Air Conditioner

[Mr. Green]

Hello.  I have a 1984 Buick Riviera with the 307 Oldsmobile engine.  My air conditioner was converted to 134 freon before February 2014 when I bought the car.  When I tried to add freon to it, my car died.  So, I FLOORED it while my friend added freon.  The A/C blew cold, but as soon as I let off the gas, the car died.  Is this possibly a bad relay somewhere?  If anybody has any ideas, please let me know.  I know very little about air conditioners,  so I would need pictures as well as advice.

 

THANKS in advance for any help I may receive.

 

Lee-Kansas 

[Seafoam65]

                           How do you know that it needed freon? What are the pressures on the A/C system when it is running?

How does the engine run when the A/C is turned off?

[Mr. Green]

I believe it needs freon because it blows warm air in the A/C position.  The guy I bought it from said it has a slight leak, & it will need charged every year.  When the A/C is turned off, the car runs great.  I averaged 15 MPG last year on a 240 mile trip on the highway.  I have no idea as to what the pressure of the A/C system is when it is running, I was using one of those A/C charging cans from the local parts store.  It has been over a year since we tried to charge it, I do seem to remember the term "it might be a bad relay" tossed around.

 

Thanks for your help!!  Lee

[KongaMan]

For a quick sanity check on the charge, look to see if there are bubbles visible in the drier window.  For a more accurate diagnosis, buy some gauges or take it to a shop.

[1965rivgs]

17 hours ago, Mr. Green said:

I believe it needs freon because it blows warm air in the A/C position.  The guy I bought it from said it has a slight leak, & it will need charged every year.  When the A/C is turned off, the car runs great.  I averaged 15 MPG last year on a 240 mile trip on the highway.  I have no idea as to what the pressure of the A/C system is when it is running, I was using one of those A/C charging cans from the local parts store.  It has been over a year since we tried to charge it, I do seem to remember the term "it might be a bad relay" tossed around.

 

Thanks for your help!!  Lee

Your car should be returning well over 20 MPG on the highway. I have had a few of these cars with the OD trans and currently have one as a nice weather driver and get about 22 MPG on the highway.

Regarding your AC issue you are acting from a position of ignorance/assumptions if you dont AT LEAST have a way to see system pressures.

The only way you can be remotely sure of charge level is if you completely drain the system of gas and then monitor how much gas you put back in...but the system should be placed on a vacuum for at least 15 minutes prior to recharging so if you dont have a vacuum pump there is no way to properly service the AC system.

If you dont want to invest in a set of gauges and a vacuum pump you might be better off taking it to a shop

  Tom