Thread: Quick question before i run to autozone.

You are low on refrigerant, r-134a. At least have some semblance of a clue of what you are doing if you are going to charge it, though. If this is a 97-03 3.8L Grand Prix, the port by the firewall on the driver's side is the low pressure port. They are different sizes, though, so you can only fit a low pressure line on a low pressure fitting.

I'm not a fan of the DIY systems. Refrigerant is usually low because of a leak, so not only will the new refrigerant probably leak out, too, but air and moisture probably got in, so the system really needs evacuated at least, and the drier probably needs replaced. Another issue is now much to add. You don't know how much is in there, so adding more is a total shot in the dark, too much and the system won't work right, either. A single gauge on the low pressure side doesn't even come close to giving you the whole story.

Originally Posted by Scimmia

Refrigerant is usually low because of a leak, so not only will the new refrigerant probably leak out, too, but air and moisture probably got in, so the system really needs evacuated at least, and the drier probably needs replaced.

Air and moisture cannot get into the system unless it is empty...otherwise it is still pressurized to some degree.

Originally Posted by pontiacgp759

Thanks man, I appreciate it. I did some searching lastnight on the procedure. I'm assuming the kits are similar for the most part. Recharge Your AC - How To Recharge Your Air Conditioning With Freon - Warm AC Fix Do It Yourself

^That's the website i found with the easiest steps.

Just a side question, what causes this r132a to leave vehicles? Does it just wear out?

Thanks again!!

The only thing I do not like about those instructions is it tells you to turn the can...that can lead you to introduce liquid refrigerant, which is hard on the system. You want to shake the can to get the vaporized refrigerant in. It takes a little longer, but it does not have the risk of slugging the compressor. Shoot for 30-35psi on the low side. Your refrigerant has leaked out, so a can of the stuff with the stop-leak in it could help. As was previously stated, this is not the "best" way of fixing things. However, if you know what you are doing, the vast majority of the time you can pacify the problem and end up with a system that functions like new again for quite some time.