This man deserves a Nobel Prize. I have been thinking I was going crazy - for 3 years to be exact. Went right to my garage and did the oring swap and it worked. I have spent so much money changing stuff. This man is a God Send.
I'm having the same problem! So I youtubed, "how to pierce a stubborn r134a can." And your vid came up! Now I'm going to go try your method! Btw, you're not confusing at all. The vid was very clear.
Funny thing I ran into this vid, i too just tried servicing my 2015 Town and Country AC. Extensive job though, Chrysler wanted $1,500 for the replacing the rear expansion valve, O-rings and evaporator. This took raising van, disconnecting AC pipe junction, lowering van, removing rear panels, screws and bolts, installing new parts, vacuuming the system and re-charging. I did it all myself. everything went fine until this new can tap appeared. Apparently I had one last pierce type can, and bought 3 self sealing cans. Luckily I tried the self-sealing can before the piercing type, where I discovered a "No flow" of gas. I was about to return my manifold gauge and hose set, thinking hoses were bad. But then I re-thought everything. Looked on UA-cam and found this issue with the NEW valve needed for sealf-sealing cans. Headed out to Auto Zone and picked up the valve and I am now ready to re-vacuum and then charge system, but its been Awfully hot, so hot i actually caught a sun tan while in the shade. Plus I almost passed out. At 61, I feel like 78..lol. Be blessed and encouraged Sir.
Hey, I was just going through the same problem, my tap wouldn't release freon, I almost did the gasket thing, but I had a hunch to go to a different store and purchased a different brand of freon, sure enough it was the can of free and I originally had that was faulty, not the tap. The tap I have now has the gasket and pierces the can. So before you do all this, check to see if it's the cans themselves that are defective. Edit: just returned the can at Advanced Auto, and the guy at counter said happens often with their cans.
That's interesting, thank you very much for your video. I've had my own troubles with these can taps, I've actually had a few of them stop flowing refrigerant. I found your video trying to understand my current problem. Apparently the self-sealing valve on these cans is very delicate and only meant to be opened and closed once. It seems that with some can taps if you screw it all the way down, that will be too much, and it flows less. And then once you back the knob on the can tap off a little bit, to try troubleshooting why it's not flowing, the self-sealing valve starts flowing even worse. So while I haven't experienced your exact scenario, I'm thinking that to avoid these type of troubles one could start with just screwing the can top in halfway, and watching the gauges until it starts flowing. And then leaving it there, and not touching the valve on the can tap anymore. I noticed that the cans from O'Reilly's sealed back up reliably, whereas the one from Walmart has this cheapo plastic that looks chewed up from the can tap. When I went to return my gauges, thinking it might be the gauges that were clogged up, the Walmart R134a can was spewing all over and I had to play with the self-sealing valve with my Leatherman to get it to seal. I guess that's why it's cheap. Just trying to add my own frustrating experiences with these can taps to see if we can all figure out what the hell is wrong with these things. It's worse than watching paint dry trying to get a can of refrigerant into the system past 50 psi when these damn cans clog up.
It's been a while since I messed with hvac , sounds like things have gotten worse. I wonder were the cans are made , or if some crazy new epa warden that never had a real job in its life is involved. It's a plot to make all DIY people 🤪
I had that valve problem today. Worked well with the green o-ring and sanding the collar down a bit. But, always rinse the valve under the tap and dry with compressed air to prevent contaminants.
There's 2 types of R134a cans, and of course, 2 types of can taps. The old style for piercing, (non-EPA compliant), or new, EPA compliant, "self-sealing" can taps. Use the corresponding can tap, and you won't have to sand or change any gaskets. And if you're using a gauge set, you'll need an R134a set, as the old R12 hose threads are different. You could get R12 to R134a adapters, but I believe the pressure ranges are slightly different.
I had the same problem 2 days ago. The can tap valve (Pittsburgh brand) wouldn't let the refrigerant out, after many attempts, I unscrewed the tap valve from the can under the expectation that the shcrader valve on the refrigerant can would do its job of self-sealing. BAD news, that refrigerant wouldn't stop coming out of the can. I left it alone until the gas exhausted. I went to UA-cam & google and found about 1 dozen videos reporting the very same experience. By the way, the refrigerant can that I got from Walmart is a SuperTech, 12 OZ for $9 and cents. The manifold gauges (I got mine from Amazon) should come READY attachments to be connected to either R-1234a can or with R123Rye can (which costed me over $45.00 per a 4oz can). This industry must do a better job by providing customers with no need to go elsewhere to solve this problem (customer problem and EPA regulation)
I do not know how old you are , but I tell people all the time. How when I was a kid. 1950s early 60s companies would lie about their products , and what they were suppose to be able to do and lots of bold promises, and got away with it. I guess it had been going on forever , but people finally started complaining and the government stepped in. And it got cleaned up pretty good. But I see that it has back slided. And today it may be worse then ever. Lots of insane claims, and shoddy junk. When you go down to your local auto parts store . The part you buy may turn out to not fit or work right. And you have to make it work . Maybe I am nuts. 🤪 I see now they even have refrigerators that explode . 💥
Thanks! I just had the same problem, swapped out the thick gasket in the adaptor for a thinner orf hydraulic o-ring and it worked like a charm! Maybe some variance between cans, valve set a different heights, some work, some don't?
Update: I bailed on sanding the rubber seal, went to Walmart and got the blue retro-fit cap for $4 n change. A/C is done and I'm getting the brass valve for the next go-round! All the same, thanks for the very useful suggestion and takin the time to make this video!
I removed that flat seal thingy and now I have no trouble putting R134 into my vehicles. With the seal removed, I did not detect any gas leakage at the tap. Also, I measured the seal,the thickness is .07 inches, or 1.9 mm.
Sorry excuse the typos I meant new can s have shredder valves so it does not need piercing it's self-sealing but you do need to buy the new adapter that has a flat pin instead of sharp
I don't understand how all of the companies selling tools like this can make a product without doing a simple tolerance stackup, or some quality checks to verify that the product actually works. Its like all that is even offered to the average consumer is lookalike tools that pretend to be the thing that you need. I myself ended up doing some grinding work to allow the pin to travel further but for someone who seldom needs these tools its easy to forget.
Bureaucracy, Payola , watch the movie Grapes of Wrath. The man on the CAT tells the farmer asvhe is about to plow his home over , there is no person t the top , it's a corporation.
Thanks, i thought i was doing something wrong or my ac system wasnt working properly. I am an engineer and just dont understand who would design something and not do a thorough function test!!!
I live in Canada, went State side, same thing stuck unable to tap into the cans, bought 2, ended up tossing out. did not notice it has a safety valve needs an adapter
Interesting enough, I just learned this, the new 134a cans have a re-sealing shcrader valve. You no longer pierce the can, its a new epa thing so the gas does not escape out into the environment. The old piercing valves are obsolete and have been replaced with flat tipped pin. So when you are done and you have not used all the freon, you can save it for another time.
The old adage holds true.....give a person a little bit of knowledge and it makes them DANGEROUS. I just found out the hard way that the new cans / valves are now different......SELF SEALING can tops will not work well with old puncture pin valves. You need a valve with the center tip that is more like a pin punch...not sharp and pointed. You might be able to twist in the old pointed puncture units but it will damage the self-sealing Schrader valve mechanism.
I got pissed off and just let the refrigerant on my self sealing cans spew out into the already fucked up atmosphere 😂 After buying and trying different cans and self sealing adapters that don't work worth a shit!! Fuck
u need plastic adapter screws on can then u screw tap on adapter attach ur hoses and close tap and adapter pushes down on seal in can then turn tap counter clockwise a few turns tell u feel freon flowing the plactic adapters come in different styles they sale a blue one and i have a black one
Hope it works for you. Always be careful.when working with refridegerent . It is under pressure and can be dangerous. Have on Safety glasses and no flame ect.
Just buy the right tap next time. You don't pierce the new ones you open up a rubber check valve and then it closes the valve when you retract the needle.
I have this problem today its a hit and miss i manage to work on one of the can but not on the other one , What was your best solution to this problem?
Hey gys, the new can ourself ceiling they have shredded off so no piercing is needed you need to change your adapter from old to new it's not sharp needle it's flat pin
You are correct sir his trying to use the OLD can adapter on the NEW style cans. The NEW style cans have a valve in them (ie) SELF SEALING.You need to keep up with the changes Ponti Maniac!
@@pontimaniac2303 very true and my brand new ac manifold gauge is also different 1/4the yellow one so I hade to get an adapter which turns it to 1/2 ACME why cant they stick with a regular size?
@@uriel0002 I do not know. But every year they come out with a new type of a whatchamecallit. And I have to buy a new tool . Called a whydoineedit .I still have not gotten over the change to the metric system. 🤣
I’ve wasted more refrigerant with these stupid self seal cans than I ever did with the pierce ones. That’s government for you. More stupid shit , extra costs, and ends up worse for the environment.
Geesh! The newer cans have a valve, and the needle is blunt, so it is not ruined by the newer blunt can tap. Older cans use a sharp needle, and are made to be punctured.Older cans are still out there for sale and need the older can tap. Newer cans use a blunt (rounded) can tap. Perhaps if you read what it says on the newer cans. ua-cam.com/video/eUQYjodqEPo/v-deo.html
This man deserves a Nobel Prize. I have been thinking I was going crazy - for 3 years to be exact. Went right to my garage and did the oring swap and it worked. I have spent so much money changing stuff. This man is a God Send.
I just started doing this and Im having the same problem,glad I found your video.
I'm having the same problem! So I youtubed, "how to pierce a stubborn r134a can." And your vid came up! Now I'm going to go try your method! Btw, you're not confusing at all. The vid was very clear.
Thanks buddy I thought I was an idiot but now I see those new self sealing cans are crap!!
You Sir just saved me time and money from buying another valve and returning the can back to the store. Thank you!
I tip my hat to you sir, for your extensive trial and error success. There should be more folks such as yourself. Thank you.
Don't need more folks like me. I get into too much trouble , 🤪😇
@@pontimaniac2303 😂🤣😅
Funny thing I ran into this vid, i too just tried servicing my 2015 Town and Country AC. Extensive job though, Chrysler wanted $1,500 for the replacing the rear expansion valve, O-rings and evaporator. This took raising van, disconnecting AC pipe junction, lowering van, removing rear panels, screws and bolts, installing new parts, vacuuming the system and re-charging. I did it all myself. everything went fine until this new can tap appeared. Apparently I had one last pierce type can, and bought 3 self sealing cans. Luckily I tried the self-sealing can before the piercing type, where I discovered a "No flow" of gas. I was about to return my manifold gauge and hose set, thinking hoses were bad. But then I re-thought everything. Looked on UA-cam and found this issue with the NEW valve needed for sealf-sealing cans. Headed out to Auto Zone and picked up the valve and I am now ready to re-vacuum and then charge system, but its been Awfully hot, so hot i actually caught a sun tan while in the shade. Plus I almost passed out. At 61, I feel like 78..lol. Be blessed and encouraged Sir.
Hey, I was just going through the same problem, my tap wouldn't release freon, I almost did the gasket thing, but I had a hunch to go to a different store and purchased a different brand of freon, sure enough it was the can of free and I originally had that was faulty, not the tap. The tap I have now has the gasket and pierces the can. So before you do all this, check to see if it's the cans themselves that are defective.
Edit: just returned the can at Advanced Auto, and the guy at counter said happens often with their cans.
That's interesting, thank you very much for your video. I've had my own troubles with these can taps, I've actually had a few of them stop flowing refrigerant. I found your video trying to understand my current problem. Apparently the self-sealing valve on these cans is very delicate and only meant to be opened and closed once. It seems that with some can taps if you screw it all the way down, that will be too much, and it flows less. And then once you back the knob on the can tap off a little bit, to try troubleshooting why it's not flowing, the self-sealing valve starts flowing even worse. So while I haven't experienced your exact scenario, I'm thinking that to avoid these type of troubles one could start with just screwing the can top in halfway, and watching the gauges until it starts flowing. And then leaving it there, and not touching the valve on the can tap anymore. I noticed that the cans from O'Reilly's sealed back up reliably, whereas the one from Walmart has this cheapo plastic that looks chewed up from the can tap. When I went to return my gauges, thinking it might be the gauges that were clogged up, the Walmart R134a can was spewing all over and I had to play with the self-sealing valve with my Leatherman to get it to seal. I guess that's why it's cheap. Just trying to add my own frustrating experiences with these can taps to see if we can all figure out what the hell is wrong with these things. It's worse than watching paint dry trying to get a can of refrigerant into the system past 50 psi when these damn cans clog up.
It's been a while since I messed with hvac , sounds like things have gotten worse. I wonder were the cans are made , or if some crazy new epa warden that never had a real job in its life is involved. It's a plot to make all DIY people 🤪
@@pontimaniac2303 i think i had a clogged gauge set too. I got a new gauge set and i got two cans in, no problems. Then, my ATC module failed.
Thanks for your video. I was getting ready to buy another brand of the can tap. I went ahead and used an o-ring. Finally was able to finish the job.
I had that valve problem today.
Worked well with the green o-ring and sanding the collar down a bit.
But, always rinse the valve under the tap and dry with compressed
air to prevent contaminants.
Great info bro ! Having that same problem, thanks for being realistic 👍👍👍
There's 2 types of R134a cans, and of course, 2 types of can taps. The old style for piercing, (non-EPA compliant), or new, EPA compliant, "self-sealing" can taps. Use the corresponding can tap, and you won't have to sand or change any gaskets. And if you're using a gauge set, you'll need an R134a set, as the old R12 hose threads are different. You could get R12 to R134a adapters, but I believe the pressure ranges are slightly different.
Hero! That absolutely worked. Thank you.
Thank you for the info sir!
I agree with dirkmann been going crazy trying to figure out what was wrong... this is a godsend... thanks dude...
I had this problem. Just bought the one that pierces the side of the can, boom instant satisfaction!
looked everywhere for help with this problem. you are the only one that helped. thanks a lot. you da mann
I have that problem right now. THAMK YOU!!!
You nailed it. I was struggling with this problem l. Thankyou!!!
Thank you. I have the same issue
I had the same problem 2 days ago. The can tap valve (Pittsburgh brand) wouldn't let the refrigerant out, after many attempts, I unscrewed the tap valve from the can under the expectation that the shcrader valve on the refrigerant can would do its job of self-sealing. BAD news, that refrigerant wouldn't stop coming out of the can. I left it alone until the gas exhausted. I went to UA-cam & google and found about 1 dozen videos reporting the very same experience. By the way, the refrigerant can that I got from Walmart is a SuperTech, 12 OZ for $9 and cents. The manifold gauges (I got mine from Amazon) should come READY attachments to be connected to either R-1234a can or with R123Rye can (which costed me over $45.00 per a 4oz can). This industry must do a better job by providing customers with no need to go elsewhere to solve this problem (customer problem and EPA regulation)
I do not know how old you are , but I tell people all the time. How when I was a kid. 1950s early 60s companies would lie about their products , and what they were suppose to be able to do and lots of bold promises, and got away with it. I guess it had been going on forever , but people finally started complaining and the government stepped in. And it got cleaned up pretty good. But I see that it has back slided. And today it may be worse then ever. Lots of insane claims, and shoddy junk. When you go down to your local auto parts store . The part you buy may turn out to not fit or work right. And you have to make it work . Maybe I am nuts. 🤪 I see now they even have refrigerators that explode . 💥
Sir,thank you very much,it worked perfectly
Ok I’m going to try this I’ve had the same issue for several years and has been driving my nuts
Thanks! I just had the same problem, swapped out the thick gasket in the adaptor for a thinner orf hydraulic o-ring and it worked like a charm! Maybe some variance between cans, valve set a different heights, some work, some don't?
I'm sanding down my green gasket while watching your video and reading the comments 😂😂
Update: I bailed on sanding the rubber seal, went to Walmart and got the blue retro-fit cap for $4 n change. A/C is done and I'm getting the brass valve for the next go-round! All the same, thanks for the very useful suggestion and takin the time to make this video!
i'm doing exactly this at the moment... reading the comments definitely gives me something to do while i sand
I just ordered the pierce tool, the one that make a hole to the can, it’s easier and faster!
I removed that flat seal thingy and now I have no trouble putting R134 into my vehicles.
With the seal removed, I did not detect any gas leakage at the tap.
Also, I measured the seal,the thickness is .07 inches, or 1.9 mm.
Thank you very much! Issue solved!
Very happy it helped you out.
Thank you!
tip on rubber washer they stick to can an get lost i use rubber fuel hose cut lil slice pop on an back in business it seals great
Sorry excuse the typos I meant new can s have shredder valves so it does not need piercing it's self-sealing but you do need to buy the new adapter that has a flat pin instead of sharp
I'll bet this self sealing can is driving a lot of people nuts. Buy a Boltigen self sealing r134a can tap valve. This takes care of the problem.
It helped me
I don't understand how all of the companies selling tools like this can make a product without doing a simple tolerance stackup, or some quality checks to verify that the product actually works. Its like all that is even offered to the average consumer is lookalike tools that pretend to be the thing that you need. I myself ended up doing some grinding work to allow the pin to travel further but for someone who seldom needs these tools its easy to forget.
Bureaucracy, Payola , watch the movie Grapes of Wrath. The man on the CAT tells the farmer asvhe is about to plow his home over , there is no person t the top , it's a corporation.
Dam I returned a can and bought another and same problem I was going nuts I'm going to check my line tomorrow
YEPP!!! ME!!! Damn gasket.... I have the same prob.
Thanks, i thought i was doing something wrong or my ac system wasnt working properly. I am an engineer and just dont understand who would design something and not do a thorough function test!!!
They never gave me a problem in the past . But boom from out of nowhere. Lots of auto parts today are of poor quality. And do not fit well.
I live in Canada, went State side, same thing stuck unable to tap into the cans, bought 2, ended up tossing out. did not notice it has a safety valve needs an adapter
Interesting enough, I just learned this, the new 134a cans have a re-sealing shcrader valve. You no longer pierce the can, its a new epa thing so the gas does not escape out into the environment. The old piercing valves are obsolete and have been replaced with flat tipped pin. So when you are done and you have not used all the freon, you can save it for another time.
Modify an old style piercing valve with O-ring, than file piercing point off flat so that it pushes on Schrader.
Very good information, I also noticed that the cans themselves are another variable. Some work fine but others not so good with the reselalable pin
Yes. With all today's technology. Somehow it's still hit or miss ,
The old adage holds true.....give a person a little bit of knowledge and it makes them DANGEROUS. I just found out the hard way that the new cans / valves are now different......SELF SEALING can tops will not work well with old puncture pin valves. You need a valve with the center tip that is more like a pin punch...not sharp and pointed. You might be able to twist in the old pointed puncture units but it will damage the self-sealing Schrader valve mechanism.
I got pissed off and just let the refrigerant on my self sealing cans spew out into the already fucked up atmosphere 😂 After buying and trying different cans and self sealing adapters that don't work worth a shit!! Fuck
u need plastic adapter screws on can then u screw tap on adapter attach ur hoses and close tap and adapter pushes down on seal in can then turn tap counter clockwise a few turns tell u feel freon flowing the plactic adapters come in different styles they sale a blue one and i have a black one
tried this.. still doesn't work. at least the blue one from walmart didn't
"My old Brain is confused - so I got a new one." Where did you pick up a new Brain?
I never used it too much. So is still almost like new.
I hear ya brother. I got it figured though but it made me tired. Time for a nap.
Mine worked by unscrewing the can just a little, then it started going in but I will try sanding my rubber ring to see if that helps!
Not all cans are alike nor taps. And the one I did was now a while ago. Hope you have success.
I am having the same problem with the can for 1234 Freon can. I will try your fix.
Hope it works for you. Always be careful.when working with refridegerent . It is under pressure and can be dangerous. Have on Safety glasses and no flame ect.
Just buy the right tap next time.
You don't pierce the new ones you open up a rubber check valve and then it closes the valve when you retract the needle.
I have this problem today its a hit and miss i manage to work on one of the can but not on the other one , What was your best solution to this problem?
I'm sorry but so long ago , I forgot . 😔
Hey gys, the new can ourself ceiling they have shredded off so no piercing is needed you need to change your adapter from old to new it's not sharp needle it's flat pin
You are correct sir his trying to use the OLD can adapter on the NEW style cans. The NEW style cans have a valve in them (ie) SELF SEALING.You need to keep up with the changes Ponti Maniac!
I got a flat one but still no luck. All the can tappers I have purchased don't work.
Seems like a lot of things that use to be simple , are now messed up. They want you to go broke.
@@pontimaniac2303 very true and my brand new ac manifold gauge is also different 1/4the yellow one so I hade to get an adapter which turns it to 1/2 ACME why cant they stick with a regular size?
@@uriel0002 I do not know. But every year they come out with a new type of a whatchamecallit. And I have to buy a new tool . Called a whydoineedit .I still have not gotten over the change to the metric system. 🤣
@@pontimaniac2303 very true a must have 😅😅
I’ve wasted more refrigerant with these stupid self seal cans than I ever did with the pierce ones. That’s government for you. More stupid shit , extra costs, and ends up worse for the environment.
Go to 4:45.
I fell in , to a burning ring of fire, the ac went down an the heat. It got higher. 😂🤣😂
Geesh!
The newer cans have a valve, and the needle is blunt, so it is not ruined by the newer blunt can tap.
Older cans use a sharp needle, and are made to be punctured.Older cans are still out there for sale and need the older can tap.
Newer cans use a blunt (rounded) can tap.
Perhaps if you read what it says on the newer cans.
ua-cam.com/video/eUQYjodqEPo/v-deo.html
Too bad you don't know what size and spec the o-ring is.
I have no idea . Back yard shade tree type stuff is what I do. I have trouble with a 12 inch ruler
Wrong tap
Every adapter is JUNK
How about politicians 🤔
They didn't work wrong tap email me and I will show you the right tap