my a/c doesnt work, just blows warm air... im hoping that it just needs a recharge...

has anybody done this themselves? is it worth the driveway job or should i just take it someplace and let them fool with it?

 

Depends on where you live and how skilled you are with A/C units. Here in Texas, we run our A/C 9 months out of the year, at least. You didn't say if your unit is under warranty.....if it is, by all means, take it in. The new "earth friendly" replacement for good old freon is very expensive. If you have a leak a good A/C tech can detect it. If you live in a cooler climate, run your A/C for several minutes every week even in the winter, it helps keep the seals lubed.

 

its a 99 ram sport, warranty wont apply.

not freon, r134a....

never done an a/c charge up but i know ive seen DIY A/C kits at parts stores...

 

I would recommend taking it in....even if you did fill it up yourself t would still not perform as it once did due to the fact that air is still in the system. also r134 is fairly cheap (about $10 a pound) and the r12 is the expensive one (about $90 a pound) and u would need proper training to even be able to purchase r12 (not that that applys in your case)...if you do DYI...make sure u wear safety glasses because if you get the refridgerant in your eyes you will be instantly blind.

 

The local Auto parts should have a kit... it has a dummy gauge that is color coded... low full and danger... all you have to do is crank the engine, use the adaptor to attatch the can of 134a to the truck (on the low pressure side *see instructions with gauge) and crank it up to about 2500 rpm, check with the gauge periodically... very simple

 

How do you know what the "low pressure side" is?

 

Most of them say it on the cap. Many of the DIY kits can only attach to the low pressure side. It is really easy though. If it works, great, if not, your out $15.

 

the low side is usually the Blue fitting and they are the quick connect NOT the shrader fittings

the High side is usually a red and again. Quick Connect.

 

I am a refrigeration and air conditioning tradesman and I can't believe they sell refrigerants to the public! nah it's really easy if you can get on to a retailer buy the R134A and do a purge with the gas on your system to remove any air in the system, thats a back yard job but the problem is with this sort of "special deal!" you don't really get too much guarantee in fact it's pretty much kerb side warranty! with out using a vac pump to remove all the air and more importantly water from the system you run the risk of blocking the TX valve with an ice crystal which can be a pain in the *** after a while because the A/C system will be rendered useless until a new TX valve is fitted, you can't run with R12 because it requires a mineral oil not the semi synthetic oil that is currently in your R134A system, the low pressure side will be the hose that is largest in diameter and for a guess if you have service valves fitted it would be the blue colored cap, when you charge it up run at 2500 RPM and watch the sight glass on the drier/filter till the bubbles clear which will be located near the condenser which will be in front of your radiator the drier/filter looks like a black cylinder with two 3/8 pipes coming out of it with a small glass window in the middle that may be an easy way to do it but do it on a warm dry day and purge the system for a good couple of minutes to get the air out BUT! why is it leaking? look for traces of oil around hose fittings and just make sure you have no gas before you buy new gas, I have worked on heaps of systems where all that as wrong was a simple wire fell off the electronic clutch on the front of the compressor! things like corroded wires are a sure sign of a likeley fault any other questions just give me a yell