deja Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 My Vintage Air AC has been uncharged since I changed to the new LT1 engine last year. Its getting hot so I thought I should get it recharged. My question is should I get a new dryer since the whole system has been empty for so long? Or would it be okay to just get the system evacuated and recharged? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greghassen Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 (edited) if the system was not evacuated when you first installed or opened it up, then you have outside air inside the system and that air has moisture in it which the dryer absorbs. when you say "uncharged" do you mean you took it apart and reassembled with no evacuation or evacuated but no freon added? Edited May 11, 2011 by greghassen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deja Posted May 11, 2011 Author Share Posted May 11, 2011 if the system was not evacuated when you first installed or opened it up, then you have outside air inside the system and that air has moisture in it which the dryer absorbs. when you say "uncharged" do you mean you took it apart and reassembled with no evacuation or evacuated but no freon added? Yes, I took it apart because of a bad hose fitting at the drier blew and I lost all the "feon". Then I built a new engine and put put the Ac system back on but did NOT evacuate it or add any feon. I just found out Summit has the drier for only $38 so I'll run over tomotrrow and pick it up since they are local. Better safe than sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rejracer Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 (edited) My suggestion is to pull the compressor and drain the oil. Flush all the components using denatured alcohol, and blow dry. Then evac the system. The reason for draining the compressor and flushing with denatured alcohol is to ensure the oil is out of the system before charging. It's not necessary to replace the receiver drier every time the system is open, only if it's been contaminated. Just make sure you hold the system at vacuum for 45+ minutes to ensure it's dry. Concerning the receiver driers, they can be stored indefinitely uncharged. Leaving the system open to atmosphere is what you should avoid. At a minimum, store them with vacuum caps to prevent it from absorbing unnecessary moisture. If the system has been left open, or it's old, I personally would replace the receiver drier. Edited May 26, 2011 by rejracer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.