If you have a car that isn't showroom fresh anymore, there's also a good chance it's lost a little of its air conditioning mojo. Get things icy cool again with this simple fix. Photo by Dan Bock.First, a disclaimer. If your air conditioning is completely dysfunctional and doesn't cool the air at all when it's on, it's probably best to brave the bill and go get it checked out by a professional. On the other hand, if your air conditioner is functional but lacks the frosty punch it used to have, you can easily recharge the coolant and get things back to their previous knuckle-freezing glory. How-to site wikiHow features a step-by-step guide to recharging the refrigerant in your car's cooling system. The tutorial includes some pretty stern (and justifiably so) warnings, but speaking from experience—I've recharged around a dozen vehicles both for myself and friends—it's a really straightforward tune as long as you follow the instructions.A few things we'd recommend should you decided to recharge your air conditioning: Put a meat thermometer in the vents to get a baseline temperature so you can see if your recharge job lowers the temp enough, and spend the extra few bucks to get a pressure valve so you're not left guessing if you're under or overpressurizing your system.

If a simple top off doesn't do it, make sure to read this primer from the EPA before taking it in to get looked at by a professional. external ac unit for carsTuned up your own air conditioner before? uv light for a/c unitsLet's hear about it in the comments.types of portable air conditioner units How To Recharge the Air Conditioner in a Car [wikiHow]Repair Services for your Car’s Air Conditioning Vehicle air conditioning repair can include a variety of tasks ranging from small to large-scale. Everything from an annual inspection or performance check to diagnosis and replacement of system components can be completed at your local Meineke shop by a qualified technician. Regular inspections help ensure cooling efficiency and identify possible refrigerant leaks.

Additional services your vehicle might need include: System fan level check System PSI pressure reading to verify Freon level Blower fan and compressor examination to ensure proper operation Belts and hoses inspection to discover indications of aging and potential failure Diagnosis of possible problems with faulty switches, fuses, wiring, the condenser, or internal compressor seal failure Recharging Your Car’s Air Conditioning While a car’s air conditioning system is sealed, leaks can still occur. When that happens you need an air conditioner recharge, which includes: Recharging with additional refrigerant to bring pressure up to specifications Introduction of fluorescent dye to visually reveal system leaks Meineke auto A/C recharge services include everything from inspection to repair. So, if your A/C has developed problems and you would rather be cool than cooked, let the highly trained and experienced technicians at Meineke have a look.

The AC on my 2002 Chevy Cavalier stopped blowing cold in the fall and I had planned on getting it checked out and recharged once the AC check specials started. I saw this for $30 and it seems too good to be true. Anything I should look out for?I've used them often. If your low on freon, there may be a leak. However, if this is the case use a bottle of stop leak first or a bottle mixed with stop leak. It should seal up an value leakage. Replacing your AC unit is costly, most leaks can be fixed with a stop leak sealant unless the problem is serious. Save the hose you can reuse it. Don't expect to use half the bottle. Buy what you need. This is because once you pull the hose off the can can't be resealed. Usually 2 of the small cans is enough to completely refill the AC unit. Screw on the cap and tighten down the gauge, it will poke a hole in the bottle. Attach the hose to the low pressure air conditioning value. There are 2 AC lines, one high, one low pressure.

Open the low pressure one and attach the hose well. Start up the car and crank up the AC full blast. Loosen the gauge and let the material flow from the bottle into the AC lines. Agitate the can while it is filling (rotating from the 12 o’clock to 3 o’clock position every few seconds) to help the refrigerant vaporize and get into the system. Don't turn the can upside down; you don't want liquid r134a hitting your compressor. Release the trigger or close the gauge periodically by tightening it down on the bottle. When you do that you can read the pressure in the AC lines. When the pressure is in the safe range, stop! When the can feels empty (it will feel very light and empty and not as cold as before), you can turn the can upside down to release any remaining refrigerant and oil into the system. I got that exact same product! The hose didn't work very well. I ended up buying a separate hose for $15 or so, with brass fittings. Also, as Patrick said, a large amount of refrigerant solves a large refrigerant leak.

And it won't solve it for long. So, I recommend either Go to the shop and get a leak test, and a refill if it's slow. Buy a quality hose and a small tank of refrigerant for $30 or less, and fill it until it's cold. In my case, it was a slow leak, which became a fast leak in short order. This product solves one main problem(symptom), low freon. The issue with this is that most cases of a car that have low freon is caused by a leak somewhere in the system. If your car suddenly stopped blowing cold air, then this will most likely not fix your problem. Your problem is probably one of two things: I did a quick google and there appears to be A/C stop leak, but I do not know the efficacy of it, so YMMV. But, again, if you lost cold air quickly then this type of product most likely will not help you out. From personal experience when the A/C stops working it is very often the compressor. There just isn't much else in the A/C system that is likely to break.