# AC



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I have a JD 2355 that I treasure....but it has given me AC problems off and on for 10 years. Last year I put a new compressor, a new dryer, and a new expansion valve on with some R134.....Still does not cool like it should....just able to stay in the cab on a hot day. It has NO leaks in the lines and yes the filters are spotless and the radiators are pristine. Local gurus are all puzzled. Just cant get a handle on this thing. Yesterday I had some of the new to me R416 put in it.....supposed to be closer to the old R12 refrigerant in molecule size....no change. Dont know where to go.

Signed,
Simmering in the Summer(Mike)


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## Will 400m (Aug 1, 2011)

A few questions first how do you know the system is full are you going by a label and puting a specific amount of freon in or are you looking in a sight glass? Next when its warm out what are the preasure readings? And last are the lines frosting up or sweating? and have you stuck a temp guage in the duct to see what the out put temp is? And last is it a cycling system with an oriface tube filter or a varatable venture that the compressor is always running?


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Yes, it has a sight glass. R416 has a little differnt readings than other refrigerants. High about 200 low about 30 as it should be. No, lines are not frosting. Yes, we have taken its vent temp. Like I said, I have had professionals look at it, but no common symptons.


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## Will 400m (Aug 1, 2011)

What were the temps and did you filled untill the bubles stoped?


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## fredro (May 12, 2012)

compressor not big enough have to really circulate the freon to really cool been there done that


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Well...I have a MF 4880 that had numerous "professionals" work on and it was never right. Went thru a couple of compressors, numerous service calls to the farm and took it to the dealer several times. When it worked it didn't work well and even then it would never make it thru the spring before it'd die again.

Several questions,

1: has the system ever been completely flushed? If so was it flushed with a solvent or did they blow it out with refrigerant? Too much oil in the system can act like a insulator keeping the evaporator from getting cold enough. Ideally you want between 4-8% of the total system charge to be oil. Too much oil acts like an insulator and no cold, too little and service life of the compressor is reduced.

2: I had one that would work great for a little while then gradually taper off to nothing. The lines were plugged with the disecant from the receiver dryer when the little filter bag ruptured in it. Took a fish tape to unplug the line.

3: Has it ever had a compressor failure? Our 4880 did and the dealer didn't completely flush the system and the expansion valve was effected. If you have the system completely flushed go ahead and install another new expansion valve.

4: When using 134A pressure higher than 200lb on the high side are not uncommon. A chart is available that uses air temp going thru the condensor to give you what high side pressures should be.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

fredro said:


> compressor not big enough have to really circulate the freon to really cool been there done that


Is lack of good AC on this model tractor a common problem? Could be the original model pump from the factory was lacking. I haven't had it yet, but as soon as I do have any problems I ditch the old Tecumseh/York compressors in favor of a rotary Sanden.


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## Farmall706 (Sep 4, 2011)

Was the original freon R-12? If so, the charge rates are differant. If I remember right, the charge for 134 is less then R-12, If you are charging the same rate then you would have to much freon, sometimes that prevents the proper cooling effect. I have also heard instances of weak batteries preventing the ac from cooling to peak, Finally, did you change the orfice tube when the repairs were made?


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## Will 400m (Aug 1, 2011)

If the orafice tube was partly pluged the line coluld ice up and stop working after a while. If not you would see the spot in the line where it is frost or ice up thats why I asked if the line was getting frosty. Usualy if the system is over full it will work for the first couple minutes then ice up and stop working. Do you see any water driping from the drains where the evaporator is in the cab?


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Thanks for the replies gents....a couple have made me think....I believe I will take Martys suggestion of flushing the system with some solvent and see how that goes.....probably be one day next week before I am able to get to it.

Regards, Mike


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## wrb7686 (Jun 11, 2012)

The John Deere 2355 I think originally had R 12. It is common for converted A/C s to notbe quite as cool, especially at lower speeds. Also the R134 condensers are different. Retro fitting a condenser fron a later model engineered for R134 mayhelp. Another thing is a lot of tractor cabs have lots of glass, some window tint may help.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

wrb7686 said:


> The John Deere 2355 I think originally had R 12. It is common for converted A/C s to notbe quite as cool, especially at lower speeds. Also the R134 condensers are different. Retro fitting a condenser fron a later model engineered for R134 mayhelp. Another thing is a lot of tractor cabs have lots of glass, some window tint may help.


I've heard of the condenser issue before, but have not personally had to do it.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Vol said:


> Thanks for the replies gents....a couple have made me think....I believe I will take Martys suggestion of flushing the system with some solvent and see how that goes.....probably be one day next week before I am able to get to it.
> 
> Regards, Mike


That was the problem with our 4880. The condenser was so oil saturated I could barely even get any flush to go thru it the first time as all the oil had settled to the bottom of the tubes. I know the compressor was changed once in the first year or so after we bought it. I also know it had a small leak I fixed while I had the cab off to do a transmission. I figured our dealer just threw the pump on with a full charge of oil and didn't check the old one. I also figure the previous owners had most likely used several cans of leak stop in it and most of those I've ever seen also have a few ounces of oil as well. Doesn't take much to overload them, I just replaced the Tecumseh reciprocal compressor on the spray rig with a Sanden rotary as the Tecumseh locked up. The tractor holds 56oz of refrigerant which needs then a bare minimum of 2.24 to 4.5 oz of PAG oil. I drained 5.5 oz out of the compressor and Sanden says to figure half a oz is coating teh internals of the compressor so it wa shipped with 6oz which would have been too much, I then added 4.5 oz back for a total of 5oz just to be safe.

Dad was using that tractor today when it was 100 out and said it worked just fine also said he hated to get out of it long enough to walk to his truck.

I used to just take a hose off, fill the end with solvent then put the air hose on it, then repeat, takes forever. For about 45 bucks I bought a flush gun that holds a quart of solvent from our auto parts store. Works much faster and better. The flush they sell with it I'm not overly fond of, seems almost oily. Any of this flush left in the system is supposed to bond and neutralize any water left and increase performance but I think if you don't get as much as possible out you're right back to being oil saturated. I used Xylol for the original flush and still burned up a gallon of that before getting to the actual "AC Flush". Also is expensive, about $65/gallon for the stuff.

Some thing I've found out from a old industrial AC guy and I won't purge a AC system without it, get a cylinder of nitrogen gas. Get yourself the necessary adapter so you can hook your supply line from your gauges to the regulator on the cylinder. Charge the system to 120 psi with nitrogen then get your sudsy water out and start checking for leaks, nitrogen gas is dirt cheap compared to freon. Another huge plus is any water in the system will bond to the gas and make it much easier to completely purge the system of any water vapor when you pull your vacuum.


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## DYNOBOB (Nov 29, 2011)

Could you have a leaky heater control valve? Maybe add an extra shutoff on the heater line?

.


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

Perhaps a stupid thought but have you flushed the water traps or does it have them? my 4430 got clogged.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Nitram said:


> Perhaps a stupid thought but have you flushed the water traps or does it have them? my 4430 got clogged.


No traps.









Regards, Mike


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

plugged water traps will cause the condenser to freeze up, maybe. Our White 4WD's have the evaporator below the seat and the AC will work fine with plugged water traps, but it will ruin the air filter when the condensate splashes up on them. Several of our other tractors have the evaporator over head and when you get plugged water drains they will drip on you, AC still works fine, but you get wet. Maybe JD;s are different, but that's my experience with Whites and MF's.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Hey Mike, ever get the AC working right?

I thought about you on those triple digit days when the windows on my baling tractor kept fogging up from having the AC cranked.


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## Colby (Mar 5, 2012)

Those smaller 55's have major ac problems. 
Our 2555 ac doesn't work at all and has always gave us problems. Now get up to a 4455 and it'll freeze you out. I think those compressors are just to small.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

mlappin said:


> Hey Mike, ever get the AC working right?
> 
> I thought about you on those triple digit days when the windows on my baling tractor kept fogging up from having the AC cranked.


Have not flushed the system yet, but will do so very soon as the fella that will do that for me has been out of sorts for the past month.....on those triple digit days, I just got in a different tractor







my little 2355 drives like a ferarri....great for spraying and raking and tedding and running a disc mower. Nothing I have can wheel around like the 2355.... Colby, the AC for the first 10 years would run you out.....when it started giving trouble it has been a hernia every since. It has a brand new compressor and dryer on it. About 2 weeks ago I took the roof off and took the box apart for a just in case look.....I washed everything spotless, but no change. Really don't have a top notch AC man in the area and I have not been able to solve it myself. I'm still thinking(hoping) about what Marty suggested on flushing the system. Find out soon.

Regards, Mike


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Vol said:


> Really don't have a top notch AC man in the area and I have not been able to solve it myself.
> Regards, Mike


I would think with the weather you have down there a top notch A/C guy would be treated like royalty to the point of getting his choice of virgins.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Not alot of agriculture on my end of the state.....if your not along the river systems then you are in the timber business on most large tracts of real estate. There is a particular JD dealer about 75 miles from me South of Knoxville that is quite capable, but it is such a PITA ordeal. Its been like Guatemala here for the last few weeks....supposedly some dryer air from the North/Central part of the country is supposed to dip down here this weekend. It will be much welcomed. I envy you guys this time of year, but it sure is nice here Nov. thru Feb. We usually have 2-3 cold weeks in January and the rest of the time its pretty moderate. I know the wind can blow like heck up around the lakes in the winter.

Regards, Mike


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Yeah, first part of the winter can be really nasty, cold wind comes across the great lakes and picks moisture up, so not only is it a bitterly cold wind, its a bitterly cold _wet_ wind.

We don't get near as cold as Cy's area of the country but I do recall one winter when I was quite young yet, took Dad and Grandfather half the day to get the tractor on the feed wagon running, once they got it started they took an old canvas tarp, cut a hole in it for the muffler and draped it over the hood of that Super 88 as had to have the feed wagon to feed the milk cows. Covered the radiator, fuel tank and then tied it up tight underneath the belly pan to keep the heat in. Think that tractor was wrapped up for better than a week before the tarp came off, they made sure it had plenty of fuel and left it idle over night.

Coldest I personally had to deal with was a low of -22 one morning not including the wind chill. Think it was January 2009.

I like the weather in the UK myself, rare that it ever hits 80, rare that it ever gets and stays much below freezing as well.


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