I bought a ReChill kit from AutoZone, it has R-134a plus Stop Leak. The directions are somewhat unclear. I've read that I should vaccum out the system first, etc. I can't do that. If some1 could give me a quick walk thru. The main thing is that, is this ok to do for my car, and where do I connect it. It keeps saying I can die if I connect it to the high side, lol. I looked under the hood, there is a blue **** with the letter "L" on it, on a pipe near the front of my car. I'm guessing thats where i'm supposed to connect it.

My AC will work for like 10-20 minutes, then it will stop blowing out cold air, if I let it sit overnight it will do the same thing. If some1 can give me a few hints on what to do that'd be great. I searched around but didn't find anything in particular for my car.

 

Welcome to HCF! I know not having AC in the summer is frustrating. [:@] But a freon recharge kit may not be the solution to your problem. You need to check over your AC system to eliminate any other possible causes. Here are a few simple checkpoints...

(1) Make sure your radiator is topped off with coolant. I didn't know this before but low coolant levels can cause hardship on your AC system even though your temp guage is reading fine.

(2) Turn on your car with the AC on and check to see if your condenser fan is blowing. If it is check it again when the air starts to blow hot. Your condenser fan should be running while the AC is on at all times.

(3) When your AC stops blowing cold air, check to see if your compressor is still engaging. You can hear the clutch and it will pull down on your engine.

(4) Check your "condenser fan" and "AC clutch" relays with a voltage tester to make sure they are in working condition.

(5) Go to autozone and invest in a $10 psi guage for R134A system. It will tell you the level of your freon. You may not need more freon and adding more will damage your AC system more. That's why the kit you bought advises evacuating the system first to avoid overfilling.

(6) If your guage is reading high do not add freon, your problem lies elsewhere and adding freon will increase the damage.

(7) If it reads low you may have a leak. Purchase some dye and do a leak test. Instructions are on the kit.

These should be a good start. I don't claim to be an expert but these are some of the most common causes of AC failure that I've seen. Best of luck to you. [sm=smiley20.gif]

 

Thanks, i'll check those out.

The kit came with a pressure gauge, I just wanted to make sure I was hooking it up to the correct valve. The one I see is a valve with a light blue cover that says "L" on it, is this the correct one to hook it up to? Its near my radiator.

Also, i'm beginning to think I should just take it into the dealer or something. I can do it but it seems like there could be many problems with the system, and also you can damage it if you don't vaccum it out first, which I can't do. The kit doens't say to vaccum first but other ppl have said something about it.

 

That's more than likely the one near the radiator with the "L" on it. I'm not exactly sure how A/C lines are placed on an '02, but your high pressure line is probably located near the passenger side firewall. I've got a '95 and my low pressure and high pressure lines run parallel at the front.

But anyway, the high pressure line will have a slightly larger connector so the guage and freon connection device you have should not even fit. They will only fit the low pressure side. You can take the blue caps off, it is safe, there is a small tab within the orifice that has to be pressed to release any contents.

And you're right, there are so many components to an A/C system and that's exactly why you should try some of the more simple troubleshooting yourself. The dealer will use this excuse to rack up more hours on your diagnostic. $80 an hour here in OKC.

Turn your car and A/C on for 3 minutes, then hook up the guage to the low pressure side. If it is high you know not to add freon and you may actually be better off taking it to the dealer for further inspection. If it is low, use a dye to check for leaks. If it has a leak, the bad line will have to be replaced and the system vacuumed and refilled. Hopefully the compressor is not the source of the leak if any.

Since it does work for like 20-30 minutes, that makes me think it is a cooling problem. You should at least check to see if the fan is working and the relays. It could be something that simple, and it would be a waste to pay the dealer $80. I understand if you just don't want to mess with the whole process though. I'm like that sometimes. Available funds has a huge impact on my choice at the time. Best of luck to ya!

 

i dont do much ac work - but i think that rather than a bad line that it would usually just be an o-ring at one of the connectors.