Hey guys,

I haven't had my car through a hot season yet and haven't had to use the A/C til now. My heater blows real well and the fan blows hard, but when I turn it to A/C, it about the same temp as outside. Do I need just a Freon Recharge or can you guys think of anything else that's wrong with it? It's a 99 and the compressor was replaced about 2 years ago. Any idea of price for a recharge? Recommendations?

 

Mine gets like that about once a year and I just throw in a small can of recharge and it gets cold again. I think it's probably a small leak. I haven't been able to find it. I'd recommend a can of recharge since it sounds the same as mine. The can of freon is usually about $10. The kit with the nozzle may be more but I just reuse the nozzle with the guage and buy new cans now...

 

Can I just get these cans at any automotive store? Where do I put the nozzle, etc? Thanks for the info.

 

Walmart even sells them and for like 15-20 bucks they come with a hose and a cheap gauge looks just like an fix a flat can. Follow the directions on the can.

 

The little bottle worked. I paid $18 for a can and my A/C immediately started blowing cold. Thanks for the help.

 

Just make sure you don't overfill it either... I accidentally did that once... replacing all the o-rings is no fun....

 

you really should have just gone to a shop and have a tech do it. it might have costed you 50 bucks and it would be filled correctly. you probably have a leak in the system somewhere. when you lose refridgerant, you are also losing oil in the system. that oil is what keeps your compressor lubricated. the loss of oil is probably why you had to replace it in the past. if you want to keep this one for a long time i suggest you go somewhere and have the ac serviced. they can inject dye into the system to find the leak. this shouldnt be a big deal.

 

Yea, I'll do that when I get a little more money. It's freakin hot outside, and it's blowing real cold now...I can't complain.

 

i already read that you used the quick recharge cans (highly against it)
i am certified and licensed in a/c repair,
i have a couple questions for you
do you did you get the a/c dryer replaced when you replaced the a/c compressor?
did you have any idea what your a/c system pressures are high/low?
did you inject the correct amout of compressor oil?
is the compressor a new GM, a rebuilt GM, or a aftermarket new/rebuilt?
did you install a new orifice tube?
did you clean the a/c system with denatured alcohol to remove old oils and deposites from the system?
and along with that did you clean the a/c condensor to remove grass, bugs, road debris, etc...
and did you use new a/c seals?
i can tell you that my "vent temp..." is at an icy cold 35-38 degrees
do not confuse vent temp... with cabin temp...
let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks in advance

 

I was refilling mine and finally got around to putting some dye in the system. I found a small leak in the lower line that runs to the evaporator. Did some reading and apparently this line goes bad a lot. You might want to start there. Its about 78$ from GM.

 

It sounds like he doesn't know that much about a/c systems, so I'm pretty sure he doesn't know the answer to any of those questions.

 

Alot of recharge kits come with the oil. And if the kit came with a guage then I don't think he has to worry about putting in too much. I have always recharged my vehicles my WHOLE life and never had any problems. You might want to invest in a can of r134 that has a sealer in it and that may fix it but may not. Only advise I can give you is that when you do recharge it, be sure to have you ac turn on full blast, if not then it won't charge properly. I don't blame you for doing it yourself, shops can charge an arm and a leg.

 

I was quoted between $75 and $150...

 

Yeah that sounds about right. When I had my 99 t/a I took it to 3 different ac shops trying to get a leak fixed and spent over $350 and the system still leaked!!! Thats when I decided to stop wasting money and just try to put a can of sealer in it and that ended up fixing it. Got OWNED by 3 shops but fixed it with a cheap can of sealer. If a can of sealer don't fix it then it will definitely slow the leak down. Good luck