so i re-charged ac inmy 98 civic with r-134a and it sucked it in...i only bought 1 can which the gauge reading i need to buy another. well anyways when im driving and i turn my AC on full blast and then turn it off..i hear a weird noise coming from passenger side floor (behind firewall) i cant really describe the noise but its kinda loud and then you can hear it slowly going away then its no noise at all.goes away within a couple seconds.. well any help would be great thanks.

 

I think you are hearing refrigerant moving through the evaporator, which is located behind the glovebox. Did you measure refrigerant pressure at the high and low sides with manifold gauges? Did you add refrigerant because the system has a major leak? Is the partially recharged A/C system providing cool air?

 

well see thats the thing...im not sure if it has a leak...and yes its blowing cold air as of now....how long will it take to realize i have a leak? and if i do have a leak is there anything to i could put on the a/c valve to stop the leak? i used this stuff r134a with sealer and i beleive something else in it. i hope everything is ok because its HOT where i live

 

Gurgling or hissing sounds are normal from the evaporator area, it's the refrigerant flowing.

Do not put two whole cans in, the full capacity starting from absolutely empty is less than that. You can't tell much with a single gauge. If you are getting cold air, leave it alone. But expect it to leak out again.

 

Did you add refrigerant because the A/C had not been blowing cold?

 

yes it was not blowing out cold air before...basically air from the outside. if i do have a leak..how long will it take for it to go out again?

 

Did you lose cool air suddenly or very gradually over time? If the former case is true, the new refrigerant charge probably won't last long.

 

Do NOT use sealer... oh well, too late. It almost never works to stop leaks, and it can gum up your whole system, turning what was a simple repair into a 4-figure total system replacement.

You'll know it's leaked out again when it stops cooling again. What you can use next time is a can of R-134a with UV leak detection dye. This will leave a bright green mark at the leak location, which can sometimes be seen in daylight or with a special UV light. If you see green in the service ports, dye is already installed.

 

ok i saw that! i will use that as well....will that also top off my charge as well as show me any leaks?\ thanks everyone

 

Yeah the dye can is basically a standard 12 oz can of R-134a with about 0.25 oz (a little goes a long way) of dye added. Only buy two kinds of cans of refrigerant: absolutely plain, and UV dye. And you only need one dye can per car.

If you see dye in your ports now you already have it and you don't need to add more. Dye only comes out of leaks when the system is running. Thus for the next few days, turn the A/C on everywhere you drive even if you don't need it. Then look around for dye. Most leaks occur at connections, or in the condenser when it corrodes or rocks hit it.