2009 Accord AC recharge

[3800Series]

Looked at a few threads seeing a bit of different information, I was recharging my cars AC today (2009 Accord LX), been weak as of late. Car was low on freon so I hooked up my gauges.

I followed the R134a temp chart (temp being 93f at that time)
Ultimately I got about 32psi on the low pressure port, but reading 270-300psi on the high port. I decided to press on the gas a little, held it at about 2000rpm which gave a reading of 360psi from what I was told.

I'm not too familiar with this AC stuff I can't tell if this is high, low, or just right.

The R134a temp chart put me at an ideal of but I don't match either one on both sides

90°F (32°C)	45-55 psi / 310-379 kPa	250-270 psi / 1724-1862 kPa
95°F (35°C)	50-55 psi / 345-379 kPa	275-300 psi / 1896-2068 kPa

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, I wanted to measure out freon but I couldn't find a reliable source, 3 different sources gave my 3 different amounts of freon for the car with a ranging anywhere from 19oz-28oz so about 10oz margin of error all I know for certain is the high pressure shot up rapidly towards the end which is when I stopped.

Any advice from someone with a better idea of what's going on would be greatly appreciated!

 

[TurboTravis]

There should be a decal under the hood which indicates the correct amount of refringent to use.

 

[3800Series]

There should be a decal under the hood which indicates the correct amount of refringent to use.

I had looked, vehicle was purchased used, I couldn't locate the sticker.

 

[mattd]

Your best bet is to evacuate the system and recharge to the proper amount. If your fans are working it’s over charged with 360 on the high side

 

[3800Series]

Your best bet is to evacuate the system and recharge to the proper amount. If your fans are working it’s over charged with 360 on the high side

This was my first idea, however I couldn't locate consistent/accurate information online, with the sticker which is suppose to list it total capacity missing.

I know just enough about HVAC to understand I have little clue what is going on. My understanding suggests there is a partial blockage resulting in the low side sitting slightly low, and the high side sitting slightly high.

360psi was on at 2k rpm, I hadn't thought of checking the fans at the time. I do believe the system is probably overcharged however the system reads at level, or lower for the AC pressure chart when taking heat, and humidity into account.

Again I know just enough to screw something up, at this point I don't think I will be able to locate freon capacity as I've spent the past week searching online only to find every source contradicting one another. I can't base anything off this information so I choose to use the chart but I was never able to get the low pressure in range without the high pressure sitting at 270-300psi idling at/near operating temp.

 

[Chris142]

It's way overcharged. Spec is 19oz. Bring it to me I need lunch money for next week.

 

[3800Series]

It's way overcharged

I do believe so, however it would mean low pressure is seriously under spec which has me confused.

I stopped for the day, and I plan to measure static pressure in the morning to compare that reading, at this point I do believe it is overfilled however the low port alone never got near the R134a pressure chart which I tried to base this on.

 

[Chris142]

I do believe so, however it would mean low pressure is seriously under spec which has me confused.

I stopped for the day, and I plan to measure static pressure in the morning to compare that reading, at this point I do believe it is overfilled however the low port alone never got near the R134a pressure chart which I tried to base this on.

Static pressure don't mean a thing. It needs to be properly charged the we can start diagnosing it.

 

[3800Series]

Static pressure don't mean a thing. It needs to be properly charged the we can start diagnosing it.

No I get it, I just wants to use it as a further confirmation for myself I am trying too learn more. I do believe it is overfilled which is why I stopped when I did.

Even though it seemed to be in temp spec it didn't seem right to me as I wasn't able to build up proper pressure on the low line. I am happy though I invested in a set of gauges as a low reading alone would have resulted in a much worse situation.

Thank you for the time!

 

[Chris142]

I do believe so, however it would mean low pressure is seriously under spec which has me confused.

Most likely cause is a stuck expansion valve

 

[bullwinkle]

Or it has air in the system, which is not really compressible (condensable) and will cause very high head pressure & no cooling. Auto Zone should have a loaner vacuum pump, evacuate it for a few hours & weigh in the correct amount-if it doesn’t work then it’s expansion valve/orifice tube & dryer time.

 

[3800Series]

Or it has air in the system, which is not really compressible (condensable) and will cause very high head pressure & no cooling. Auto Zone should have a loaner vacuum pump, evacuate it for a few hours & weigh in the correct amount-if it doesn’t work then it’s expansion valve/orifice tube & dryer time.

Thank you!

 

[3800Series]

Alright, so I tested the static pressure of the system this morning, seemed a bit low at about 70psi for our 83f temp.

Hooking up my gauges I got a reading of about 25psi low pressure, and 200psi high pressure. Let the vehicle run for about 10 mins stayed constant, did check fans, they where both on.

Only conclusion is the system leaked over night, if anything it appears to be on the slightly low side if I understand this correctly.

 

[wlk]

When I bought my Element 2 yrs ago it came w a bottle of 134 to add, PO said he recharged it once a year. I had the same first readings you did on my Element, normal low side and high on high side too much air in system. I had it evacuated, leaks fixed, recharged and now psi is 34 on low and 215 on high side now. Schrader valves were the leaks

 

[zzyzzx]

When recharging a vehicle's AC I highly recommend having a thermometer in the center dash vent. If you don't want to pay shop rates to evac and refill on a regular basis (and I don't either) just take a guess and use your best judgement relying on pressure gauges and vent temp.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Looked at a few threads seeing a bit of different information, I was recharging my cars AC today (2009 Accord LX), been weak as of late. Car was low on freon so I hooked up my gauges.

I followed the R134a temp chart (temp being 93f at that time)
Ultimately I got about 32psi on the low pressure port, but reading 270-300psi on the high port. I decided to press on the gas a little, held it at about 2000rpm which gave a reading of 360psi from what I was told.

I'm not too familiar with this AC stuff I can't tell if this is high, low, or just right.

The R134a temp chart put me at an ideal of but I don't match either one on both sides

90°F (32°C)	45-55 psi / 310-379 kPa	250-270 psi / 1724-1862 kPa
95°F (35°C)	50-55 psi / 345-379 kPa	275-300 psi / 1896-2068 kPa

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, I wanted to measure out freon but I couldn't find a reliable source, 3 different sources gave my 3 different amounts of freon for the car with a ranging anywhere from 19oz-28oz so about 10oz margin of error all I know for certain is the high pressure shot up rapidly towards the end which is when I stopped.

Any advice from someone with a better idea of what's going on would be greatly appreciated!

Can you clarify how many ounces you put in? Also regarding the gages. The knobs at the gages must be in the closed position when you are testing the system. How did you load the cans? Did you go through the yellow hose or did you use a blue “loading” hose that typically comes with a kit.