Leaking A/C high side schrader

freedom_in_4low

freedom_in_4low

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My AC was performing poorly, so I put some charge in it today and got it back within FSM specs. When i went to take the gauges off, the high side port is audibly leaking. I put the gauge hose back on just to keep it from leaking all the gas out before I can do anything about it.

I came across these things on Amazon that have a valve that will allow you to do a "hot swap" of the core while minimizing refrigerant loss but reviews are pretty mixed as to whether they work (some of them say the valve is too small for the core to fit through, things like that. Was wondering if anybody here has tried one and had success.

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I haven't tried then but I may need to. What is the listing title or link.
Thanks
 
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glowell222 said:
It may be that the schraeder valve just needs to be tightened.
Click to expand...

i tried that today and no luck.

I also was able to remove the schrader core with the tool posted above, but it seems the core is too large to fit through the ball valve because I can't get it to come through. I'll know for sure when I have replacement cores on hand and can dry-test one, but at this point it's looking likely I'll be sending this one back and buying a vacuum pump so I can replace the core with no pressure on it, evacuate and charge from empty. Which is exactly what I was hoping to avoid.

I can also definitively say this tool will NOT work on the low side port, as the removal tool won't even fit over the center pin to reach the center of the core so it can be unscrewed. Completely useless.
 
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a little research.

the valve core in the high side port is Mopar 05264638 which in an image search appears to be a standard core:

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It'll be closer, but it should fit through the valve in this tool. I may just need to find a way to make the tool stick to the core so it will come out, like some tacky grease.

The low side service port on the other hand is Mopar 05101791AA which appears to be an M10 valve and will certainly NOT fit through this tool.

1730306081236.png


For that, Mastercool does offer a different kit but it's $110, which costs more than the vacuum pump that it would help me avoid purchasing, and I'm not sure it would work on the high side port.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007QV85JY?tag=wranglerorg-20

Then they sell the ultimate universal kit which should handle anything, but it's even more at $150.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00069V310?tag=wranglerorg-20

Aside from the actual remover driver being able to fit over the pin, the key difference in these kits is a much larger valve to presumably allow a larger core to fit through.

The only way I would consider buying those kits if I was in the business of doing these on a frequent basis. For what may be the only time I deal with this in the next decade, it's more than I'm interested in spending.
 
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JEEPSTEVENANAIMO said:
We have tried kits from wurth and snap on and neither one was any good lol.
Click to expand...

I actually got it to work...just not exactly as intended.

Instead of depending on the core sticking to the tool as you pull it up against gravity, I just unthreaded the core, retracted the tool, closed the valve, unthreaded the tool from the valve, then opened the valve to use the refrigerant pressure to launch the core out and across my garage at the speed of sound before slamming the valve shut again, and reverse the process to install the new core. I still released some gas but I didn't have to do the whole process.
 
I successfully replaced my leaking high side Schrader using the Mastercool kit.

I think that leak was triggered by attaching gauges. The primary leake turned out to be the condenser 🫤
 
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g.hayduke said:
I successfully replaced my leaking high side Schrader using the Mastercool kit.

I think that leak was triggered by attaching gauges. The primary leake turned out to be the condenser 🫤
Click to expand...

mine was for sure from attaching gauges. It was dry as a bone before, and then when I took the gauges off there was an audible hiss.

I don't doubt the primary leak is elsewhere, but very small so far. My logic on AC leaks is I'll just add refrigerant as long as I don't have to do it more than about once every other year. This is the first time I've had to do it in 5 years owning the LJ so if it goes that long again I'll just let it ride. But if it's low again and not performing next summer I'll be looking for the leak.

Kindof a tangent here, but I read something about leaking refrigerant yesterday that blew my mind.

EIA estimates that on average, "Supermarkets all across the country are leaking refrigerants; greenhouse gases thousands of times worse for the climate than CO2. A single supermarket emits 875 pounds of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) each year, equal to the carbon dioxide from more than 300 cars. Given there are over 38,000 supermarkets in the United States, these leaking emissions are equivalent to burning 49 billion pounds of coal.
Click to expand...

One large chain "had measurable refrigerant gases in over 60% of their stores".
 
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freedom_in_4low said:
I actually got it to work...just not exactly as intended.

Instead of depending on the core sticking to the tool as you pull it up against gravity, I just unthreaded the core, retracted the tool, closed the valve, unthreaded the tool from the valve, then opened the valve to use the refrigerant pressure to launch the core out and across my garage at the speed of sound before slamming the valve shut again, and reverse the process to install the new core. I still released some gas but I didn't have to do the whole process.
Click to expand...

Im going to try that in the shop. great idea.
 
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With that removal in your hand, does it look like you could put a bigger ball valve on it, so the larger Schrader could pass through?
 
dbbd1 said:
With that removal in your hand, does it look like you could put a bigger ball valve on it, so the larger Schrader could pass through?
Click to expand...

The ones that will handle the bigger schrader cores do have a bigger ball valve, so yes I think you could. But the removal tool (the little driver tip that turns the core to thread/unthread it from the fitting) also has to be bigger, as it won't fit over the central pin of the larger cores, either.
 
freedom_in_4low said:
See post #10

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/leaking-a-c-high-side-schrader.81770/#post-1634554

Stand side and Wear ear pro if you're concerned about loud noise. There's more than enough pressure differential to achieve choked (Sonic) flow through the valve, so it sounds just like an open fitting off an air compressor.
Click to expand...

I'll give that a try. I thought about doing that but wasn't sure if it is a good idea. Now that I know it isn't a good idea I'll go for it. :)

My kit of shrader valves has multiple color gaskets on them even though some of them look to be the same shape. Are there color codes for these things?
 
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