This is a demonstration on how to overcharge an AC system, by ignoring the output temp and topping off anyway. If an AC blows cold no further work is needed.

A fundamental omission here is that pressure is directly related to temperature. To check static pressure, that is, with the engine off, you need to take proper account of the ambient temperature (outside temp or garage temp etc). The engine should be off for several hours to cool and to allow the pressure to equalise between the high and low side of the AC system. Then connect your guage and for 20C ambient temperature the pressure should be 65-70psi, for 25C the pressure should be 80-85psi, for 30C it should be 95-100psi.

I thought it's click bait, but thank God I watched it! I was buying the same gauge! Now I am buying a better one. Thank you very much!

Without connecting gauges or taking your car to the garage run the A/C for about 10-15 minutes. Open the bonnet and check the LP pipe (the large diameter pipe) that’s returning gas back to the compressor is sweating. This usually means the AC is working properly. Also make sure you use the AC at least once a month to keep all seals lubricated with refrigerant oil that’s in the system.

For the cost of the kit you might as well go to a garage where they will run an automated test and if it passes , evacuate the system and refill it . If aircon isn’t working , there’s a fair chance it’s leaked anyway .

Was looking for a vid on how to do this luckily I had bought the new one you recommended. Followed the advice and fingers crossed so far so good. Great vid.

Don’t know why you recharged your system when it was taking the temp down to 9deg in the first? It was working perfectly well and wasn’t needing charging.

Thanks for posting and highlighting the issues you had, brought the gauge and gas you recommended and did my sons C1, air con back working now

ive used these disposable kits before (they used to be like £7 for the hose and used to get 4 cans of r134 substitute for £15 lol) i only use them when the aircon clutch doesnt engage as theres a sensor that wont allow the clutch to kick in if too low , just top it up until the clutch kicks in and stop filling - dont even need to use the gauge tbh just stop filling one clutch clicks in.

before topping up you need to make note of the ambient temp (weather outside temp) because this effects what the lowside psi should be .... examples below. 18 deg = 25-35psi 21 deg = 35-40psi 24 deg = 35-45psi 27 deg = 40-50psi 29 deg = 45-55psi 32 deg = 45-55psi any hotter = 50-55psi max

Should run the air con occasionally even in winter in order to circulate the gas and lubricant and stop the seals from drying out.

Thankyou for the video .. informative as always. Keep them coming pal 👍

heck...stop letting it out to atmosphere....its a terrible greenhouse gas that sits in the atmosphere for years....that's assuming it is r134 in that can. i use to do refrigerators many years ago (R12 days) and we were told u must collect it not release to atmosphere(im sure they said its illegal) unlike r600 which we used to throw out the window😅 the best kits ive used is the STP or A/C PRO ones, the digital gauge is very accurate and informative if your new to car AC, even tells you to stop pressing the trigger when filled as well as an actual pressure readout... its expensive but works out cheaper when you next need to do it.. trust me u will after a few years ive also found that its proper r134 and not some stupid pretend mixture.

Great video, thank you. stopped me blowing up my van! Cheers

Thank you for the vid, really good info and amazing warning against buying that combo kit.

Make sure the hose you are using clicks securely in place on the low pressure port. If you don't hear a distinct click it may not be connected properly or you may have a faulty hose. I wasted a can of gas a couple of month back in June as the hose kept popping off. Bought a new hose and kept going until I heard a distinct click and this time all worked

Very lucky there mate but great video as usual keep em coming 👍❄❄❄

I used a groupon code for my local ATS to do it - recommend rather than these kits - it cost £35 last year. These Amazon/EBay kits don’t actually use the correct refrigerant, they don’t have the PAG oil, don’t vacuum and test your system and don’t give the required measured dose.

I have used these kits if the system is very low, ie blowing hot very successfully. Even then they don't take much to top up. For small tops up I would take to a garage as you need far more accurate gauges.

This is not a DIY or Halfords job imo. Can a pressure gauge be used as an effective substitute for a scale? Does every car operate at the same pressure? Can we tell if there is a leak in the system? How do we know if there is enough pag oil in the system? No UV dye is being added. Not to mention the safety risk. Should be wearing goggles & thick rubber gloves. The tree huggers would have a fit if they saw you letting that gas into the atmosphere.

I have used one of those kits recently, the gauge works correctly if you turn the can upright and open the valve. Do not drain the whole content all at once, check the level of refrigerant 3-4 times and stop when needle reaches 90% of the blue region which that indicates the level is correct without overfilling the system and not being required to release gas into atmosphere. Gloves and safety glasses must be worn.

Very instructive. Thank you.

LOL , it was a good vid , most don't show what can go wrong trying this , some tech errors that are great for winding up the commenters 😄👍

Many thanks for the video Anton, I may try this method next time I require a re-gas for my daughter’s Aygo 🤔

Those cans aren't proper R134a they are a propane equivalent..... it works well but its incredibly flamable. Youve done the equivalent of making your car an NCAP 0 by using it as a front end collision and you could set the whole car on fire, lets hope nobody's stuck inside, sometimes the pretensioners lock up pretty tight and get stuck. If you want a DIY kit AC pro is the only genuine one im aware of, but at £80ish you may as well just find a deal and get a garage refill.

Thanks very much for posting this 😁👍🙏☺️🙂😀😄😃

You need to onlymelt about. One little hiss of gas at a time in, and then leave it for a minute to stabilise Then another hiss etc repeat Anywya

Actually working now, thanks for that 👍

Firstly, 134a is NOT environmentally friendly, it is better than the older refrigerants but still should not be released into the atmosphere. Secondly, how cold do you want your aircon to be? 9.5 degrees is easily cold enough any colder and it would start to freeze in the evaporator.

Very useful video. Thanks.

Well done frank that sunshine never felt as hot 🥵 ozone 0 frank 1 😂

Somewhere on the engine frame should be a chart telling you by weight how much gas you should fill. Plus amount of oil for lubrication. Much better to remove all the gas with a vacuum pump and then fill by weight, put can on kitchen scales while filling. Small car like that probably only holds a can for the entire system. better to replace all gas than mix with old.!

Thanks for another great video, can you reuse the can of gas or is it a one use only?

That was very useful indeed.

I got a quote from quick fit for £129.95 for my dacia duster air con 😢

Great video , thanks

I have just bought some of this stuff, there is no info on the can as to what is in the can, it states highly flammable , R134a is not, it doesn't have a self seal valve and it made my compressor make some funny noises. needless to say I have replaced it with pure R134A. It did make the cab cold though.

thanks mate

Thank you for that, found it very interesting. An over gassed air con system could cause multiple engine issues?

Are you sure you wanted to be holding the can upside down like that? At a guess it filled with refridgerant as liquid and that's what trashed the gauge.

Sorry, but when you hooked up the charging hose, we did not see you purge the hose first. It looks like you just shot a hose full of air into your charging system. The only fix for this is to draw a vacuum on the system and refill properly.

I got the same kit , it didn't fit my vauxhall astra ....£45 in the bin...the amazon supplier laughed at me 😢

Same problem with mine to. Gage show low all the time…

is that hunting on /off a typical symptom of too much gas? our mk1 focus does that with a/c and ive never been able to fix it

You're a g mate thanks

I just did job a while ago and I don’t know if i did it right or not !! The Engine on and AC on i got it alittel bit above the green limit , when the AC is off and Engine still on i got it at the end of the yellow alert ! So did i made a problem or is it still good ? However it didn’t get enough cold it was just a very little cold !! So i am really confused now …

Great channel been following and watching a couple of years now, on a new topic, do you know were the Bluetooth module is located inside the Aygo. Thanks Nigel

Cheers. 👍

I did buy a very similar kit and although I did my best and made the system functional again, the gas started to leak out within days. There is far more to AC system refills then a DIY kit and a gauge. I had a specialist carry out an inspection on the car and found that the condenser was on its last legs. The moral of the story is: hire a professional to inspect and refill the system to prevent your car from more expensive repairs. I do not recommend trying this at home!

those cans don't even contain R134a, they are a blend of refrigerants that are flammable hope you don't have an accident and a car fire mate.

The new gauge you got is for r123yf only

Good grief...disaster averted! Digital gauge needed...i really don't trust the manual type... Have a foot pump with the gauge in the video...ok for bicycle tyres as you can broadly tell by the tyre...but my word...my heart was in my mouth when i heard the engine clunking. Hope the little car is ticking along ok now...

thanks for realising all that gas to the atmosphere, very smart. It is illegal

I'm surprised the car didn't levitate😂

Halfords sell a gauge (stp) for £19:99.

I can't find any reference to a 'single use' pressure gauges - are you sure that was the root cause of your problem?

The engine has to be running to get a reading

Shouldn't it only be in green section when ac is on? What's purple etc?

Hi! It happened to me the same thing! After I release the gas and having the right pressure, I notice that I get cold air but the compressor it is going on/off in intervals of 10-20 seconds. Is it normal? I can see the load on the engine in the rpm indicator as well. I do not know if it was before the same. Thank you!

Isn't releasing those gasses illegal

i bought the kit,,repair and top up and the gauge works fine for me no probs at all

Why fill to red? Not to much?

Well saved ❕did it affect the revs at first ?

Please update the links to the hardware

The gauge is showing filled as soon as he plugs it in.

It is sold out! Difficult to find it.

any idea why my aircon goes empty/hot within 24 hrs of being re-filled and makes a hissing sound when on? is the radiator punctured by a pebble or something, or is one of the lines broken somehow? i already got scammed by 2 different shops who didnt fix it. can i/how can i diagnose the leak myself and maybe fix it? thanks!

nice one 👏 can i use on bmw f30 gas and the gauge thank you

Just spend the extra money and have it done properly ! 🥴

where did you get gun to measure a/c

It did not need recharging, by the way you doing wrong way, that is why you get wrong results

This is not R134A it is a hydrocarbon gas that’s flammable and does the same job

Someone did there research !

Pretty sure you aren’t allowed to do this in the Uk

Should have purged air from tubing

How can you get a 1 hit gauge just doesn't make sense?

Groupon do an offer, £45 any car, done professionally by a reputable nataionwide garage group.... no brainer

Ah great, I nice new hole in the ozone, thanks for that!

Shit, am I glad I watched this as I was in need of a good laugh, don't think I've seen someone do so many things wrong in one video in all my days, what a moose🤣🤣🤣

You shouldn't hold the can upside down.

No PPE! 20,000 grand fine for deliberately venting to the atmosphere! i had some goon come to me he had 3 kilos of refrigerant in a 750 gram system.....absolutely no clue you people.....take it to someone who knows (not a tyre shop or half--ds).

Kwik Fit only charge £25 .....

Interesting not wearing glasses or gloves, oh well

No gloves no safety glasses

👍

R134A IS the old not environmentally friendly stuff.

You're morally bankrupt for releasing all of that coolant into the atmosphere

Venting that gas to atmosphere is highly illegal

There's no sust thing as topping up it's ment to be regased the old recycled and replaced waisted your money

So for the sake of making a video you almost buggered your car, "sad".

This is the worst advice I have ever seen... you may be able to detect an extreme shortage of gas on the low side of the AC with a gauge. But, the amount of gas in the system is measured in grams, not PSI, you are meant to refill the system with the specified weight of refrigerant. If the system is empty then fill with the manufacturers specified amount of refrigerant, if there is already some in the system, never just add another can... it's very hard to determine how much using low side gauge will be subject to over-filling. Good luck.

Citybug is a horrible example of a human being, a true scam artist.

For that gas you just released youre car has polluted the same amount as driving 20.000 miles. And you riskt damage the airco pump, this is plane stupid!! Go next time to a specialist it's cheaper....

When you take the readings the car NEEDS to be running and the AC on.

I would not be making an honest decent living if it was not for manufacturing industries producing goods such as this! Please do not place any product with leak stop in your system! It is designed to fill holes (Temporarily)! Leak stop will restrict and potentially damage your A/C system! If you embark on this procedure please check the can! If I get any wind of anything such as leak stop being utilised (Chalky or gooey substance at the service couplers) my equipment will not even go on the vehicle! Inverting the can in this video with engine running is liquid charging which is absolutely screaming out for big problems! A BIG NO! NO!… You will flood the compressor(Slugging)! A compressor will not compress liquid! I have seen compressors launched across the driveway due to this practice! Use due diligence and research! Oh!…Don’t get caught out expelling any Refrigerant gases in to the atmosphere! Prison time or a hefty fine! F-Gas laws are in place for a reason! The A/C system requires full evacuation of the contents… Pressure testing prior to recharging (You are attempting a recharge for a reason I assume)?… At least a 30 minute vacuum of the system to remove all moisture.. New lubricant (Leak dye etc)… Once all checks are complete then a system recharge can be attempted… Ensuring all system pressures and components (Compressor etc) are satisfactory… System checked post recharge and signed off!

Why does the system need re-gassing when it cools down to 9.2°? At that temperature it doesn't need degassing. You just wasted £63!