AC Recharge ???

[OL Crony]

i've read it on this site that many people recharge their ac systems themselves. is this actually possible? how is this done? yesterday, my ac stopped blowing cold air.

a lil background info, my compressor & such was replaced a couple of years ago. could it have gone bad already? if not, how long is the freon supposed to last?

az

 

[Audio_1]

yeah, you can do it yourself, you need a gauge, and you only fill on the suction side.

 

[Robert]

Yes, you can do it youself. Freon will last forever, or until it leaks out, whichever comes first. If your system is working great one day and then the next it blows hot, then just a recharge will not work (at least for more than a few days). It means either you have a major leak or something else failed that new freon isn't going to fix. Recharging a system that has a very slow leak can often times get you through the summer. That is where I am at on my '97. About March I have to add a can of refridgerant to it since it doesn't blow ice cold. By October the A/C is starting to warm up a bit. It is leaking out somewhere. I just haven't bothered to find out where since a can of refridgerant only costs $6. You can charge either type of system (R12 or H134A) with the $20 kit that is available at most autoparts stores. Just don't expect it to fix the problem or last forever.

 

[Robb]

With your 92, you are going to have an R-12 system. R-12 is extremely expensive these days(and you are actually not supposed to be able to purchase it or handle it legally without being certified), and is the reason most people will advise your to convert to a R-134a system. The conversion kits, mentioned earlier, are very user friendly and usually don't require the purchasing of a gauge kit (although, it would help). One warning though, if you had any small leaks with the R-12, they will now be big leaks with the R-134a.

Then again, as Robert stated, if you had a/c one day, then suddenly didn't have it the next, it probably isn't a freon leak.

Robb

 

[mmsdrummer]

Is it right that with a couple of small adapters, you can just put r-134a in the r-12 system without changing compressors? This is considering that all leaks are fixed...