26/07/2023 16:53:46
A/C Refrigerant Recovery and Recharge (Remove and Replace)
Correction Code 18200102
Warning
Servicing must only be performed by personnel familiar with both vehicle
systems and the charging and testing equipment. Always read and understand the HVAC machine
operator’s manual before operating the HVAC machine.
Warning
R134a and R1234yf are
hazardous liquids and, if handled incorrectly, can cause serious injury. Suitable
protective clothing, consisting of face protection, heat-proof gloves, rubber boots and
apron or waterproof overalls, must be worn when carrying out operations on the air
conditioning system.
Warning
Do not breathe refrigerant and lubricant vapor or mist. Exposure may cause personal injury, especially to the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. Perform service and repairs in a well-ventilated area. If accidental discharge occurs, ventilate the work area before returning to work. Additional health and safety information may be obtained from equipment, refrigerant, and lubricant manufacturers; refer to their instruction manuals and Material Safety Data Sheets.
Warning
Avoid using an extension cord on the recovery machine whenever possible. If
an extension cord is used, it may overheat and cause a fire. If you must use an extension cord,
use the shortest extension cord possible with a minimum 14AWG wire rating.
Warning
Do not use compressed
air to pressure test or leak test the HVAC machine or the vehicle HVAC system. Some
mixtures of air and refrigerant are combustible at elevated pressures. These mixtures
are potentially dangerous and may result in fire or explosion, causing personal injury
or property damage.
Warning
Be aware of fire hazards. Do not use the HVAC machine in the vicinity of
spilled or open containers of flammable liquid.
Warning
If you are operating the HVAC machine in an environment where temperatures exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit / 49 degrees Celsius, you must wait 10 minutes between jobs.
Warning
Never transfer refrigerants to a cylinder or tank unless it is Department
of Transportation approved for refilling. DOT approval is indicated by the designation “DOT 4BA”
or “DOT 4BW” stamped on a tank’s collar (handle). If a refrigerant tank is overfilled, it may
explode. To prevent this from occurring, when transferring refrigerant into a tank, the safe
filling level must be controlled by weight, and must not exceed 60% of the tank’s gross weight
rating.
CAUTION
Only use
Tesla-specified refrigerant in the vehicle and the A/C recovery and recharge machine. Do
not mix refrigerant types through a system or in the same container; mixing of
refrigerants will cause severe damage to the unit and the vehicle air conditioning
system.
CAUTION
Only use the specified type of A/C oil. See
Fluids for A/C oil
specifications.
CAUTION
Do not mix different
types of A/C system oil. If different oil types are used within the same HVAC machine ,
perform internal self-flushing of the A/C lines in the machine before every service to
prevent cross-contamination. Refer to the section “Set Up HVAC Machine” for further
information on performing the self-flushing procedure of the A/C lines.
CAUTION
Do not allow refrigerant oil to come in contact with any surfaces of the
vehicle as it may cause damage to the paint, trim, or finish on the vehicle.
CAUTION
Always keep refrigerant oil tightly sealed, clearly marked, and in its
original container to prevent contamination of any kind.
CAUTION
Do not over-fill the vehicle’s A/C system with oil. Only put in the exact
amount that you take out. Always measure the amount of oil extracted and refill it with that
exact amount.
CAUTION
Always maintain
different oil canisters for managing different types of oil. These canisters should be
clearly marked to avoid any cross-contamination when switching between the two
oils.
CAUTION
The refrigerant cylinders currently in use as source tanks are disposable
cylinders. Before they are discarded, disposable refrigerant cylinders should be connected to
recovery equipment and brought to a vacuum to ensure that all refrigerant has been removed. The
cylinder should then be marked “Empty”.
CAUTION
Always follow the information label when determining the refrigerant
capacity of the vehicle being worked on. Do not over-fill or under-fill the air conditioning
system with refrigerant.
Set Up HVAC Machine
Note
These preparation steps must be performed before any diagnosis and repair
procedures.
- Perform a calibration check of the HVAC machine. Refer to the HVAC machine operator’s manual for instructions on how to perform a calibration check of the HVAC machine. If a machine fails the calibration check, do not perform the service until a service representative calibrates the HVAC machine.
- Check the full length of the service lines and service ports for damage or degradation. Ensure that there are no obvious signs of damage or degradation that could cause a leak when servicing the vehicle.
- Check the HVAC machine’s power supply cord before servicing the vehicle. Ensure it is not damaged and the insulation has not been compromised in any way.
- Verify that the oil type is of the appropriate type. See Fluids for A/C oil specifications.
- Press the MENU button on the keypad.
- Press the UP or DOWN arrow key to scroll to "HOSE FLUSH". Press START/YES or OK.
-
Connect the hoses to the unit's storage port connections.
- Open the coupler valves.
-
Press START/YES or OK to begin the hose flush process. If the
procedure has started correctly, a three minute countdown begins. The machine
automatically starts and finishes the recovery from the hoses after the flush
procedure is completed.
-
When the entire procedure has been completed, the screen displays "FLUSH COMPLETE CONNECT
SERVICE HOSES TO VEHICLE, START TO CONTINUE".
- Close the coupler valves and press START/YES or OK.
- Press STOP/NO or OK to exit the hose flush menu.
- Connect the appropriate refrigerant oil bottle.
Note
The hoses have now been flushed and may be connected to the vehicle for service.
Recover Refrigerant and Verify Charge
Warning
Wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when servicing the air conditioning system.
Note
Before beginning this section, complete the "Set Up HVAC Machine" section.
- Lower both front windows.
- Turn off the A/C and blower.
- Connect a laptop with Toolbox 3 to the vehicle. See Toolbox 3 (Connect and Disconnect).
- Unlock the vehicle gateway for diagnostic communication. See Gateway Unlock.
- In Toolbox 3, click the Actions tab, type "Fluid fill drain" into the search field, and click PROC_THC_X_FLUID-FILL-DRAINvia Toolbox: (link)via Service Mode: Thermal ➜ Actions ➜ Stop Fluid Fill/Drain.
- Under Action, select Start.
- Under Fluid Fill Target, select Refrigerant, click Run, and allow the routine to complete.
- Remove the rear underhood apron (refer to procedure).
-
If equipped, remove the push
clips (x3) and release the tabs (x2) that attach the HEPA filter inlet duct
assembly to the vehicle, and then release duct assembly.
-
If equipped, release the hoses
(x2) and edge clip, and then remove the HEPA filter inlet duct assembly from the
vehicle.
Tip: Lift up on the front side of duct, and then maneuver the hoses off of each side.
-
Remove the dust caps from the
vehicle’s high-side and low-side service ports.
- Connect the high-side (red) hose and low-side (blue) hose from the HVAC machine to the vehicle’s high-side and low-side service ports.
- Verify that the oil recovery tank is empty, or use a piece of tape to mark the existing level as a starting point for later comparison.
-
Follow the HVAC machine
instructions for recovering refrigerant from the vehicle.
NoteThe refrigerant fill/drain routine exits when the vehicle drive rail turns on, or when the vehicle starts charging. If fill/drain is no longer running, perform the steps above again.
-
Measure the quantity of
refrigerant recovered from the system. Record the quantity that was recovered in
the notes section of the Repair Order.
- Model S using refrigerant R134a : The amount of refrigerant recovered should be approximately 750-790 g.
- Model S using refrigerant R1234yf : The amount of refrigerant recovered should be approximately 710-750 g.
-
Record the amount of oil removed
from the system by checking the level in the lower clear tank; this is the amount
of oil to add to the system during charge, assuming that no components are being
replaced.
NoteIf the recovery procedure is being performed in order to replace a defective component, additional action must be taken:
- If the A/C compressor is being replaced: The new A/C compressor is pre-filled with the total amount of oil used in the A/C system. Oil needs to be removed so that the amount of oil in the new A/C compressor equals the amount of oil in the old one. To do this, use a digital scale to weigh both the old and new A/C compressors. Turn the new one upside down to drain a small amount of oil, then re-weigh it. Repeat this process until the new A/C compressor weighs the same as the old one.
- If parts other than the A/C compressor are being replaced: Drain all oil from defective components and note how much is removed. Add this amount to the amount recorded from earlier in this step; this is the correct amount of oil to add during system charge.
-
Follow the A/C machine
instructions to run a vacuum leak test for 30 minutes.
NoteThe refrigerant fill/drain routine exits when the vehicle drive rail turns on, or when the vehicle starts charging. If fill/drain is no longer running, perform the steps above again.NoteIn order to fully purge refrigerant and remove air, moisture, and contaminants, it is important to apply the appropriate vacuum for 30 minutes.NoteThe vehicle may be left unattended while the vacuum leak test is underway.
- If the recovery procedure is being performed in order to replace a defective component, after the vacuum leak test completes, open the A/C system to ambient air, so that the vacuum is relieved.
Recharge Refrigerant
-
Calculate how much oil to add to
the system; the amount removed from the system during recovery plus the amount
removed from any defective component(s).
NoteRefer to the end of the "Recover Refrigerant and Verify Charge" section for more information.NoteFor refrigerant leak concerns, where unmeasured amounts of oil have leaked from the system, add ~ 2oz (50g) of the appropriate oil back to the system. See Fluids for A/C oil specifications.NoteThe refrigerant fill/drain routine exits when the vehicle drive rail turns on, or when the vehicle starts charging. If fill/drain is no longer running, perform the steps above again.
-
Follow the HVAC machine
instructions for pulling a vacuum and charging the vehicle:
- Connect a laptop with Toolbox 3 to the vehicle, if not already connected. See Toolbox 3 (Connect and Disconnect).
- Unlock the vehicle gateway for diagnostic communication, if not already unlocked. See Gateway Unlock.
- In Toolbox 3, click the Actions tab, type "Fluid fill drain" into the search field, and click PROC_THC_X_FLUID-FILL-DRAINvia Toolbox: (link)via Service Mode: Thermal ➜ Actions ➜ Stop Fluid Fill/Drain.
- Under Action, select Stop.
- Under Fluid Fill Target, select Refrigerant, click Run, and allow the routine to complete.
- Disconnect the A/C machine hoses and reinstall the dust caps on the high and low side service ports. If either dust cap is missing, replace it to prevent future contamination.
- Disconnect the laptop with Toolbox 3 from the vehicle. See Toolbox 3 (Connect and Disconnect).
- Deactivate Service Mode. See Service Mode.
- Turn on the cabin A/C and verify operation.
-
If equipped, position the HEPA
filter inlet duct into the vehicle, and then install the hoses (x2) and edge clip
that attach the duct to the vehicle.
Tip: Lift up on the front side of duct and maneuver hoses onto each side, and then engage the edge clip.
-
If equipped, install the push
clips (x3) and secure the tabs (x2) that attach the HEPA filter inlet duct
assembly to the vehicle.
- Install the rear underhood apron (refer to procedure).