Regulatory parameters for the pressure of the air conditioner in the car
Content
To check the pressure level in the air conditioning pipes in the car on your own, in addition to the manometric station with hoses and pipes, you will also need adapters.
What should be the pressure in the car's air conditioner when refueling and how to refuel it correctly are interested in inexperienced car owners. It is not difficult to do this, you just need to take into account some nuances.
Regulatory parameters of pressure in the air conditioner
To fill the air conditioner, you need to know its volume of freon, since each car model has its own oil and refrigerant consumption and there are no uniform regulatory parameters for refueling. You can find out the parameters from the service plate, which is attached under the hood of the machine, by looking at the technical description or reading it on the Internet. For passenger cars, the approximate volume may be as follows:
- small cars - from 350 to 500 g of refrigerant;
- having 1 evaporator - from 550 to 700 g;
- models with 2 evaporators - from 900 to 1200 g.
Refueling the air conditioner in the car with your own hands
The norms for refueling air conditioning pressure in a car are known at the service center.
Pressure in the car air conditioner: high, low, normal
The air conditioning system in a car is not easy. How pressure affects the operation of the air conditioner:
- Freon circulates in a closed circuit, which is why cooling occurs. During operation of the air conditioner, its pressure changes.
- Freon, in liquid form, enters the heat exchanger with a fan, where its pressure decreases, it boils. Evaporation and cooling of the car interior.
- The compressor and condenser are filled with gas, which enters there through copper pipes. The gas pressure increases.
- Freon again becomes liquid and the heat of the car dealership goes outside. At the final stage, the pressure of the substance decreases, it absorbs heat.
Measurement of pressure in the tubes of a car air conditioner
The optimal pressure in the tubes of the car's air conditioner, at which it will work effectively, is 250-290 kPa.
How can pressure be checked?
A special device called a manometric station will help determine the pressure in the auto air conditioner tube. You can do the verification yourself. If the pressure level is elevated, then the air conditioning system is not working properly. The service station will be able to determine the cause of the breakdown.
Elements responsible for the level of pressure
The pressure in the car's air conditioner during refueling is monitored by sensors. They work according to a simple principle:
- as soon as the pressure in the circuit rises high, a sensor is activated that signals the control system to turn off or turn on the pump;
- the high pressure sensor is triggered when the pressure in the auto air conditioner tube reaches 30 bar, and the low pressure sensor is 0,17 bar.
Air conditioning pressure sensor in a car
These elements often require replacement, as they become dirty, corroded and worn out over time.
Do-it-yourself pressure level diagnostics
To check the pressure level in the air conditioning pipes in the car on your own, in addition to the manometric station with hoses and pipes, you will also need adapters. They are of 2 types: for firmware and for pushing. Better and more reliable is the adapter for pushing. It is selected in accordance with the fluid used in the system. Diagnosis of pressure in the tubes of an automobile air conditioner is carried out after preparing all the tools:
- First, an adapter is connected to the hose of the manometric station. Then it is installed on the highway, after unscrewing the plug from it. To prevent dirt from entering the line, it is recommended to thoroughly clean the place where the plug was before installation.
- Next, you need to unscrew one of the taps located at the manometric station. The second tap must be closed, otherwise the freon will start to flow out.
- Diagnostics is performed with the engine running, so the car must be started. The norm is an indicator from 250 to 290 kPa. If the value is lower, the system needs to be refueled, most likely there is not enough freon, if it began to rise, then no. The compressor can break down at high pressure when refueling the car's air conditioner. It will just get stuck.
- To refuel the system, you need to purchase a can of liquid. It is selected depending on the year of manufacture and model of the vehicle. The brand of freon must also correspond to the previous one. Otherwise, you can completely break the unit if you mix different liquids.
Connecting the manometric station to the air conditioner
- Refueling is done according to the principle of diagnostics. The manometric station is connected to the main line. But here, a second line is connected to the liquid cylinder.
- The motor is turned on at 2000 idle. The air conditioner is adjusted with the engine running. Since it is difficult to do this alone, it is worth asking someone to hold the gas pedal.
- The air conditioner is started in recirculation mode, the temperature is reduced to a minimum. In order for the system to start refueling, the valve at the station is unscrewed. The pressure in the car's air conditioner should stabilize when refueling. This will be seen by the arrow on the sensor.
- The car should not be under the sun. Otherwise, the compression unit will heat up, causing the needle to oscillate. It will be impossible to determine in this way the correct pressure level when refueling the car's air conditioner, therefore it is recommended to do the work under a canopy.
- At the end, the valves at the station are closed, and the branch pipes are disconnected. If the pressure in the conder drops, there may be a leak somewhere.
Determining the exact amount of refrigerant to top up the system is difficult, so some auto repairers are cautious about this. And it is recommended to add oil, as well as dye.
