How to Recharge Air Conditioning Toyota Corolla
How to recharge air conditioning Toyota Corolla 2014: If air conditioning in your car is not working it might be due to low refrigerant level. Recharging AC yourself is a stop gap measure but generally works fine if air conditioning system does not have a large leak.
Recharging procedure is easy and can be done by almost everyone, no tools are required. Vehicle shown here is a 2014 Toyota Corolla but recharging method is the same for 2014 to 2019 Toyota Corolla models.
If air conditioning system in your car has a large leak, recharging will not work as refrigerant will leak soon after. However, if there are no leaks or there is a very small leak then it should work fine and hold for a while.
Safety First
1- Engine should be cold when you are working on it.
2- Stay away from moving belts and pulleys.
3- Refrigerant is poisonous, do not breathe and be careful.
4- Wear protective gloves and glasses.
5- Do not wear lose clothing.
6- Read instructions provided with Recharging kit and bottle.
1) Buy an A/C Recharging Kit
Air conditioning recharging kit is available and can be purchased almost everywhere (Amazon, Walmart, Canadian Tire, etc). AC recharging kit cost about $30 to $50 depending on recharging kit design and number of refrigerant bottles.
Buy a recharging kit which comes with two bottles, in case one bottle is not enough to fully recharge air conditioning system. Generally, recharging kits provide two refrigerant bottles and a recharging hose with pressure gauge.
2) Locate A/C Recharge Port on Toyota Corolla
Air conditioning recharging low pressure port on Toyota corolla is located on right hand side of engine bay when looking at it frontally (passenger side, image below).
Low pressure recharging port on Toyota corolla is very accessible and easy to work on. Air conditioning system has two recharging ports, Low Pressure Port and High Pressure Port. Use only Low Pressure Port for recharging, do not try to fit recharging connector to High pressure port.
Low and High recharging ports and identified with letters L and H marked on recharging ports protective caps.
3) Prepare AC Recharging Kit
Recharging kit hose has a valve where refrigerant bottle is inserted and a connector for connecting on low pressure port.
Open recharging kit valve fully. Insert and screw a refrigerant bottle to recharging hose valve and tighten it (image above). Once bottle is firmly installed, close recharging kit valve fully, refrigerant will not leak as long as valve stays closed. Valve has a pin which punctures refrigerant bottle allowing refrigerant to flow when valve is open.
4) Connect AC Recharging Kit Connector on Low Pressure Port
Engine OFF. Unscrew and remove protective cap from low pressure port. Recharging connector is a lock in type, same as air pressure connectors.
Pull on outer connector ring, insert connector on low pressure port and release locking ring. Pull on connector to make sure it is locked safely.
Position recharging bottle on outer side of fender so its easy to reach and work on, same as in image above. Keep valve closed for now, do not try to recharge yet.
5) Check Air Conditioning Pressure
Engine OFF. Check pressure on recharging hose gauge. If you still have some pressure left in AC system then recharging should work fine. However, if gauge shows zero pressure chances are there is a large leak and recharging might not help. In any case, you are already set up and is worth a try to recharge it.
6) Recharge Air Conditioning on Toyota Corolla
Start engine, turn air conditioning on max setting and fan at full speed. Open valve on recharging kit and shake refrigerant bottle, refrigerant will now start to flow into AC system. Once pressure increases to about 20psi you should hear air conditioning compressor engaging.
Keep recharging until pressure shows about 40 psi (image above). Do not recharge past 40 psi. You should check pressure with recharging valve closed and only when compressor is running. Close valve and look at the pressure, stop recharging at 40 psi. If pressure is lower than 40 psi keep recharging until 40 psi is reached.
Again, to check pressure: Close valve and wait until compressor engages. Do not check pressure with valve open or when compressor is not working, you will get a wrong reading.
A bottle is usually enough to fully recharge air conditioning on 2014 Toyota Corolla. However, if more than one is needed then turn off engine, close recharging kit valve and disconnect connector from low pressure port. Slowly unscrew empty refrigerant bottle, careful as it will leak, watch your eyes. Insert and tighten a new refrigerant bottle and repeat steps above.
7) Disconnect Recharging Hose
Once AC system is fully charged, turn off engine and disconnect recharging kit. Do not forget to close valve first before disconnecting connector for low pressure port. Listen for any hissing noises. If you have a large leak on AC system you will hear refrigerant escaping soon after recharging, otherwise if you dont hear any noises you’re good to go.
8) Do Not Overcharge Air Conditioning System
Whatever you do, do not overcharge AC system. Stop recharging when you reach 40 psi. Overcharging AC system is asking for trouble.
First, AC won’t work if pressure is too high as pressure sensor will prevent compressor from engaging. Secondly, will affect engine operation and in some cases engine not being able to idle due to increased pressure on AC system. Make sure to check recharging gauge periodically to avoid overcharging AC system.
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