R134a port caps

[billr]

Make

Saturn

Model

SL2

Year

1994

Miles

~230K

Engine

1.9L

These are the "small" ports, with a thread about 5/16"-24 on the inside. Does anybody know where I can buy metal caps? I think I have a leak at one port that I would like to "cure" using a good tight cap. Lots of plastic caps are available, but I don't believe they will be tight for the long term, even with the seals in them. My existing plastic ones don't seem to have been. I can fabricate ones, but would rather no bother if they can be bought for a reasonable price!

Did that 5/16"-24 catch anybody's attention? I see reference to 8mm, 9mm, and 10mm; and I presume that is for the inside. There are also references to 13mm and 16mm and probably others. Point is, I would expect these to be metric (a '94 Saturn), but 5/16"24 fits better than an 8mm...

 

[JackC]

Are you referring to the ports you connect the gauges to? Are they 134a or R12? I may have one brass one for you. I do not have an easy way to tell if it is 5/16" -24.

Assuming it is one of the above valves, you may be able to punch the schrader valve in for a second and clear the possible dirt that is making it leak.

 

[billr]

R134a, the "small" type. No , I don't mean high vs. low; the damned things come in two different size series! If it is the correct style of cap, it will have a male thread down inside a cup. Not the easiest thing to make.

Yes, depressing the valve might cure it, although I have already done that just connecting the gauges. That is a frustration for me. I can pull a vacuum or pressurize to check for leaks, but once I disconnect from the port I am using for vac/press, that valve will still be an "unknown". A good solid cap is would cover that possibility.

 

[JackC]

I do not have anything like that. Sorry.

 

[billr]

I've been searching, looks like I will have to make. The mystery of the thread is solved, though. I think it is M8x1.0 Most 8mm screws are M8x1.25 I do have a couple of M8x1.0 "in stock", though. The M8x1.0 screws in slightly easier (with fingers) than the 5/16"-24, but they both go in the same depth to the bottom of the threads in the port. I would use the 5/16" without much worry if I didn't already have the M8x1.0

 

[JackC]

Good. Hope it works for you.

 

[nickb2]

Would something like these work for you bill, link is for a pair of what seems stainless and probably local north america

Billet A/C Charge Port Covers

an fittings, an radiator adapters, an hose ends, 20an thermostat housing, 20an radiator adapters, an hose, npt to an adapters, stainless steel an brake fittings

autoplumb.com

 

[nickb2]

Try to e mail them with what you need. They probably have, the site is just not a typical amazone thing with a gazillion products.

 

[nickb2]

Ali epress also has some brass knurled kits to, but those would take months to obtain.

 

[nickb2]

Just asking, whas this a convert or did it come out back then r134. Cuz from memory, a saturn of that era was r12.

Scratch that, just checked mitchel, it was r134 as of 94. .

 

[billr]

Yes, those billet ones are what I am looking for. They even have a hole in the end of the male thread so they can't depress the valve stem as you tighten them down, like the plastic ones do!

I will email them. The price is right, I don't want to bother making.

 

[nickb2]

Cool, hope you find what you need there, if not, like I said, ali baba or something has brass ones also.

I also found these ones if ever you want something cool to look at, they have diifferent colors and such I think. https://www.southernrods.com/a-c-and-heat-components/billet-service-port-caps-fits-134a.html

 

[NickD]

Another curse put upon us with the Al Gore legacy, quick coupler ports, very similar to air compressor quick couplers that also leak like crazy. The sealing diaphragm is large definitely larger than the Scharder valve that cost 50 cents it replaced, once depressed, never seats properly and you end of with leaks. Screw you Al Gore, you crook. Where R-12 port caps were metal with a neoprene seal, these are plastic, low pressure side tends to last a bit long, but the high side gets red hot.

Where R-12 increase with temperature opposed to pressure was linear, R-134a increases at an exponential rate. If you purchased brand new vehicle, you never want to remove these cap and depress the valve, you will get leaks. If that port leaks, only repair is to replace the entire low or high pressure lines, some vehicles for the high side, least 150 bucks, if you do the math, more than 50 cents, even have a tool that replaces a Scharder valve without having to recover the refrigerant, this is all ancient history.

R-12 was never proven to deplete the ozone layer and all started with satellites over the south pole, size of the ozone layer dramatically decreased mostly because you need sunlight, but when a complete crooked idiot like Al Gore under Crooked Bill is in charge, the whole world gets robbed. R-12 is the only safe propellant for asthma sufferers and these crooks wanted to ban that as well.

Key element in R-12 is chlorine, not found in nature, R-12 is 100% biodegradable and the percentage of emissions is nothing compared to the chlorine used in out drinking water. R-134a is not biodegradable and now is blamed for global warming. Really have idiots running our country.

20 bucks for a set of caps, use to be less than a quarter for R-12, waste your time and write your congressman, won't even know what you are talking about, most have degrees in BS.

 

[billr]

I'm kind of wishing I had posted this in the Lounge...

The guy with the billet ones says they are out of stock; expects some next week, but I will probably make some before then.

 

[NickD]

More than likely coronavirus will be the end of the communistic government in China. Sure gave the USA the shaft in WW II, our men lost their lives fighting the Japanese that took over a good share of China. The thanks we got for this, is China joining the Soviet Union in 1947. Now just about any country in the world is suing China for this virus.

Surprised the Chinese people are not rebelling half a billion of them were taken away from there farms to live in fifty sewer covered cities working for 16 hours for a buck a day. Clinton, Gore, Obama, and Bidden got rich off of China, millions of us lost our jobs.

I could work for a buck a day, drop my property and income taxes to a buck per year.