Build a store shopping list A/C R134A Manifold Gauge Set 2.5 CFM Vacuum Pump 3 CFM Two Stage Vacuum Pump 12 oz. Arctic Freeze® Refrigerant 18 oz. Arctic Freeze® Refrigerant Air Vacuum Pump with R134A and R12 Connectors Electronic Refrigerant Leak Detector 1 Gal Peak® Antifreeze And Coolant 50/50 California Transparency in Supply Chain Act Disclosure Supplier Code of Conduct Request a Free Catalog New Stores Coming Soon For The Latest, Up To The Minute News, Follow Us Use our online catalog... Use our dealer locator... There's a lot of snake oil and questionable products lining the shelves of the average auto parts store. From octane booster to VTEC fluid (ha!), it's hard to separate the genuinely useful products from the chaff. So when A/C Pro sent me a few canisters of its do-it-yourself air conditioning recharge system, I was a bit skeptical. The idea is that most aging car air conditioning systems that don't blow as cold as they should suffer only from low levels of refrigerant.

The way A/C Pro works is that you plug a can into your car's air conditioner and simply refill the system with R-134a refrigerant and the necessary lubricants to rejuvenate aging seals and moving parts. I've laid out detailed instructions for using the A/C Pro product in the gallery below. Check it out for photos and a full walkthrough. Putting it to the test With the car running and the air conditioning system powered on, I located the air conditioner's low side connection port. Air conditioning systems are essentially split into two parts, the low- and high-pressure sides, and the cooling happens as the refrigerant is compressed and passes from a state of high pressure to low pressure. After locating the low-pressure connection point, I used the A/C Pro's gauge to measure the pressure of the system. (Be sure to keep your hands clear of moving parts; I got a nice friction burn on the back of my hand from a moving accessory belt.) If the pressure looks low, then it's time to refill and recharge the system using the A/C Pro product by pulling the trigger on the filler nozzle.

The filler nozzle and pressure gauge combo gives feedback and control over the refilling and the user should take care not to overfill the system, which can adversely affect the system's ability to chill air. Our test car, a 1999 Toyota Corolla, was blowing 84-degrees-Fahrenheit air at the beginning of the test. central air handling unitI saw a 20-degree drop in vent air temperature to about 64 degrees. bryant ac parts diagramThat's a big-enough jump to prove that the product does work -- at least as a short-term fix. ac window unit targetSystems with moderate to large leaks could eventually depressurize again and may still need a mechanic's help. A/C Pro tells us that for the vast majority of systems, this simple recharge should be enough. All in, prepping, measuring, and recharging the system took me about 30 minutes.

However, the Corolla's pressure levels were exceptionally low and I took more time than I probably needed to measure air temperatures and take photos, so it's still a fairly quick fix. I should note that the Corolla was actually my second attempt to test the A/C Pro product. My first attempt was under the hood of a 1990s vintage Volkswagen Jetta. Unfortunately, this system had bigger problems than the A/C Pro product could fix. There's only so much that a simple refilling, recharging, and lubricating product can do. If there's physical damage (such as a seized compressor or a serious leak), you may need more help than A/C Pro can supply. Still, for only about $45 to $50 at your local auto parts retailer, A/C Pro isn't a bad DIY first step before calling in a professional (and potentially expensive) mechanic.Car air conditioning is wonderful during a hot summer. But, when it isn't working properly, a sunny, summer drive to the store can be brutal. Depending on what’s causing your air conditioning’s problem, you might notice different signs like a lack of refrigerant or a funky smell.

Use this guide to target the symptoms so that you can diagnose the issue. If your car air conditioning won’t cool well, a low coolant level could be the cause. You can see if you need more refrigerant by hooking up a pressure gauge to the system and checking it with the engine off. Your service manual will give the correct low-pressure measurements. If the readings are excessively low, simply add more refrigerant. If there’s no refrigerant in your car air conditioning, the compressor won’t turn on with most systems. The refrigerant could have dissipated because of a leaky O-ring. Or, there could be a blown fuse. To see why this could be, you will need to check the compressor clutch. If it works but won’t turn the compressor, you’ll might need to replace the entire compressor unit. If you suspect your car air conditioning system is leaking refrigerant, there’s a simple way to check for the problem. With the air conditioner running, spray soapy water on the hose connections and look to see if there’s any bubbling;

this will indicate a leak. Check the hoses as well to see if there are any small leaks coming from them. If so, repair the Freon leak. Your car air conditioning should cool all the time it’s on. If this isn’t happening, the problem could be because the system is freezing up. You might not have evacuated all the air from the system when you last recharged it. You can purge the system with a vacuum pump by following the instructions in its service manual to get rid of the air. You could also likely have an electrical issue, ranging from a worn switch to a bad temperature sensor. You won’t be able to check some of these problems easily yourself, so you might need to take your car to a garage that has the proper equipment. This is especially true when you have an automatic air conditioning system. However, if you're up for the task, you can first try repairing your automobile's air conditioning yourself. If your car air conditioning is noisy and the sound is coming from the compressor, the chances are that the compressor is failing and will need to be replaced.