What did you do to your jeep today?

In my particular case since I am doing everything... It's 8 ounces of PAG oil, which is what came with the kit. Add half to the intake port on the compressor.... And half to the accumulator..

I have identified the ports so you don't have to. See next post

Had to do some research. My compressor didn't come prefilled with oil. There is some shipping oil to prevent corrosion, but not enough for operation... So, check the videos....

Well, crap. They are too big.... So you must suffer while I type...

So you need to add 4oz in the compressor, 4 in the accumulator. The compressor goes in the suction side... See Pic where I point with the pen... Add about a half shot of oil, spin the compressor clockwise (use a pin spanner or a pair of slipjoint pliers to spin the core of the clutch. Obviously spinning the outer side of the clutch does nothing, as the clutch is just going to do it's thing without power.) You are pumping the oil through the system..

At some point the compressor will likely build pressure and blow off the shipping plug on the output hose that the factory attached, blowing oil on you. I took this as a hint she's full. (EDIT - You should really take off the plug, raise the hose, and get the full 4-ish oz in there...)... Then put the shipping plug back on, and put the compressor on the clutch end somewhere it won't fall and break. Let it sit there for about 5 minutes to lubricate the front seal, else damage occur when you run it.

It doesn't seem the amounts are critical. Just make sure you have about 8oz in the system. The manufacturer didn't say it was prefilled, and they included an 8oz bottle in the kit, so I took that as a given the entire bottle goes in the compressor and accumulator. It's all going to homogenize once activated.

Again, MAKE SURE to spin the compressor while filling into the intake port, and stand it on the clutch end for at least 5 minutes afterwards. I would not let it stand for very much longer than that, and give it at least that amount of time you let it stand (out of position) in the proper position (ie, installed.). Anyone who ever moved a refrigerator flat and then wondered why it didn't work when they got it home can tell you why. The oil needs to drain back where it belongs. So let's stay around 5 minutes, because that's what the manufacturer said and if you can reassemble an AC system in less than 5 minutes... Well, I don't want you working on my stuff....

(note to MFR.... is it really THAT HARD to add a darn sight glass to indicate oil level?)

For the accumulator - pour the rest of the bottle (assuming an 8oz bottle) into the middle port. It is the IN port.
I am winging this, but I didn't see any other info than to add half(ish) of the oil to the accumulator. I added to the in port on the assumption it's just going to get blown through, and should go in the direction of flow. I may be wrong but it seems to just be a catch can, which explains why it is stressed not to blow out the accumulator with flush fluid.... You'd have a hell of a time getting it all out.
I am fully open to learning how I'm wrong here if anyone has experience to back it up...

All back together and on the vacuum... Now we wait about 45 minutes (according to the manufacturer).
My son is about an hour ahead of the allotted book time on this. So we will be letting the machine do its thing with no shortcuts...

Screw a heatwave.... I got AC!

Awesome @burntkat! Thanks for the step by step with photos. I will for sure reference this at some point. I haven’t had working AC for 2 years.

I need a quick answer on something. Today I did the transmission service on Jeepy. She’s at 238k, and this is the OG transmission. I’m at the point where I sucked out 3 quarts of fluid through the dipstick and then dropped the pan.



I made a mess anyway!



Here is the pan magnet. That seems like an excessive amount of ferrous metal to me. Is that a reasonable amount for 65k miles since the last service?



On the very bottom of the pan there was a bunch of presumable non-ferrous fine metal (I am guessing since it is not on the magnet).

The fluid is nice and pink and it smells normal (not burned).

So, question:

How screwed is this transmission?

Would you change the filter, fill it, and run it — or replace it with the used 80k transmission in the garage? Swapping units is more work than I was hoping for this weekend.

It is getting dark so I’m going to slap the pan back on temporarily and deal with it tomorrow.

That fluid looks REALLY. glittery.
If it was mine, I would reassemble with new fluid and filter, and install an inline filter (I prefer Magnefine filters) inline on the RETURN line from the cooler, taking care to observe proper direction of flow.

Put one on the PS return line as well. In fact, any fluid power system greatly benefits. But they must be on the return side owing to lesser pressure.

They can be installed in hardlines or softlines, with a little imagination.

More info if you folks care for it, on the inline filters...
Magnefine is the one I started using, but I had some trouble finding them for a while and started using the Raybestos brand when production left OZ and came to the US. See pics. They are each between 25 and 30 bucks, and worth every bit of it.

Being that they have a magnetic component for the ferrous frag, and a much finer filter media than the pan filter (seriously, those aren't much better than window screen), and every bit of the fluid that goes through the cooling system must flow through it to get back to the pan (there is a bypass valve so the fluid isn't starved in event of a plugged filter), it's hard to negate the impact of such a filter. At the very least, anytime you replace a Transmission or power steering component, you should install one of these inline on the return right before going back to the reservoir/pan. I would add that any vehicle coming out of warranty should get one. Speaking out of my engineer brain, EVERY fluid power system ought to have one of these from the factory. But that's just me talking. These filter BETTER than the pan filter.

I have over 10 years running these on everything I am responsible for. Not a single problem. I will add that you must take care to install with the direction of flow. But that's just common sense..... Right?

EDIT - back to IFHOWARD's question - if that was my vehicle, I'd install a magnefine, fresh fluid and pan filter, and run it. You have absolutely shortened the life of that transmission. But it's already had a good run. You might just keep on running with a proper filter scrubbing everything. Worth spending 25 bucks ans maybe an hour on your back. But take care to install it on the return from the trans cooler, with the flow direction properly observed (marked on the Magnefine and I think the Raybestos as well). The Magnefine being all metal construction vs the polymer of the Raybestos, is worth the extra 2-5 bucks.

lfhoward said:

Awesome @burntkat! Thanks for the step by step with photos. I will for sure reference this at some point. I haven’t had working AC for 2 years.

Click to expand...

Honestly I was concerned I might be spamming the group. But since at least one person had interest in it and this can be sort of "black magic" for some folks (including myself, this is the first time I have had success doing AC work... - knock wood-), I thought I'd share what I have learned.
Plus, it was absolutely what I did today.

After that, I left my son's shop and had to pull over due to the windows frosting up. Nothing wrong, just a LOT of humidity inside the Jeep, and rain.

Met him at the neighborhood taphouse for beer and burgers as neither of us had eaten. Had a couple pints and burgers, and I wouldn't let him pay as it was my way of tipping him for good service.

Home now. Dehydrated as hell. It's muggy outside as it was 90 with torrential rains today... But the inside of my Jeep was nice and cool...

(yes, I am tempting fate. If it's gonna break I want it to do it soonest.)

Amazon has those Magnefine filters for $25. What size line does the liberty have? They come in 3/8”, 5/16”, 1/2”, etc… I’m assuming that’s the inner diameter of the hose?