348 AC Charging Ports

You would be right there!

 

In all honesty, I wouldnt bother. If you only need the a/c system to get the to the national meet then I would just throw it on, inspect that TX valve and be on your way.

Once the drier is open to atmosphere, it is never really the same again. You can cook it, but not as good as replacing it obviously.

Either way, if you still want to cook it. Remove from the oven and let it sit for a minute or two to cool down. There will always be moisture in the system till you vac the system down Jim.

I say get it going and fix it properly when you come home.

The TX valve is circled in white. 5 min job.
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If you are going to cook it, then be ready to plug the holes up on it when you take it out of the heat. This will keep moisture from getting in while it is cooling down. You can use either rubber plugs or caps or even masking tape if nothing else. Anything is better than just leaving it open.

 

3 cans should be plenty. You will not use that much but you may need just over 2. Remember that you go off of the pressures more with r134a than you do with r12.

Take a look at the 348 primer for A/C info if you have not already.

http://www.my348.com/348.html#AirConditioning

 

Just a note: My F355 with 5K track miles and 60K road miles on the clock had been clogging up the expansion valve about once a year for 5 years in a row. I had the A/C pump rebuilt and presto, no issues over 2.5 years now, and counting. Apparently the seals on the A/C pump can become Frapéed with long runs at redline. The frapéed material will end up migrating through the system until they reach the expansion valve and clog it up.

 

great information, I have a '96 F355 Spider, how do I tell if I have r134a or r12? My A/c full on barely cools the cabin.

Thanks for the help.

 

950-1000g of R134A.

No sorry. I guess you can remove and take it to a/c specialist to try and match up. If you find a matching part for $20................please let us all know.

Yes sir, any debris in the a/c system can get stuck in the orifices of the tx valve and block it up or cause it to stick.

When we replace compressors, we fit new driers and tx valves also. That is the proper way to do it.

Perhaps look for a sticker in the engine bay somewhere mate stating R12. If the a/c has been serviced outside of the dealer at some point, you would think they would place one of their "service" stickers somewhere there. Maybe near the charging ports?

Also, sounds like it may be low on gas if it barely cools the cabin. Time to put some gauges on your a/c me thinks.

 

I actually assumed he looked at them and doesnt know the difference between them which is why he asked how to tell what is in his a/c system.

Yes they are different. You can actually buy adapters that screw over the R12 fittings to "convert" it to R134A fittings.

I have put R134A into an empty R12 system by "modifying" the hoses/ports to suit the R134A gauges. I didnt have the said adapters that day to make my life easy.

That paticular a/c stopped working 20 yrs ago. I replaced leaking orings on the adapter plates for the fittings that bolt onto the compressor. Filled with R134A with 100 ml of oil and it started to work again.

That was over 12 months ago and I saw the owner a few months ago and he said it was still nice and cold.

 

all 96 and up have R143a, the change was made mid 95 as my late production 95 Spider had 134a from the factory

 

So, my question is how do I know if I am running R12 or R134a? Have always had it refilled and serviced at Blackhorse but since I do not live that close anymore I would like to do it myself. Is there a way to know before I screw this up I own a 1991 348ts.

 

They are different size fill ports, if they went 134 it will have click on fittings, r12 was screw on

 

Driers are cheap and they also act as a filter as they have a metal mesh screen on the inlet side, usually over the top of the granuals. Your expansion valve might block up if you have dirt in the system but the drier should have removed it, as it is before the expansion valve in the liquid line. So you either have a very old drier where the granuals are passing down the line or it is not working and you have somehow got moisture in the system. Waste of time putting drier in the oven when they are so cheap and you know it is good.
In regard to the high pressure, check that the condenser fan is running or it will just build the pressure up until the hp safety switch stops the compressor. I have never seen an expansion valve block up

 

Drier with switch, £82 , so about 110 us

 

Thank you for clarifying this for me, I will be looking into it this weekend! The joy's of Southern California weather we should hit slightly over 100 degrees this weekend!