Hello! My ac was absolutely terrible on my 2011 Toyota 4 Runner. 160k miles, taken care of, SR5 v6 4.0. I attached one of the easy fill ac kits to the low pressure side and got a reading with the car running and idling for several minutes. It was reading around 15psi. Pretty low. So I began to add and once I got to around 30psi the system would kick on, climb to around 50 psi, then shut off and drop back down to 30psi or so. I watched the gauge for a while and it began to climb over time. Now it turns on and off and idles between 40-70psi. So compressor turn on (off?) and it climbs to 70. Then shuts off (on?) and drops to 40 or so. Now, when I drive when the compressor kicks on it bogs down the car a bit and the ac sucks. I mean, it blows, but not very cold. Did I overcharge the system? If so, is there a way to safely drain it?
I attached one of the easy fill ac kits to the low pressure side
Big mistake. Those things can cause more problems than they solve.
Did I overcharge the system?
Possibly. What is your high side pressure reading? (You'll need a proper manifold gauge set, not one of those useless so-called "refill" cans.)
If so, is there a way to safely drain it?
To stay legal you would need to have a shop evacuate the system. That's assuming that your "easy refill" can's refrigerant was not contaminated with sealer. No shop will want to touch an AC system that has sealer in it, the stuff can be very destructive to equipment and you would be held responsible. Sealer can also ruin your AC system if and when it solidifies in the wrong places.
Once the system is properly evacuated you would charge in the correct amount of R134a by weight while monitoring both high and low pressures. Modern AC systems are very sensitive to the amount of refrigerant in them and being a few ounces off one way or the other can cause problems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IBFLMYZEzI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HCSsv3uYfM
Well the question is, "did I overcharge the system"?
So you'll have to go onto Amazon, or to Harbor freight, or on Ebay and buy a $25 dollar set of AC gauges.
After your car sits overnight the pressure between the low side and the high side should equalize.
Then go online and research the "static" pressure for your car.
The static pressure has to be equal and within the specs for your 2011 Toyota 4Runner.
If it's equal yet too high, you overcharged it
