Posted by NickD on May 18, 2000 at 00:25:54: via: mfld2-45.tznet.com or 209.83.95.45
In Reply to: Pressure Reading and Did I Find the Leak posted by Jeff on May 17, 2000 at 15:23:50:
to 14.5038 psi, so just multiply the quantity of bars times 14.5038 and will be SAE world. Good rule of thumb if to double the ambient temperature then multiply by 1.4, for 85 F, my favorite temp for doing AC work, the high side should be around 240, I found this to be very close to all the manuals that I have read for R-12 cars, low side pressure switches are practically all set at 25 psi, a good low side pressure at 1,500 rpm, 85 F, is about 30 psi, when charging the high side climbs much faster than the low, so I tend to look at the high more, and this assumes that car windows are open, just center vent opened with a thermometer inserted, blower at max, and that you already have cleaned the radiator and condenser fins, and know that lots of air is flowing through them, being an old guy I feel around various parts of the system and mumble, that feels good, that's a little hot and so forth so that unlookers think I know what I am doing. Actually you can tell quite a bit by feel, being somewhat conservative, I just don't slap my hand on a pipe but bring it close to feel the radiant heat, touching a hot compressor outlet pipe has been known to hurt. I think loose Scharder valves are a very common cause of leaks, can remember the old days when you had to turn on big hand valves for servicing, not these little tire valve stem things, ever notice that your tires leak too?