My AC went out on my last week. Yesterday i got a bottle of freon, connected it to the low side and started filling it. The after about about 30-45 seconds of off and on squirts the engine started shaking. The car squeals now and when i first turn it on there is a loud scraping sound. Did some reading and one thing i know i did wrong was allow liquid in.

The car sounds terrible now with the scraping, and i cant blow ac without it squealing. Is there a way for me to release all the freon? How can i fix this?

 

For a temporary fix you could disconnect the a/c belt.

 

You may have overcharged the system. What sounds like to me is that liquid is getting into compressor and causing it to lockup.

I hope you used proper gauge set for monitoring high and low side for charging. Then again, if you used it, you wont overcharge the system,,,,????

Releasing refrigerant is illegal.

 

Take it to a shop and have them remove all the refrigerant and put the proper amount back in. They should have a machine that can measure it by weight. If the A/C still doesn't work then, diagnose the real problem.

If there was any "stop leak" or other magic in that can, you're in a predicament. Nobody's going to touch it and have their machine get clogged up.

 

Does it still squeal and shutter when the AC is turned off? If it does you not only overcharged it but probably also burned out the compressor clutch and it's now locked up.

If the squeal goes away when the AC is off it is likely a locked compressor or severely overcharged. You said the car shutters--that means a big load on the engine so I'm guessing the compressor is shot. Either way a shop visit is in order--it's just a question of being out $60 bucks or $1200+.

I'd also check the AC belt condition and tension first. I recharged my daughter's car and it immediately squealed with the AC on though it wasn't over charged (I used gauges low side and high side). After tightening the belt it was fine and cold.

Those $35 recharge bottles leave a lot to be desired. The guages aren't accurate, they can add too much lubricant, they don't account for ambient temperature, etc, etc.

At least some cooler weather is here!

Kontoboy

 

I don't think its that bad. Its been riding ok with the ac off. Its just gets real loud when the car starts I guess until the fan cuts off. I road with the air on for about 20 min in hopes that the squealing would stop the night I posted this. That's when the start up problem came aboujt. I'm gonna take it to the shop this weekend. Just glad it drives ok.

Oh and that cool weather couldn't have come at a better time. Came the day after problem.

 

I think there was stop leak in it... guess that's turns this into a do it yourself job??

 

If it squeals on start up with the AC off then defintely check your belt tension.

Kontoboy.

 

Squealing at startup only is usually the alternator belt. Also take the A/C belt off and spin pulleys by hand to see if there is a bad bearing on the compressor or idler.

After the hardening type of stop leak has been used, if there is any trouble with the refrigerant system (and there will be) you are looking at a total system replacement. Which you can do yourself or pay someone to.