintentioned owner could accomplish anything using this information. ❆ Reader Reply No. 6 18 ACTION • March / April 2012 http://www.carsdirect.com/toyota/corolla/maintenance/how-to-recharge-corolla-freon http://www.Carsdirect.com http://www.nostalgicairparts.com/ http://www.jeepair.com/ http://www.macsw.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=ACtion_Reader_Reply&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=8007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ACtion Magazine - March/April 2012

ACtion Magazine - March/April 2012
Contents
Outlook
InBin
Expansive Valve
Under the Southern Cross
Leonard's Law
Cooling Corner
Virtual View
News & Updates
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!
MACS Convention Technical Sessions
Association News
Classified
Quick Check
New Products & Services
Last Watch

ACtion Magazine - March/April 2012