DIY A/C service?

[elund126]

Has anyone serviced their own A/C system? I see those commercials about the can of stuff you can buy at Walmart, but those commercials have never really convinced me that they work.

 

[ecoboostsho]

I did this on my wife's Acadia and actually had some pretty good luck with it although it took more than 1 can on hers.  The real issue is it depends on what is actually wrong with it.  I believe some of them have a sealant and if it happens to plug up the leak then it will hold a charge and if that is what was wrong with it then you should be good to go (as was the case when I did it). If you've got something else wrong (compressor failure etc...?) then you won't have any luck with a spray can...some systems are trickier than others as well so I would get the kind with a gauge on top if you decide to go this route.

 

[PokerMunkee]

Wife had an old 2002 Olds Alero when we first met.  The compressor had a leak in it, so we'd put a can of it that stuff in it every week to keep it cold.  We lived in Las Vegas at the time, so that only lasted a month until she bought brand new car.

That's my experience.

 

[scap99]

My opinion:
Stay away from anything with dye or sealant in it....

If you have a leak, get it fixed, anything else is just a bandaid.

 

[SHOdded]

If you know how to check AC readings (high side/low side) & have access to reliable gauges, by all means try the can o' compressed air.  Not really reliable for a longterm fix.  Don't want to overfill either.

 

[panther427]

Well my thoughts have basically been covered.  Legally there isn't much you can do dyi beyond trying to add som refrigeramt. Beyond that you are supposed to have training and special machines according to the EPA.  Give it again shot for short term but it won't fix anything long term

 

[ZSHO]

AVERAGE freon in a vehicle will last you 5 years,like another member said buy the can with the gauge together so you can measure the readings and lastly NEVER put to much freon,will cause your car to blow warm air due to much pressure on the high side,and then needs to be evacuated,the smaller amount the better your a/c will perform down the road,

 

[wasinger3000]

The correct way to do it is to recover the freon out of the system, run a vacuum pump on it to remove any moisture then weigh in the correct ammount of freon and sealer. I've done this about 6 times on different vehicles. With great results. But I have the equipment to do so.