Adding Freon Help

[cultheroes]

I've got the right side won't cool correctly thing going on my 01 X5. I have a kit to add freon. I was just wondering which one I hook it up to..the one with the red valve cover or the black valve cover. I know it has to be the low pressure hose.....and wanted to see which one it was. Thanks.

[Quicksilver]

If your asking this question, it is evident that you have not read the repair manual for your vehicle. I apologize in advance for not answering your question specifically. However may i please offer this suggestion from the EPA.

http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/609/recharge.html

When servicing automotive air-conditioning systems, vehicle owners generally have several options to recharge a/c systems with refrigerant. One option is to top-off your car's system with refrigerant, and another is to evacuate and recharge the system. Both of these options will provide cool air in the passenger compartment for some period of time. Neither service, however, involves permanently fixing the a/c system leaks that allowed refrigerant to escape resulting in a lack of cool air. You might therefore also choose to have any leaking components in your a/c system repaired or replaced.

By stopping the leak, you will prevent refrigerant from leaking into the atmosphere. The refrigerant in older vehicles is CFC-12 (also known as Freon, a brand name), which is no longer manufactured in the United States because it depletes the ozone layer. As nationwide supplies dwindle, it is becoming increasingly expensive to purchase CFC-12, so that fixing a leak may be more economical in the long run than continuing to purchase CFC-12. This document will provide answers to certain questions you might have about recharging your car with refrigerant during the course of a/c servicing.

[E5M1R]

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

If your asking this question, it is evident that you have not read the repair manual for your vehicle. I apologize in advance for not answering your question specifically. However may i please offer this suggestion from the EPA.

http://www.epa.gov/ozone/title6/609/recharge.html

When servicing automotive air-conditioning systems, vehicle owners generally have several options to recharge a/c systems with refrigerant. One option is to top-off your car's system with refrigerant, and another is to evacuate and recharge the system. Both of these options will provide cool air in the passenger compartment for some period of time. Neither service, however, involves permanently fixing the a/c system leaks that allowed refrigerant to escape resulting in a lack of cool air. You might therefore also choose to have any leaking components in your a/c system repaired or replaced.

By stopping the leak, you will prevent refrigerant from leaking into the atmosphere. The refrigerant in older vehicles is CFC-12 (also known as Freon, a brand name), which is no longer manufactured in the United States because it depletes the ozone layer. As nationwide supplies dwindle, it is becoming increasingly expensive to purchase CFC-12, so that fixing a leak may be more economical in the long run than continuing to purchase CFC-12. This document will provide answers to certain questions you might have about recharging your car with refrigerant during the course of a/c servicing.

Exactly what i was thinking, when i saw this topic, where did he get freon it has been forbiden for a while now

[01 BMW_X5]

Originally Posted by cultheroes

my 01 X5. I have a kit to add freon.

Originally Posted by E5M1R

Exactly what i was thinking, when i saw this topic, where did he get freon it has been forbiden for a while now.

I don't see where cultheroes has indicated that he is using R-12/CFC - still available at $28-$35 a pound.

He is just saying he has freon kit which is available at all parts stores. I don't believe that he would be using R12(manufacture banned in USA in 1994) in a system designed for R-134a. Switchover by car manufacturers should be right around that time. The valve fittings for the R-12 and R134a system are not the same. The only 2 original parts after a R-134a retrofit is the evaporator and the condensor.

I had reason to call the EPA a long time ago, when I witnessed in a dispute an HVAC tech, evacuate a neighbor's entire system to the atmosphere. EPA agent that fielded the call wasn't in the least bit interested.
So much for protecting the enviroment.

[E5M1R]

Originally Posted by 01 BMW_X5

I don't see where cultheroes has indicated that he is using R-12/CFC - still available at $28-$35 a pound.

He is just saying he has freon kit which is available at all parts stores. I don't believe that he would be using R12(manufacture banned in USA in 1994) in a system designed for R-134a. Switchover by car manufacturers should be right around that time. The valve fittings for the R-12 and R134a system are not the same. The only 2 original parts after a R-134a retrofit is the evaporator and the condensor.

I had reason to call the EPA a long time ago, when I witnessed in a dispute an HVAC tech, evacuate a neighbor's entire system to the atmosphere. EPA agent that fielded the call wasn't in the least bit interested.
So much for protecting the enviroment.

Wel topic says ad freon, anywas sorry my bad...
If you can hold on to monday i can ask my SA about whitch one to use

About EPA, if it was here i bet it would have been on eavning news

[01 BMW_X5]

Freon is brand name but in "shop speak" "add freon/needs freon/low on freon" is still used.

[upallnight]

Originally Posted by 01 BMW_X5

Freon is brand name but in "shop speak" "add freon/needs freon/low on freon" is still used.

We call it refrigerant. Text books on ac system refer to it as refrigerant Not freon.

[David.X5]

Its a teachable moment. A lot of people still call all refrigerants Freon and that's OK with me, just as long as they don't go around calling every plain old table tennis game "ping-pong". That one really chaps my a---.

On my 2001 4.4i - the red cap is the high pressure side. But, you can't always go by the cap color as it is not standardized. I've been tinkering on a Mini Cooper S this week and both caps are black.

On the E53 4.4i, the low pressure valve is in the line between the engine block and the passenger strut tower. The high pressure valve is close to the radiator.

The good news is that they are not interchangeable sizes - For a 134A system, the high pressure quick connect is the larger one. The low pressure quick connect is the smaller one. You fill from the low pressure one.

The catch is that BMW made it hard to fill correctly - some systems can be filled by pressure and so a cheap fill kit with a pressure gauge will get you close enough if you know the pressure to look for (which depends on the outside temperature and humidity). For these cars, BMW specifies a fill by weight, but there is no way to know what is currently in the system unless you pump whatever is in there out (recover it, don't vent it) and then fill it to the correct weight. In theory, you can get a shop to do the recovery for you, and fill it yourself, but good luck finding one that will.

Its been a few years since I took my EPA test (I did), but I believe it remains legal to top off a system leaking up to 15% a year. May not be the greenest thing, but there is no requirement (and no such thing) as perfectly sealed system if you have rubber hoses and rubber o-rings (which they all do). The refrigerant will diffuse through the rubber at some slow rate, even when everything is working as designed.

[Quicksilver]

The point in posting the EPA article was to highlight the need to have the system properly tested rather than just adding "freon" or whatever one wants to call it.

The process of "topping off can be a simple one but if the system needs more "freon" that means there may be a leak. If there's a leak then just topping off is not the answer and one would be throwing money away.

[Zulu95]

System needs R134a and holds 1lb total. If you need some then first check the service port seals as they go bad.
I would advise a professional HVAC service facility as they can evac./recharge and add the proper oil.
If you allow moisture into the system it will fail and cost MUCH more to repair.
Your choice.