Okay, today it got a bit hot when driving so i went to trun on the A/C. And well, it didnt really cool down at all. I got my A/C recharged in 2 summers ago, and im worried that there might be a leak now.

I used my A/C on and off during the winter (when my windshield got foggy and crap) but isnt an A/C recharge supposed to last a long ass time?

 

not necesseraly, Id say charge it just to make sure anyways.

 

It usually lasts until it leaks. AC compressors have a blow-off valve on them believe it or not. It's designed to vent if the AC system exceeds its designed working pressure. Check it when it's dark outside and see if it gets cold. IF it's just weak, but still works, then you don't have a leak and a recharge will surely fix it. If it's not working at all then you probably have a leak somewhere, and you should fix that before getting it evacuated and recharged.

 

The winter here in upstate NY was insanely cold - i believe it was colder than a couple of the previous winters. Anyways now its finally warmed up, and I've been wondering if its due to the temperature change that its just acting up.

A few weeks ago it was about 20-30 degrees here and the A/C worked really well with defrosting the windows. The A/C usually does a much better job than just the defroster setting alone, so i figured that it was still charged good.

anyhoo i'll check it later tonight. have you ever recharged your civic on your own?

 

recharging your AC isnt hard. You need the preassure hose thingy and the AC stuff. Sorry I dont know the exact name of things. But you have to watch the little gauge on the preassure hose and make sure it doesnt pass "red"

 

okay, time to pull this back from the dead.

for those of you who have recharged the A/C on your own, can you tell me where you got the hose from? I had a hose at home, but it doesnt fit tightly to the low pressure input, thus all the freon will leak out real easily.

 

I bought a recharge kit from Advanced Auto parts a few years ago. Comes with a hose with a fitting for the low pressure side and a threaded end on the other. It also included a gauge and the bottle tap to refill with. I believe according to the instructions, you start the engine and crank the A/C to full and check with the gauge first. If it's empty, you need to find the leak. I had an accident a few years ago and they replaced the rad support and A/C codensor. The edge of the rad support rubbed against the top of the condensor and eventually cut a hole in it (I could see the coolant leak out when I refilled it). I bought a new condensor which turned out to be shorter (different design) and haven't had a problem since refilling it last time. Make sure when you fill it, you buy a premixed bottle of add the oil yourself. I always just buy the larger mix/refill bottle and it only takes one.