My matco set of gauges was about 180, but i also got some from harbor freight for 50 on special, and the vacuum pump I got from harbor freight for 80, the readings on the gauges can tell you if you have a bad compressor, clogged orifice tube, or if the system has a leak if the system doesn't hold a vacuum after using a vacuum pump, easier looking for a leak using freon with dye in it that shows under black light, and don't use the leak detectors that use a flame creates a poisonous gas when burning r-134, don't think you can get those anymore though.

 

Maybe I will see how much they want before I just throw the 50 at it?

 

I definitely feel you on that one, my leather seats get hot as hell too! Just trying to get this solved. I'm gonna work on it this coming up week if I can get back home hopefully.

 

Yup you can do that, I only mentioned the a/c pro because I thought you knew that the car didn't have a leak. So yeah, have the guy put the system under a vacuum and see what happens.

 

I totally agree w/ you and I am on the fence. I doubt it has a leak. I think the p/o just never spent a nickel on it.

 

So if i buy the a/c pro and it has pressure I should not charge it? My cold air seemed to gradually go away and it still has a slight chill to it but its about as cool as the air outside. Does that mean i should not have a leak? Just moved to orlando and looking to get it fixed as soon as possible.

 

Depending on where the pressure is at. If it's in the green zone on the a/c pro gauge, don't do it. If it's low on pressure, you can recharge it till it's where it's supposed to be but keep an eye on it, if it goes low on pressure again, you have a leak somewhere.

 

You can also pressure test with dry nitrogen. Then you can simply spray soapy water from a spray bottle on all your connections and hoses/tubing and see if you have a leak. I have a small one right now and it is the most common type. The valve core on the low side connection. Check that and see if you can see the refrigerant oil built up in it. It will be a greenish color. Once you find your leak and repair it, put the system in a vacuum of about 27 in/hg and see if it holds. If it drops in vacuum a little bit but then holds, there may be some moisture left in the system. If so, pull into vacuum longer to get rid of that moisture and retest. If it holds then recharge it and you should be good to go. And whoever told you that your compressor "looked like it was about to go out" has no idea. Unless they tore your compressor apart and there was damage inside, there isnt really any way to see on the outside that it is going. Pretty much the only way would be to charge it to the appropriate level, and put a manifold on the high and low sides. If the discharge pressure is way low or if the low side and high side are almost equal, then the vales inside are bad and the compressor would need to be rebuilt or replaced. Hope this helps. Best of luck.

Additionally, the reason a lot of people see low charges on slightly older cars even though they never find any leaks is that the compounds in the rubber hoses of the system do allow tiny amounts of refrigerant to slowly seep through over time. It is kind of a way to keep business going. Every so often you will need to buy a can of refrigerant. And so goes the vicious cycle.