AC recharge woes

[bstone]

With the help of this forum I found the Low Pressure connector. I hooked up the pressure gauge and got 0 PSI. I turned on the AC and the engine trying to get it to read something, but in the end I only got 0 PSI.

I have the recharge kits, but a friend tells me not to do this. Instead he says I must bring it in to "vaccume" the system. Is this for real? It's 104 F today and I really would like AC.

Thanks.

 

[shamaal]

Eventually your thread will end up un the A/C and heater subforum:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=123

There are a number of stickies at the top that are highly informative and worth a night's reading.

To answer your question:

It boils down to doing it the right way and doing enough to get by.
The right way is to evacuate (vaccum) the system to remove moisture, hold vaccum for 15 minutes (check for leaks) and then fill with R134a.

If the moisture is not removed it reacts with the refrigerant to form hydrochloric acid which has a bad effect on the system.

Having said that, use of the cheapie kits assumes no leaks exist and no moisture in the system. Sometime it works and sometimes it don't. A minimum set of specialty tools to do your system is $150 - $200., free if you have A/C savvy friends and read this forum. Taking it into a servicing center costs $29 - $69. If competent you'll end up with a working system or a guess at what's wrong. Do the repair yourself and bring it back for service.

Hope this helps, feel free to ask questions.

 

[bstone]

thank you. I do appreciate the information. I cannot tell you how valuable it is. Should I go to a regular shop or find a speciality shop?

 

[shamaal]

I am unfamiliar with the Boston area. For a routine top off, any special in the paper or at the dealer should do. As a minimum the shop should evacuate the system, hold the vacuum and charge the refrigerant. The $69 places generally include the refrigerant. The $29 places charge extra for the refrigerant and shop supplies.
If they cannot hold the vacuum or a leak is found what happens next is dependant upon the skill of the technician. As a minimum expect the accumulator to be replaced; this is good practice ($60 part and $60 labor). On top of this will be replacement of any faulty parts, o-rings, etc.
It has been my experience that, with the aid of this forum, one can replace every part of the air conditioning system and purchase the specialty tools for <$1000.