When I swapped I put in the JDM A/C too. Obviously it was empty when I put it in. I just charged it up with a bottle of R-134a and the Low side pressure is above 25 psi. The low side hose feels cold, but the air is blowing out hot. A/C button is on, max fan, max cold, but the air is hot. Like heater hot, not just outside air luke warm. What's the deal?

Probably not the best forum for this, you should try mantainence. Is it cold for a minute and then hot, or just always hot? Also, when you press the button does the compressor kick on? If it's cold for a minute and then gets hot, then it might be the expansion valve.

Compressor is working. The air is constantly hot.

Heater locked in the open position maybe?

why jdm ac?

put a gauge to it and check the high side and low side readings while the system is on. doing it by feel may not be the best way... did you evac and vaccum the system? was there any oil in the system?

why jdm ac?

RHD
45

put a gauge to it and check the high side and low side readings while the system is on. doing it by feel may not be the best way... did you evac and vaccum the system? was there any oil in the system?

Not sure what you mean by "feel." The gauge read a little above 25 psi on the low side, but I thought you weren't supposed to touch the high side. I had to drain and pull apart the system to get it from one car to another. I don't know if there was any oil in it.

You cant just put a bottle in and hope it works. Your a/c system requires a specific amount of refridgerant to work properly.

Are you sure you put the right amount in?

how long was your A/C system open to the atmosophere, if the desicant in the reciever drier was exposed to the atmosphere for more than 20 minutes it will soak up enough moisture to hinder the performance of the A/C

Also the system needs to be evacuated properly for at least 20 minutes when the system has been exposed to the atmosphere to boil any moisture that may remain in the system while being serviced.

Oil? your a/c system requires a certain amount of oil as well that will need to be added back to the system.

just a few things.. First thing would to be..make sure you put the right amount of r134a in there.

Jay

also the low side pressure shouldnt just sit at 25psi. Is the compressor continuesly running? does it shut off?

the low side pressure can be pretty much compared to the evaporator core tempeture. 25psi would = about 25 degrees, and well at that temp the evap core will freeze over and you will get hot air out of the vents.

You a/c compressore should be cyling OFF when the pressure comes down to around 25-35 psi, I cant give you an exact number. The pressure should then climb to maybe around 60-70 psi at wich time the compressor should kick back on and bring the pressure back down to around 25-35 psi, and so on and so forth.

Never touch the high side, if its working properly you could be serverly burned.

Jay

You make it sound much more complicated than the story the bottle told me. It just said turn on the car, turn it to max a/c, fill it up until the low side is between 25 and 45 psi. I'm not sure what/where the desicant is, so I suppose there's a possibility it was exposed for more than 20 minutes. How do I replace it? How does one evacuate the system? Where do you get a/c oil?

Of course that's all it says on the bottle, they want you to buy their pre-packaged refrigerant instead of taking it to a shop.
Proper AC servicing requires knowledge and equipment that the average owner or do-it-yourselfer does not have. Prior to filling a system that has been empty it should be evacuated as Jay said. The pressure then has to be monitored as it is filled using a set of manifold gauges that accurately read both the low and high side pressures. Having the correct amount of charge is more critical on R134 systems than it was with R12.
The dessicant is located inside the receiver-dryer unit, which is what must be replaced if the system has been open for a while. You can't replace the actual dessicant. On newer Subarus the dryer is part of the condenser, not sure about yours.
If the air is blowing hot vs. warm as you said I'd also check the HVAC controls for a problem with the mode and temp cables, something could be stuck.

are you using all JDM parts(AC, ECU, harness, etc.) ? i was interested in finding out if i used a combination of US and JDM parts would i f**k it up by feeding too much voltage. i can't find what the system references voltage wise 5,7.5,12? and i didn't want trouble. if you are using all JDM parts go to an AC shop. its easier if you haven't any AC tools(recycler, gas, scale, etc.) at your disposal. i'll do it for free if you're in the are. i reclaimed freon from my L and my STI clip, so i'm i systems worth to the good. and at $400 a tank, i'm happy as s**t! --keith

Damn. Screw it, no A/C for me.

Ok so if this isn't a DIY project, how much are we talking at an A/C shop? I know it varies by area, but how about a ballpark figure? $30 or $300?

Only the shop can tell you that once they have a diagnosis. It depends on whether it's something simple and cheap or something expensive. The JDM-ness may complicate things as well, if you need parts that aren't common to the US models.

kind of sounds like your Blend Door might be bad :confused:

You make it sound much more complicated than the story the bottle told me. It just said turn on the car, turn it to max a/c, fill it up until the low side is between 25 and 45 psi. I'm not sure what/where the desicant is, so I suppose there's a possibility it was exposed for more than 20 minutes. How do I replace it? How does one evacuate the system? Where do you get a/c oil?

yea man any refrigerant left out too long it will absorb moisture like a sponge

kind of sounds like your Blend Door might be bad :confused:

MAybe, but I don't know how to find out without taking the dash apart, which I don't like.

you need to have the system completely evacuated and vacuumed. if you just charged it with atmosphere pressure in there chances are you didn't get nearly enough refridgerant in there. w/o a high side pressure reading it's almost impossibe to diagnose but as jay said, your low side is right in the ballpark of where it should be at. You are sure your blend door is moving to cold air flor correct?

MAybe, but I don't know how to find out without taking the dash apart, which I don't like.

only one way to find out :D

I explained my situation to the firestone guy and he gave me an estimate of $340.34 for the job. It brakes down as an hour of labor to evacuate and recharge the system, 82.50 for the R134 (22oz at 3.75 ea) 108.52 for a new drier and a half hour to install that. Does that sound about right? Seems like big money for R134. Does anyone have a picture of the drier?

PS I checked the blend door and it was indeed not responding. Turns out I didn't plug it in (it's way under there, so a normal visual inspection wouldn't catch it.) I found the plug and hooked it up and hopefully tomorrow I can at least blow less hot air.

sounds about right, refridgerant price is high but not knock your socks off high

A 12-oz can of R134A still retails for under $10. On eBay, a case of 12 goes for around $50.
The Firestone shop seems costlier than a dealer, although you should go with the one you trust to do the work right.

Well, the A/C seems to be doing its job. I don't know if it could be colder, or more efficient, but there's definitely colder air coming out with the a/c button on than off. The low pressure is still at 25psi and doesn't change whether the compressor is on or off. I guess the drier is still ok?

Well, the A/C seems to be doing its job. I don't know if it could be colder, or more efficient, but there's definitely colder air coming out with the a/c button on than off. The low pressure is still at 25psi and doesn't change whether the compressor is on or off. I guess the drier is still ok?
looks okay to me, might be a bit low on refridgerant but i think you are okay.


AVK: yes refridgerant is cheap in a can, the problem is you never know exactly how much you put in the system. you need to get the proper amount in there to get the correct cooling. And IIRC soon only certified techs will only be allowed to purchase R134a just like R-12 and R-22