Refrigerant System Recovery
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2005 Mercury Montego, 2005 Ford Freestyle, and 2005 Ford Five Hundred. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
NOTE:
Ford Motor Company recommends use of an A/C service center to carry out recovery, evacuation and charging of the refrigerant system. If an A/C service center is not available, refrigerant system recovery, evacuation and charging may be accomplished using a separate recovery station, vacuum pump, charging meter and manifold gauge set.
NOTE:
Leaks in refrigerant system service equipment, hoses or gauges can cause a leak in vacuum that may be misinterpreted as a problem with the vehicle's refrigerant system. It is necessary to leak-test all refrigerant system service equipment, hoses and gauges on a weekly basis to verify that no leaks are present.
- Prior to recovering, you must verify the purity of the refrigerant. For additional information, refer to REFRIGERANT IDENTIFICATION TESTING .
- Connect an R-134a refrigerant service center to the low- and high-pressure service gauge port valves following the operating instructions provided by the equipment manufacturer.
- Recover the refrigerant from the system following the operating instructions provided by the equipment manufacturer.
- Once the refrigerant service center has recovered the refrigerant, switch OFF the power supply.
- Allow the system to set for about 2 minutes, and observe the system vacuum reading. If the vacuum is not lost, disconnect the recovery equipment.
- If the system does lose vacuum, repeat Steps 3 through 5 until the vacuum level remains stable for 2 minutes.
- Carry out the required repairs.