Sealing adapter on RV2

[Some Car Guy]

My ac worked good for about 300 miles. R134. This week it went blowing warm. Luckily we put dye in with the charge. I didn’t think to fool with the old r12 adapter when I resealed the entire rest of the system.

Does this place have an o ring? Should I just install a plug and eliminate the whole thing? What would I seal the threads with?

while this seems to be the smoking gun, I do see a small amount on both threads of the drier I installed. It got same green o rings and oil that came with o ring kit as rest of connections. I’m assuming I need to do another new drier as part of this round of repair. What should I do differently this time?

 

[Demonic]

There's a Schrader core replacer tool. Any good commercial HVAC tech will have one. The cap actually should have a copper flare washer under it. Snug up the dryer fitting and see if ti stops leaking.

RealTorque® Core Removal Tools - Yellow Jacket HVAC Supplies and Products

The YELLOW JACKET® RealTorque® Core Removal Tool is essential for effectively removing and replacing HVAC/R system Schrader cores.

yellowjacket.com

 

[Some Car Guy]

I can try to tighten the drier up, but I think it’s already cinched well. I kinda worried about leaks with this being my first try and made sure to double check all. I think it’s strange it’s on bath sides of it equally and no other spots show even a hint of dye.

so that’s a Schrader under there? I used to have a tool for tire valves, is it some special version for this?

 

[multimopes]

There are types of these Schrader tools that allow you to change the Schrader without blowing the charge! Not sure if the one pictured is that type or not, I think it is. You can probably buy one at most automotive stores or even Harbor Freight! They are not expensive. Good luck. I used mine a couple of times and it makes easy quick work of the task. A good tool to have on hand!

 

[Some Car Guy]

Interesting. Thanks guys.

 

[Some Car Guy]

Bad news. Guy with the shop that charged it has disappeared.

worse is the other local shop I sue when I can’t get to something says there is no way to change valve without losing charge. Actually laughed at this. I didn’t push the owner as they are a good resource and it’s Not worth making a fuss so I left out I had a source for tool.

 

[Some Car Guy]

I’m going to see about getting a tool and doing it myself. That puts me doing a recharge with an Autozone can I suppose.

is this d shaped thing what is expected? Will I be able to get the core out or will it have to be completely pulled and changed? I was going to ask the yellow jacket people, but they’ve told me to find a distributor. This is proving harder than it looks and I bet the counter people won’t know.

 

[Some Car Guy]

After several calls I found that I can get a Navac brand with both size tools for 60 bucks. I guess that‘d be a good tool for one or two uses. Appion brand is 82 each size.

 

[Some Car Guy]

Or would this one fit? Are 134 valves different than one for r12 originally?

Amazon product ASIN B0BZP97P7K

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Amazon product ASIN B07T1PBD6T

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Bad news. Guy with the shop that charged it has disappeared.

worse is the other local shop I sue when I can’t get to something says there is no way to change valve without losing charge. Actually laughed at this. I didn’t push the owner as they are a good resource and it’s Not worth making a fuss so I left out I had a source for tool.

Sue??? LOL.. Buy the tool from Amazon & when your done with it give it to the guy at the shop... He'll appreciate it & actually have a use for it... And maybe he'll realize he's not the final word on knowing everything..

 

[Some Car Guy]

Thanks. Maybe I really should just sue him this time.

 

[Demonic]

Ah crud. Your pic in post 7 - the fitting got whacked at some point. That 1/4" flare should be round, concentric. So, if your mechanic meant to change out the entire 1/8"npt x 1/4" flare fitting, he was correct. If it was mine, I might try to CAREFULLY use a rounded end punch on the inside, bearing in mind it would be likely to whack the schrader core. The flare cap should have a copper flare gasket added. But it might be a source of troubble, as I think the cap is unlikely to seal unless it can be brought back into shape.

You need to find a buddy that does commercial HVAC. Any good mechanic will have a core removal tool.

And nitrogen for pressure testing, maybe a 134a recovery cylinder.

 

[Some Car Guy]

Ah crud. Your pic in post 7 - the fitting got whacked at some point. That 1/4" flare should be round, concentric. So, if your mechanic meant to change out the entire 1/8"npt x 1/4" flare fitting, he was correct. If it was mine, I might try to CAREFULLY use a rounded end punch on the inside, bearing in mind it would be likely to whack the schrader core. The flare cap should have a copper flare gasket added. But it might be a source of troubble, as I think the cap is unlikely to seal unless it can be brought back into shape.

You need to find a buddy that does commercial HVAC. Any good mechanic will have a core removal tool.

And nitrogen for pressure testing, maybe a 134a recovery cylinder.

The one guy at the other shop didn’t know more than we need a core tool. I have one coming. I’ll try to straighten it a bit and give it a go. Napa didn’t have the entire valve housing deal, only the core and caps as a kit.

what it has is a brass or copper cap, no washer. It held -29.1 vacuum for over half an hour, the machine was a snap on. It did the vacuum, then some other thing for about five minutes. Then we charged it. It held for 300-350 miles of use.

id love to talk to the guy again that helped me on this. He has nitrogen tester. He’s also MIA. Totally disappeared.

The only other place I found dye was on the drier, I tightened it up a very minor amount. I was really surprised to see anything there and not any other fittings as I went over them all twice or three times even since I was nervous for this being the first ac work I did.

 

[Some Car Guy]

If I can’t get the core replaced, can I just get a plug when the system is evacuate? Would I even need a schrader at all? Would get rid of future leaks. Guess it also depends on the threads and how they would need to be sealed.

 

[Some Car Guy]

Good news, guy called back. He can vacuum out the Freon, but doesn’t have the tool. Mine is coming tomorrow. Scheduling is a nightmare so my best bet it to try and have a whole valve casing to install next Friday. Original Air doesn’t have them, nor did Napa. Any sources?

 

[Demonic]

Oh, the system is already or going to be empty? A regular HVAC supplier will tave a 1/4" flare x 1/8" NPT fitting. Replace it.

 

[Some Car Guy]

Oh, the system is already or going to be empty? A regular HVAC supplier will tave a 1/4" flare x 1/8" NPT fitting. Replace it.

Thanks.
or go with a plug in 1/8 npt and just end the valve as a leak source?

im going to take it to the guy that charged it for me. He can vacuum it out and recharge after we do whatever is best solution.

seems like i need to do another new drier to be safe? Would need to have one in hand if so.

 

[Some Car Guy]

If I get a plug should I use brass or stainless? Looks like locktite 554 is the sealant to use?

 

[Ronnman]

Brass