Fault Code Guide

Refrigerant
WARNING
R–134a is the only refrigerant that is approved
for use on Freightliner vehicles. Several compa-
nies offer less expensive, hydrocarbon-based re-
frigerant, such as propane and methane. Use of
these refrigerants will void the warranty on the
air conditioning system, cause damage to the air
conditioning system, and possibly result in per-
sonal injury or property damage. Leaking air con-
ditioning systems charged with hydrocarbon-
based refrigerants pose a serious risk of fire or
explosion under the hood, or inside the passen-
ger compartment. No vehicle built by Freightliner
Trucks can be safely charged with hydrocarbon-
based refrigerants, regardless of what the refrig-
erant supplier states.
When servicing an air conditioning system, always
use a refrigerant identifier to ensure that the system
has not been charged with something other than
R–134a. This should be standard practice since
there is no way to tell what services have been previ-
ously performed. Identification by service technicians
will help to avoid the risk of explosion and help to
guard against contamination of equipment when re-
frigerant is recovered and recycled.
Refrigerant recovery/charge stations can be pur-
chased from:
SPX Kent-Moore
28635 Mound Road
Warren, Michigan 48092-3499
1-800-328-6657
The vehicle’s refrigerant charge level is printed on a
sticker in the engine bay, on the right side of the ve-
hicle. If the sticker is missing, check Group 83 in
PartsPro (module/subgroup 700) for the proper
sticker and charge information, using the vehicle’s
serial number.
Refrigerant Oil
IMPORTANT: Using the wrong refrigerant oil in
the HVAC system will prevent proper lubrication,
and may cause early failure of system compo-
nents. Always verify that the correct oil is being
used in the system. See Table 1 for refrigerant
oil specifications.
Refrigerant Oil Specification
Refrigerant Oil Capacity
Sanden PAG SP–20 or SP–15 10 fl oz (300 mL)
Table 1, Refrigerant Oil Specification
Temperature/Pressure
Specification Tables (pre-
EPA07 vehicles)
Determining Cooling Package
Size
Before using the temperature/pressure specifications
in Table 2, Table 3, Table 4, and Table 5, determine
whether the vehicle has a small cooling package or a
large cooling package, and what brand of condenser
is installed. This can be done by looking at the con-
denser size and the condenser mounting location.
• See Fig. 1 for an illustration that shows the
difference between the Behr and Modine con-
densers.
08/11/2005 f200687
1
2
1. Behr Condenser 2. Modine Condenser
Fig. 1, Behr and Modine Condensers
Cab Heater and Air Conditioner, Valeo 83.00
Specifications
Business Class M2 Workshop Manual, Supplement 15, March 2009 400/1