How much freon do I add?

DroopDaddy408 · Post by **DroopDaddy408** » Thu May 19, 2011 10:35 am

As the weather started to warm up, my a/c was starting to have a hard time keeping up. At first it was blowing cold air, then it went down to very cool air, and now it's only blowing cool air. It's cooler than ambient, but far from cold. How many cans of freon should I add and which one?

Post by **occasional demons** » Thu May 19, 2011 12:17 pm

You need some with stop leak, and a gauge kit to get the correct amount. Of couse the proper thing would be to take it to a shop.

silentneon01 · Post by **silentneon01** » Thu May 19, 2011 2:25 pm

Under your car near the rear of the engine bay passenger side is your condensing coil. It can get all mucked up with oil and grim. If it clogged up it will super heat your system and reduce your cooling.

You need at thermometer for inside the car to see how cold the air is blowing out. A gauge to get you to the correct amount and you need R-134 get one will a stop leak in it. If your system is empty it will take about a can. Be careful because if you over charge you damage your system and you'll be SOL.

Post by **occasional demons** » Thu May 19, 2011 3:41 pm

The condenser is in front of the radiator. Not sure what you are referring to. The only thing in that area would be the power steering cooler.

But regardless, if it is clogged with leaves/debris, the A/C system will not function too well. But also the engine would be running on the hot side too, as it will be blocking air flow to the radiator. OP did not state an overheating condition, along with poor A/C performance.

DroopDaddy408 · Post by **DroopDaddy408** » Thu May 19, 2011 7:57 pm

Alright. Good looking, guys.

OB · Post by OB » Thu May 19, 2011 8:13 pm

occasional demons wrote:The condenser is in front of the radiator. Not sure what you are referring to. The only thing in that area would be the power steering cooler.

Maybe he's talking about the accumulator? Though it's up top not under the car... Sounds more like baloney to me.

Droop - If your AC system has an issue, have it diagnosed and repaired by a qualified shop. Adding refrigerant is the absolute wrong thing to do when it stops blowing cold. There are several other things that could be wrong, and even if it did leak out, what do you think is going to happen when you put more R134A in? If there's a hole in your oil filter, do you add more oil? Refrigerant is not only expensive, but it is extremely bad for the environment (no I'm not going green haha). Fix it right and save yourself, and the squirrels, a lot of pain.

DroopDaddy408 · Post by **DroopDaddy408** » Sat May 21, 2011 3:20 am

^^Damn Brotha, I'm just trying to keep cool, lol. I know tho. I have a vacation coming up to Texas where the heat is killa. I'ma do it rite, aye. Thanks.

gcretro · Post by **gcretro** » Sat May 21, 2011 2:05 pm

for a friends corolla, we got the r134a can that comes with a screw on gauge and a trigger handle. It was about $25. Came with 2 cans and the can said it had some system conditioner/sealer.

It was easy to use and results are great per him even after a year.

DroopDaddy408 · Post by **DroopDaddy408** » Sat May 21, 2011 3:53 pm

Just bought some R-134a with stop leak. I'll keep you all posted.

menigoz_rt · Post by **menigoz_rt** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:45 am

^ That was probably the worst thing you could of done. I am A/C certified and we had a two hour lecture about why not to use A/C stop leak. You pretty much just messed up your whole A/C system and dont be suprised when everything quits working again. The A/C stop leak uses moisture in the A/C lines to expand and form a seal. Well it can plug your lines, ruin your condensor, plug your drier and much more. Most places will not even work on vehicles that have A/C stop leak in them. It destroys the $3000+ machines in no time. But thats my .02

Post by **occasional demons** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:21 am

It really depends who's selling the service/product, and who stands to make some kind of $ from the customer. It also depends on what side the leak is, high or low.

Also, it all comes down to perspective, and how fat your wallet is. Whether or not it is the correct way is irrelevant: Most ppl figure on a 10 to 15 year old car that only has a book value of $800 to $2000, putting $500 to $1500 worth of repairs into a non vital system to keep the car going just isn't worth it.

At this point in time, if my A/C dies, and can't be repaired for under $150 to $200, it isn't getting fixed. I can't take it off the car, and put it on the next one...

http://aircondition.com/knowledge_base/LeakSealers.html

http://134stopleak.com/

http://www.onlineautorepair.net/1/post/ ... freon.html

OB · Post by OB » Sat Jun 11, 2011 7:59 pm

menigoz_rt wrote:^ That was probably the worst thing you could of done. I am A/C certified and we had a two hour lecture about why not to use A/C stop leak. You pretty much just messed up your whole A/C system and dont be suprised when everything quits working again. The A/C stop leak uses moisture in the A/C lines to expand and form a seal. Well it can plug your lines, ruin your condensor, plug your drier and much more. Most places will not even work on vehicles that have A/C stop leak in them. It destroys the $3000+ machines in no time. But thats my .02

Bingo, word for word. I have my 609 license as well and this is dead on.

I see where you're coming from though too Bill, money talks. This comes down to a tech vs civilian type thing I guess. Then again, even if I couldn't afford a proper repair and I wasn't who I am, I still wouldn't want to risk destroying the system for a couple weeks of AC. What happens when the person decides to keep the car and/or fix the issue a year down the road?