How to recharge A/C myself?

[3vz4me]

hey gang,

let me preface this thread to say: i've been searching the forums and internet for a few days on this already but couldn't find anything.

the weather here has become pretty hot and the a/c in the old 3vz is not cold. (sound familiar? ) i have an r12 based a/c system and i want to recharge it with Freeze-12 (already made up my mind about this product so please don't try to change my mind). has anyone used the kit sold on Ebay ?

how hard/easy is it to do myself? do i need any special tools? one more thing, i was inspecting the "sight glass" for the a/c system and i could see it "bubbling"... what does this mean?

on a completely different note, i am now the proud owner of an 05 scion tC that has COLD a/c.

[chronoti]

well i think some local part stores around you actualy sell freeze 12 i cant rember if you need a license to buy it tho. but i know they DONT keep it on the shelves. but recharging would be like with the ole get the adapter from the car to the car and hope you put enough or not too much in.

[rusty9]

if freeze 12 is similar to autofrost or any type of r12 substitute, recharge is quite simple. with the engine on and ac at full blast, find the high side port, should be on the right side (left side if youre facing the engine) of the engine bay by the firewall. look for a black cap over a scrader valve (like a tire valve). take the cap off and attach the hose from the can of refridgerant to the valve. it should suck the contents out of the can and you should feel cold air within a few seconds. you really should have a gauge or the can may have a little gauge on it. dont put too much in or you'll mess everything up.

[Toysrme]

I still like real freon.

Depending on what state you are in (you can here). You can still buy *SMALL* cans of real R12 - freon without a liscence.

[Gary_602Z]

Originally Posted by Toysrme

Depending on what state you are in (you can here). You can still buy *SMALL* cans of real R12 - freon without a liscence.

I thought that was a Federal Law?

Gary

[3vz4me]

ok so i just used the "buy it now" feature to purchase the freeze-12 kit from ebay. when it arrives i will update you guys on the recharge.

[chronoti]

Originally Posted by Toysrme

I still like real freon.

Depending on what state you are in (you can here). You can still buy *SMALL* cans of real R12 - freon without a liscence.

must be bloody expensive

[Gary_602Z]

Originally Posted by rusty9

if freeze 12 is similar to autofrost or any type of r12 substitute, recharge is quite simple. with the engine on and ac at full blast, find the high side port, should be on the right side (left side if youre facing the engine) of the engine bay by the firewall. look for a black cap over a scrader valve (like a tire valve). take the cap off and attach the hose from the can of refridgerant to the valve. it should suck the contents out of the can and you should feel cold air within a few seconds. you really should have a gauge or the can may have a little gauge on it. dont put too much in or you'll mess everything up.

NEVER try to add freon to the High pressure side!!

Gary

[ShawnM]

Yea..what he said. Unless you want the can to explode on you.

[3vz4me]

Originally Posted by ShawnM

Yea..what he said. Unless you want the can to explode on you.

ok, so which port should i connect to?

[chronoti]

low side ... the fat one

[rusty9]

hehe sorry my bad, im used to working with a gauge manifold that can handle the high pressures.

[3vz4me]

Originally Posted by chronoti

low side ... the fat one

thanks for the tip... is the low side near the high side?

[chronoti]

^ yes. the lines run side by side on that side.

[SmokingTires]

Just bring it to a Mechanic so you don't mess up your car

A/C isn't something that should be done by noobs. There is a reason they require certification to even work on A/C....