Recharged AC and now the compressor turns on and off constantly

Hey all!

I just attempted to recharge my wifes 99 accord with a 134a recharge kit. According to the chart, with my ambient temps of 110 Deg F, the pressure on the "low" side should have been in the 50-55 psi range. I took a reading and the gauge registered 35 PSI.

So, I attempted to put a can of refrigerant in and the can was giving me fits...leaking around the stem, so I chunked it. I maybe got 10% of the contents in. The second can, same thing, but I let it leak while charging the system, thinking that I got 60% of the can in.

After the second can, the pressure came up a couple PSI. I then went for the third can and before attempting, I installed an o-ring in the valve on the kit to prohibit leaking.

After the third can, the pressure came up to 40 pounds (PSI) and immediately, the compressor kicked off. Then 5 seconds later...on.....5 seconds...off...and the cycle repeats. I took the car for a spin and the compressor is kicking on and off in 4-5 second cycles.

What did I do? Its got pressure. Did I put to much in? Is there a PSH (Pressure switch high) on the system that protects it from over pressure? I only got to 40 PSI and the gauge in the kit doesnt say "Danger" until 60 pounds or so.

H...E...L...P!...!...!....! I'm in Phoenix and its 110-115 during the day now. I dont care if its a dry heat, its freaking HOT!

Thanks in advance guys

Hmmmmm....
The amount of 134 is a lot more critical than the pressures. Pressure means alot, dont get me wrong.

Your compressor is short cycling. Typically this means that you are low on freon. Cycling on and off is normal but yours is way way too fast. Look under the hood for a yellow or blue sticker with a/c info on it. That will usually tell you how much freon your system takes.
For example: say your car takes 1.75 lbs. You need a charge that is very close to this. If you already have 1 lb in the system and you add a can that is 12 oz. you are right on the money. If you add two 12 oz. cans then you are way over full and your system will not cool properly.
Pressures come into play when you have a properly charged system. You should have anywhere from 30 to 45 psi on the low side and anywhere from 175 to 250 psi on the high side.
You were probably low in the beginning and now over full. The best thing to do is have the system evacuated and start completely over.

Thanks for the reply! Thats exactly what I was thinking. I over-filled it. I imagine that the pressures on the low and high side are proportional and that by adding freon and increasing the pressure on the low I proportionally increased the pressure on the high side causing a high pressure shutdown on the compressor. Am I thinking correctly?

I posted this on another forum and someone responded saying that those kits that supply only 1 gauge for the low side are basically worthless. And that a manifold with both gauges (low and high) is needed for proper filling of the system.

Thanks again :)