Recharging AC

[ilya]

got a question.
my AC hasn't been working too great, the air coming out of it hasn't been very cold at all.
so i went to PepBoys and got a recharge kit for 10 bucks. it has 1 3/4oz of 134a, and about 2-3 ozs of all kinds of other stuff (leak sealant etc)

do you think that should be enough to make the air cold again?

[JAlfredPrufrock]

It might be your a/c compressor.

[ilya]

well this happened before, and the last time i just recharged the AC and it worked for 5 months without problems.
last time i did it, i had a kit that had a guage. this time i didn't wnat to spend an extra 20-30 dollars. i have a 1000 mile trip coming up that will take up a lot of gas plus at least one hotel room, so i need to save as much as possible i guess..
this time though the kit just came with a can, that's it. i emptied it in, it seems to be a bit better but not as cold as i thought it would be. how much 134a does an e34 take?

[Kalevera]

Seems like I've been referencing this one a lot recently:

http://www.koalamotorsport.com/tech/misc/ac.htm

-- be sure to read ALL of it before you stick anything else in your car's A/C system.

best, whit

[winfred]

i avoid leak stop and other snake oil's like death, your car holds around 3.5 pounds of r134 or 4.2 pounds of r12 whichever it is rigged for, generally they will blow somewhat cool at half charge, 16 oz to a pound 12 oz to a can, a can of oil charge is usually 2 oz of oil and 2 oz of freon. the common leak places are the hoses where they go into the compressor, the hoses where they go into the drier and the o-rings at the expansion valve, the leak will usually leave the spot oily from the oil in the ac system

[ilya]

hey thanks, that helps!
well i bought an air filter along with the 134a kit, and the filter was the wrong size (even though it came up as the right one, it was way smaller than what i have in there now), so im gonna take that back and get another can of 134a. looks like i need quite a bit more than wht i put in there today.. thanks for the help!

[ilya]

oh yeah, my car has r134a in it already, i know that for sure, so at least i know im getting the right stuff

[jsvizijr]

Dude, it is really easy to do this. Just go to Walmart and buy a can with the hose and gauge (less than $10), have your car running with the a/c on full. Connect the hose from the can to the hose from the a/c compressor. Turn the can upsidedown, shake it and push the spray button. Hold the spray button and shake the can every so often. When you let up on the button you can read the gauge. Like putting air in your tires.

[ilya]

the nearest walmart is a little farther than i'd like to go right now (studying for finals plus packing, so dont have too much time). pepboys was selling a kit like that for $30. anything lower didn't have a guage. i'll just go back there and pick up one of those i guess