It is a lot easier to determine the charge today than in R-12 days. All you
need is the $20 gauge which he has. Connect it on the low pressure line and
look at the gauge. It has a blue area around 40 psi. If the needle is in the
blue area with the compressor running the charge is ok and you need to look
elsewhere. Taking it to a garage is not a finite fix as most know very
little about the system and will add many items that aren't broken. If you
take it to a garage to be fixed make sure it is one that specializes in air
conditioning. As for the initiator of this forum he needs to find an AC
specialist because he does not understand the ac system and hasn't taken the
time to learn the skills needed to do what he is trying.


"Michael Pardee" <michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote in message
news:dbKdnYmYh8FLn-bZnZ2dnUVZ_vOdnZ2d@sedona.net...
> "Phillip" <p@woh.com> wrote in message
> news:lQmeg.18785$fb2.2972@newssvr27.news.prodigy.n et...
>> Hi, I have a 97 Civic EX. Recently my A/C stopped pumping out cold air,
>> it
>> was just hot air as a matter of fact. I went to Target and bought a can
>> of
>> Artic Ice R-134 coolant that had the hose and gauge already built in. I
>> followed instructions exactly. Hooked it up to the low side line,
>> squeezed
>> the trigger, and then nothing. My car isn't sucking this stuff in. What
>> do
>> I need to do? My step-dad is a mechanic and he said I might have to do
>> something with the receiver/drier, but I have no idea where that is or
>> what
>> to do with it.
>>
>>
> I agree with Curly. R-134a systems are even less forgiving of blind
> additions of refrigerant than the old R-12 systems were. At least on those
> you often had a sight glass, and failing that a set of guages gave you all
> the info you needed to get in the ballpark. Not taking in the refrigerant
> makes me think the compressor isn't engaging... which is in itself a
> symptom of all sorts of A/C possible problems.
>
> Count your blessings that it didn't take on more charge. If your charge
> was very low (especially in a car that is only 10 years old) you have a
> leak that needs to be repaired before your A/C will give you decent
> service.
>
> Anyway, I've learned my lesson. In the days of R-12 I'd do it all myself,
> but R-134a is just too spooky for my talents. I will do the
> troubleshooting to determine if the problem points to the "charge" (the
> amount of refrigerant) and if that's where the problem is I take it to a
> pro. It's cheaper in the long run. An A/C professional will be able to
> find the problem very quickly even if it isn't the charge, but when I have
> more time than money I at least like to hunt down the device responsible
> for the A/C not working.
>
> Mike
>