This one is easy and I spent more than I needed, but better safe than sorry.
The air conditioner worked a little before my mom totaled it, but after it worked not at all that I could tell. I am not a fan of CFCs so I rarely used it and thus didn’t care.
Then came Florida. On my first trip from Massachusetts to Florida it was late spring and the heat was bad but not unbearable. I also stopped in Atlanta for a couple of days, and made the trip that far mostly overnight. My first week in Florida the air conditioner for the house was broken and the temperature stayed in the 90s. I got very sick.
So, on my second trip, I planned to have the AC done. But there were all kinds of noises to take care of and when I took it to a mechanic he told me to sell it. ??? I took the car to my mechanic, and on my mom’s advice had the timing belt changed (expensive, but that is too much for me to tackle at this point) and new tires put on. I saved one of the better tires to use as a spare. But between the tires and the timing belt, I had no money left to do the recharge – they generally charge anywhere from $80 and up in MA. So I did a little research and found that there are instructions all over the internet for how to do this.
The only sticky part was not knowing if it didn’t work because there was a huge hole or some other malfunction. I tested the air conditioner and it could have been my imagination, but I thought the air coming out was slightly cooler. The other key was testing it in the rain – I let my windshield fog up, and turned the air on along with the defroster – it worked like crap, but it worked.
I bought an extra cold air conditioning refill kit (can of freon, hose and pressure gauge) and some refill with dye, along with a UV flashlight. My plan was to use the kit and if the air conditioner didn’t work I would use the dye to find and repair the leak.
I followed the instructions on the can.
I found the low pressure side port – it’s the one closest to the firewall – and took the blue cap off – I put it in my pocket since I am inclined to lose such things.
the low pressure side port
Warning! I would not, I reapeat not do this repair if Icouldn’t tell which was the low pressure side port – unless I wanted to ruin my car and maybe die. I might be crazy, but I’m not stupid.
I started the car, put the air conditioner on high, and attached the refill. It was one with a leak stopper that said to put some freon in, see if the compressor came on and if it didn’t, take the car to a mechanic.
I attached the hose and followed the filling instructions which said to shake and rotate the can at the same time (I alternated shaking and rotating). At first the pressure went up, then it went to zero. I was sure this meant a hole, so I stopped and let it run a little. Then I realized I had not opened the valve on the can completely, so I opened it again – this time all the way. To my delight, the pressure started rising steadily.
I wore goggles and gloves, and kept my head out from under the hood – it was at least 90 degrees and I don’t fancy explosions. When the pressure was close to the recommended level for the ambient temperature, I shut off the valve. Then I got into the car and enjoyed the air conditioning for about 15 minutes (some sites say let it go for 20 minutes, but I was planning on driving later that day).
Filling the Air Conditioner
The guy at the parts store had recommended two cans based on his looking up the capacity of my model, but this refill only used one can – and that one wasn’t completely used up. I have the can stored in a cool place in my house because I didn’t fill it to the recommended pressure – I am waiting for a cool day to do that.
How does it work – it’s cold. It’s mercifully cold, and now I can drive when the heat is bad, but more importantly, I can dry the air in the car when it’s humid. Heat I can stand. Humidity is hell.
My suggestion as always is don’t try this at home – I am willing to take chances with my car and my life. You, however, are not crazy and therefore should think about it.
Nick's Knack 