Leaky A/C ports

Kenz

Kenz

6th Gear Poster
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Florida
Vehicle Details
96 Cougar - T45
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The AC leak in my Cougar recently got really bad. I can hear it leaking out of both the High side and Low side valves when I unscrew the plastic caps.
Plan is to get a vacuum pump and gauge kit and fix it myself.

Any other parts I should replace while I am at it?

Should 8oz of PAG 46 be enough oil?

1752340848878.png
 
Just my opinion, but I would replace the other hose as well, and also any O-Rings you can get to. I think they sell a kit that has O-Rings for the whole system. I think 8oz is the entire system capacity, so you won't need all of that. I used to have a chart that had the amount to add when replacing certain components, but I cannot find it right now.
 
Would a 3oz can of this be a good idea then? :unsure:
1752342844527.png

I've got a kit of the purple EPDM o-rings, planning to replace the ones I can easily get to
 
Yeah I think 3oz is enough. You could also just get a bottle - it's cheaper and you just pour some into the accumulator before you seal it up and evacuate it. You'd have to trash whatever you don't use though, it's like brake fluid and goes bad rapidly after you open it.

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Kenz said:
Would a 3oz can of this be a good idea then? :unsure:
View attachment 13161

I've got a kit of the purple EPDM o-rings, planning to replace the ones I can easily get to
Click to expand...
It might, but I'm always suspicious of products when they don't actually say what the product is on the label. There are different viscosity PAG oils. Plus, I usually manually add the oil to the parts before I install them. I normally buy the stuff in the bottle like terminator posted.
 
Well thanks for the help everyone! I ordered everything; it was about $240 total for the parts, refrigerant/oil, and vacuum kit/gauges.

Now I'm headed to YouTube University to learn how to properly evac and recharge it :geek:
 
All I can say is it is easier than you probably think it is, but A/C requires patience and attention to detail. Take your time and pay attention to what you are doing. Keep everything clean. I also agree with XR7-4.6, a small scale is helpful to keep track of how much refrigerant you have added. It is nicer nowadays with the self sealing cans as well. Back in the day with the pierce top cans once you pierced the top you had to leave it on your gauges because once you disconnected it, it would all escape.

I'll see if I can find that chart that gave rough estimates for how much to add per component replaced. It isn't an exact science at that point, but it should get you in the ballpark.
 
I watched a few Youtube videos, it looks like a straightforward procedure. I won't have to worry about discharging the system, since I accidently left the caps off and the system will be pretty much empty in a few days :censored:

It would have been nice if Ford put in lines that had a replaceable Schrader valve. That would have made this job easier or it might not have even started leaking in the first place. These factory lines look like they have a cheap spring loaded plastic ball holding the valve shut
 
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