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rimfire7 · 06-20-2020, 07:16 AM

so I am camping in Indiana and the engine AC on my 2008 GS Bounty Hunter - Cummins engine, freightliner chassis is not cool at all. My husband discovered one of the vacuum hoses was disconnect and that was why no air was blowing into the cabin. He hooked the line up and after that the temp climbed up and up as I got farther away from home. question: is there any refrigerant that I can buy and fill the AC with? I see some Truck Stops have a newer kind, would that work? There is no way I can get into a Freightliner this weekend and get it fixed but if that's my only option I'll do it next week. Any suggestions would be helpful, its so hot when driving. TIA

450Donn · 06-20-2020, 07:20 AM

Without an experts help there is nothing you can really do. There are two types of refigerant, R22 and R134a. They are not compatible, so using the wrong one could wind up costing you thousands in repairs. Most large truck stops have mechanics that work weekends. Find one and ask.

keymastr · 06-20-2020, 07:27 AM

If putting the vacuum line on made it get hot then remove it until you can get to a mechanic.

envy23 · 06-20-2020, 07:40 AM

I been there during my trip from Az-MD 2 week ago: 120F weather

...

1. Get a ice chest and load it with bag of ice to cool down.
2. Wet towels inside chest and use it on your head to cool .
3. Avoid driving the coach between 12-6pm if you can.

Until the AC cool/repair: it probably not much option.

Hope someone can tip you AC fix.

EV-

MarvinG · 06-20-2020, 08:37 AM

R407c is a good substitute. You will need to add a few ounces of Esteroil to make the old mineral oil in the system compatible with the replacement refrigerant. Some R407c comes with esteroil already in mixed in the refrigerant (see BMP407c which is what we sold at the HVAC wholesale supply house from which I retired last year.

A32Deuce · 06-20-2020, 08:42 AM

Deleted.

MSHappyCampers · 06-20-2020, 08:46 AM

I didn't think they were still using R22 at that time. Who told you that you need R22?

Skip426 · 06-20-2020, 08:59 AM

Questions .

Was the dash air conditioning blowing cold through the defrost vents before the vacuum hose was hooked up?
When was the last time the dash air conditioner worked correctly?
Does your RV have a gen set , that you can run and use the roof air conditioners while driving ?

Because you've indicated , the unit has vacuum controls , I'll guess it is manufactured by Evans/Tempcon , if you can get to the outside of the firewall , under the hood ( I'm not sure if your RV has a hood ) and look for a housing similar to the picture below . This is my Evans dash A/C unit, the tag will give you info on type and amount of refrigerant .

EDIT : Sorry first picture is too close up , second photo will give better idea of the housing.

Gary RVRoamer · 06-20-2020, 11:18 AM

No, you cannot mix another type.

I'd be much surprised if your a/c system uses R22 - that was never much used in vehicle a/c systems. R134a has been pretty much standard since the mid-1990's and you can get that at any auto parts store, Walmart, etc. R22 was used in residential systems but was phased out long ago and as of this year is no longer manufactured.

If you want to check with Freightliner about your chassis, call 1-800-FTL-HELP and have the last 6 digits of your VIN handy. That's a 24/7 customer service line.

PABO05 · 06-20-2020, 11:48 AM

If it’s your dashboard air that you are talking about R22 WILL NOT BE IN THERE.
It will most likely be R134A. If you can recharge your system it probably
will not cool. With the line being previously opened it will contain air and
moisture. The system will have to be vacuum and filter replace then recharge.
Hopefully you can find a garage to repair the system.

GypsyR · 06-20-2020, 11:53 AM

In any case it might be a waste. All the refrigerant leaked out what's to stop the refill from leaking right back out too? You need someone to find where it all went, fix that, and then look about recharging it.

hohenwald48 · 06-20-2020, 11:55 AM

R-12 was used in auto a/c systems for many years. I've never heard of R-22 being used in auto type systems. R-12 went away in 1993 so I doubt your motorhome uses that either. R134a is the refrigerant used post 1993 but 134a and 12 are not compatible. In the early days after the switch there was some effort to retrofit R-12 systems to use R134a but they weren't very successful.

Systems are normally labeled near the evaporator coils or compressor with the type of refrigerant used. Mixing different refrigerants is a recipe for a very expensive repair bill.

You need the help of someone who knows what they are doing. In the meantime, just fire up the generator and turn on the house air. I usually run that in addition to the dash air when things get really hot outside.

KohtangFred · 06-20-2020, 11:10 PM

The tag in the picture says it is 134A gas

dabrooks · 06-21-2020, 05:29 AM

It may not need a charge at all. The heater valve may not be closing which would mix heat with the A/C. That happened to us on our previous coach. I cut the heater hose and put in a shut off valve. Look for the heater hose and see if you can locate the shut off valve and see if it is operational.