A/C help on Thermoking

The low pressure side should be pretty obvious when looking at it. The fitting on the hose from the can will only fit one connection, so it is pretty foolproof.
You need to add it while the ac is on, engine running.
Dont add too much or it could blow the compressor etc. Most have a safety valve these days, but not familiar with the Tripac system myself.

Martin

 

take the lower front cover off and the ports will be on the lines coming off the a/c compressor, eng running in a/c mode and hook the can tap up, it will only go on the low side fitting. the tripac only holds 1.5 lbs r134a. hope this helps. also what is it doing to make you think it needs freon? i work on these on a daily basis for a large fleet.

 

The TriPac will shut off if the freon is low, but it will also do this if the switch at the back of the cab is not working or has a bad connection or corrosion on its pins. With as little freon as the system holds if it is really low you need to find where it is leaking and fix that 1st.

 

Apparently they are having issues with the crimps at the ends of hoses, and since they really don't make standardized hoses, each installation is sorta unique.

 

How often does the AC cycle (kick on and off, on and off)? If its doing it rapidly, every 20 or 30 seconds or even faster. Thats a give away its just low on freon. The compressor should stay engaged closer to a minute, thats just a ball park estimate.

You can add freon yourself easily, and itll cost you under $50 the first time.

Go to any autoparts store on planet earth, and buy ya one of these.

http://www.jcwhitney.com/arctic-freeze-r-134a-refrigerant-with-trigger-dispenser/p2011345.jcwx?filterid=c2308u0j1

If you can find one with a smaller 1lbs bottle, get it instead of the larger size. I doubt youll need any thing more than about 1/2 a lbs. Its a pretty small system. And, you can always dump the left over into your trucks AC system. Save the refill tool that comes with the kit, you can use it over and over again. And then youll only need to buy a single bottle of freon next time you need to refill it. Make sure you get the tool that has a gauge built into it, just like the one in that photo. It gets you very close to where your system needs to be, and you dont have to drag around an actual set of freon gauges.

Also, when you buy that kit. Youll notice the can of r134a will have all kinds of additives in it. Die leak detector, leak stopper, oil etc etc. It is ok to add that stuff the first time you do this, it might even stop the leak if its minor. But, next year when you need to do it again. Buy plain/straight r134a. They usually keep the plain stuff behind the counter, and its actually cheaper. You dont want to keep adding that extra stuff over and over, thats bad.


Youtube the term " Arctic Freeze how to video " they have just the video you need to see, it shows you just about everything you need to know. Youll need to use the low side port, which I believe is always the larger of the two fittings, the dispenser tool fitting should only fit on the low side larger port.

Probably the most important advice I can give you. Add a little freon at a time, by pulling the trigger on the tool. Listen to the AC compressor, you should notice the time between on/off cycles gets longer and longer. Climb inside the truck often to verify the air is actually getting colder too. If you add too much, it will stop cooling all together, and youll have to let some out. Stop filling often and read the gauge. Again, do not over fill, more is not better. Less is more.

As the freon enters the system youll feel the can of freon start to get cold. Thats good, that means its working and entering the system. If it gets too cold and ices over in your hand it will slow or stop entering the system as pressure becomes less. You can dip the can in a bowl of hot water to re warm and raise pressure again. I honestly doubt youll need to do that with the small amount of freon your putting in, but just in case.

Also, set the Tri Pak to its coldest AC setting (50F) and turn the fan on its highest setting while your adding freon. This ensures its working at its max cooling cycle.

Oh, and btw. My TK unit rubbed a hole in one of the AC condenser lines (hanging on the back of the cab) and dumped 100% of its freon. The unit never shut off, and the compressor would cycle about every two seconds. It never shut itself off, and never gave a code. It just continued working itself to death.

 

could be binary switch on drier, blockage in the line, no power to compressor from circuit board, low freon, clutch worn, etc.

 

I'm guessing it is not low freon, becsause if it was the system will shut itself off and give you a fault code. So you may have a bad compressor that is not kicking on, or something else electrical that is keeping it from kicking on.