| On a warm day, after a long and chilly winter, you | | | | have your system professionally switched to R134a; |
| turn on your car's air conditioner only to find a steady | | | | do not mix the different types of refrigerant. |
| stream of warm air flowing out. After months of | | | | STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO RECHARGING YOUR |
| neglect, you hope that the air conditioner can be | | | | CAR'S AIR CONDITIONER: |
| revived in time to deal with yet another hot summer. | | | | 1- Safety first: put on your safety goggles and |
| This is a common problem for car owners but it can | | | | gloves. |
| be solved very easily. | | | | 2- Assemble the recharge kit as mentioned in the kit |
| There are two things you can do to keep your car's | | | | instructions; this may involve attaching a hose and a |
| air conditioner in good working order. You can turn | | | | valve to the can of refrigerant or something similar. |
| the air conditioner on for a few minutes every month | | | | 3- Check the car manual to locate the low pressure |
| to keep the compressor lubricated and you can | | | | port. The hose will usually only fit on that port; the |
| recharge the air conditioner once warm air starts | | | | high pressure port is a different size. |
| flowing out. | | | | 4- Wipe the outside of the low pressure port before |
| The easiest and safest way to have your air | | | | you open it to prevent any kind of material from |
| conditioner recharged is to have a mechanic do it. | | | | getting inside. |
| However, it is possible to do it yourself with a few | | | | 5- Attach the hose to the low pressure port. |
| special tools. You'll need a good set of goggles, a | | | | 6- Start the car and turn the air conditioner onto the |
| thick pair of gloves, a recharging kit and a can of | | | | highest setting. You should get an accurate pressure |
| refrigerant. Some recharging kits provide a | | | | reading after a few minutes. |
| pressurized can of refrigerant with a pressure gauge | | | | 7- Pierce the can as instructed by the kit and add |
| built into the cap; this type of kit is the easiest to | | | | the refrigerant through the low pressure port. You |
| work with. You should avoid spilling the refrigerant | | | | may need to detach and reattach parts at this point; |
| and getting it into your eyes or on your skin because | | | | follow the kit instructions carefully. |
| it can cause instant frostbite. | | | | 8- Check the pressure gauge as you add the |
| With that in mind, the first step is determining what | | | | refrigerant. The kit instructions should tell you how |
| type of refrigerant you'll need. There are two | | | | much to add; if not, check the car manual. |
| choices: R12 and R134a. R12 refrigerant is used only in | | | | 9- Remove the hose as instructed by the kit |
| cars that were manufactured before 1994 and is no | | | | instructions. |
| longer on the market. If you have an older car, you | | | | 10- Add the cap to the lower pressure point. |
| can use recycled R12 but it would be much easier to | | | | |