When I pulled my motor awhile back (s14 SR in 97 chassis), I disconnected the 2 hard lines to the A/C compressor instead of just taking the compressor off and leaving it to the side (noob mistake I know).

My question is, now that the car is all back together, can I 'recharge' the system myself? Or is there more to it than I know, and I need to pay somebody at some random place that I don't trust to touch my car?

 

You are best off getting a new drier, typically they shouldnt be left open, as the dessicant inside can only hold a tiny bit of moisture, and leaving it open will take care of that, this is just from what i've been told on that section of things. They are relatively cheap. After replacing that it would probably be best to replace all the O rings you can, since its open and you want to prevent possible leaks.

Put it all together, go to autozone, they have the vacuum pump in rental tools, pull a vacuum on it, leave it overnight, make sure it hasnt leaked down, then you'll know if thinks are sealed up without wasting a bunch of refrigerant.

Once things are sealed up and you've vacuum'd it, go ahead and fill it using gauges, you should be able to find out how much the system is supposed to hold, should still be the same as stock S14 originally.

 

Automotive Air Conditioning Parts & Auto A/C Information - A/C Drier

The receiver-drier / Accumulator must be changed each time a system is empty regardless of the reason for loss of refrigerant. It should also be changed every three years, because the desiccant pellets will break down and clog the expansion valve. This will in turn cause the system to become inoperable and may damage the compressor.
The receiver-drier is strictly a disposable item and is thought of in the same terms as a fuel, oil, or air filter. In fact, if any component fails or is replaced for any reason, the receiver-drier must also be replaced to prevent corrosion and moisture in the system.

 

It didn't have leaks before. While the motor was out, I tapped up the 2 open holes on the hard lines, and reconnected them as soon as the motor went back in. I haven't ran the compressor since though. Barely ran the car ..

Which part is the "dryer"? The catch-can looking thing that I had to squeeze my radiator in between? (koyorad + flexalite fans make it a tight fit)

Andd the vacuum pump tool, where to hook it up to, the low pressure valve, or high pressure valve or somewhere I don't know about?

Thanks for all your help.

 

Oh ok thanks for that second post, you posted it while I was typing mine apparently.

 

you dont want to hold the vacuum that long, i would'nt hold it in vacuum for over an hour.

most cars i work on i hold for 20 minutes or so. thats plenty long enough. main test will be once you add the freon. ive had a few cars, mine included, that held vacuum just fine, but soon as you charge it it blows out somewhere you missed.

z28guy covered everything else pretty much.

 

Thanks for the tip.

So assuming I replace the drier, vacuum test works alright, anything leaks get fixed ... I'm still able to fully recharge the system myself with one of those off the shelf things like at Advanced Auto?

 

yeah, shouldnt really be too hard.
make sure you coat the o-rings with a/c oil when installing them too.

 

Where are these o-rings? The two fittings at the compressor reminded me of like a AN flared fitting, and they didn't have any gasket or o-ring when I unbolted the both of them.

Do you mean at the fittings on the drier?

 

theres an oring at pretty much every :joint" in the system really, lines to compressor, lines to evaporater and so on, id just worry about the ones you disconnected. there should definitely be orings there.