Question, recharge the AC, do it yourself or take it to a shop?

[mr. cob]

Howdy All,

I have been driving the Pete for four years now and the AC has slowly gotten less efficient in cooling and is now not doing much.  I have watched a bunch of youtube videos and it seems like an easy task to just buy a recharge kit from an auto parts store and do the job yourself, other videos warn AGAINST doing it yourself as there is no way to vacuum out the air that is in the system or tell how much pressure is in the system when using the do it yourself kit.

So, what have you folks done? Buy the do it yourself for under 50 bucks or take it to a shop for a couple hundred, any advice is greatly appreciated, thanks.

Dave

[spindrift]

If there's a leak, your struggles will continue.

[jkoenig24]

Most owners do NOT have the equipment to do a proper  job. A shop should be able to find & fix any leaks and then recharge and test that the job was done right.

[rpsinc]

I have always considered the intent of what I am trying to accomplish.  In my IH, it was quite common for those systems to leak down a bit and since I used it sparingly, I wasnt about to spend hundreds of dollars to repair the system as I suspected that it may be leaking down due to lack of use.  I decided that I would do a repair ONLY IF we went to a far more consistent use of the truck but for now I was going to just recharge it as needed.  I bought the kit with the leak sealer(I suspected that just like cooling system leak sealers, I didnt want this stuff all over the system but since it was likely that I would need to replace some of the components in a repair the leak sealer was OK for temporary use) and filled the system when I needed to.  I found this method to be quite satisfactory for my purposes and my system held the charge for most of the season we needed.

Your results may be different esp if you have any significant leaks.  As well it will be about how much are you willing to spend for this.  If the truck gets used sparingly then perhaps the DIY might be good enough, but if the system doesnt work well and needs parts replaced, then an AC shop might be the right choice, along with its cost.

[GlennWest]

Go down to your parts house and rent a set of gauges and vacuum pump. When you return it all money is returned. Pull a vacuum and you will find your leak. You will find the amount to put in on firewall of truck. After leak fixed put that amount in and you good to go.

[rickeieio]

If you have had a slow decline in performance, that indicates a very slow leak.  They can be a real booger to find.  If this is the case, ask around and see if someone has the kit, or better yet a set of gauges, and charge it.  A single 1# can may be enough.

OTOH, if the issue came up more suddenly, a full on repair/charge is in order.  

I have a tractor that I put in one can every other year.  Been doing that for 6 years now.  The Volvo though, had multiple leaks and took 5 or 6 years to track them all down.  I eventually replaced every hose and line in the system.  $$$  Should have just done them all at once.

[Av8r3400]

My old Dodge truck and my Volvo both have very slow leaks.

Every spring I hook up my fill kit, with a pressure gage, to each and top them off.  Usually about 1/2 a can each.  Neither are worth the hundreds if not thousands of dollars to fix over a $10 can of R134 each spring.  I bought the fill kit and cans of refrigerant off Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Aain-Recharge-Refrigerant-Recharging-Charging/dp/B08DP4WW8C/ref=sr_1_23?crid=GUTUJJ9OZR31&keywords=r134&qid=1648409019&sprefix=r134%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-23

https://www.amazon.com/Johnsens-R134a-Refrigerant-Self-Sealing-Container/dp/B086Z38QJP/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3AO4STWOO4UEQ&keywords=r134&qid=1648409260&s=automotive&sprefix=r1%2Cautomotive%2C437&sr=1-4

 

[Rotorhead]

I just do it myself. It’s pretty easy. There is a placard under my hood that tells how much 134 and oil you need. I just replaced a leaking schrader valve and had to recharge it.

[Rotorhead]

The 134 I used had stop leak in it. Maybe that will help with slow leaks??

[Av8r3400]

5 hours ago, Rotorhead said:

The 134 I used had stop leak in it. Maybe that will help with slow leaks??

It's better to use the regular stuff.  I've heard the stop-leak tends to clog the inline screens.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Av8r3400

[TXiceman]

Before you waste money on a recharge kit, you need to find the leak.

Ken

[GlennWest]

9 hours ago, TXiceman said:

Before you waste money on a recharge kit, you need to find the leak.

Ken

That why I suggested pull a vacuum. 

[Rotorhead]

10 hours ago, Av8r3400 said:

It's better to use the regular stuff.  I've heard the stop-leak tends to clog the inline screens.

Hopefully not. But I could see that. I need to get that sniffer tool to find leaks. They say they work really well.

[Rotorhead]

43 minutes ago, GlennWest said:

That why I suggested pull a vacuum. 

I agree. Get the vacuum and make sure it will hold. 
I have made good use of my air conditioner tools so far. 
 

[jenandjon]

It depends. We have one truck that we just throw in 2 cans of freon a year. But that's our old truck. We know it leaks slowly. Any other truck that just quits working goes to the shop. 

[GlennWest]

What I really like about pulling a vacuum is can then charge it without running engine. Found leak and know proper amount in system.

[NeverEasy]

Pulling a vacuum on the system will tell you if you have a leak but will not help isolate it.  You need to pressurize the system and use a Whisper leak detector and bubble soap to find a leak.  Here is a link to a post of how to do that.

 

[Moresmoke]

If it’s taken 4 years to bleed off enough to notice and the ac is still operating, I would just charge it.

Add about 1/3 of a can at a time while checking the temp with a thermometer at the dash vent. It is full when A the temp is cold enough for you, or B the temp starts to go back up.

[GlennWest]

4 hours ago, NeverEasy said:

Pulling a vacuum on the system will tell you if you have a leak but will not help isolate it.  You need to pressurize the system and use a Whisper leak detector and bubble soap to find a leak.  Here is a link to a post of how to do that.

 

I just use soapy water to find leak. Whisper no good with engine running. Got one

 

[NeverEasy]

52 minutes ago, GlennWest said:

I just use soapy water to find leak. Whisper no good with engine running. Got one

 

???  Don't need engine running.  Just pressurize and listen.

[GlennWest]

Have never found a leak with my Whisperer. Actually a waste of money.

[mr. cob]

Howdy All,

Thanks for all the replies.  I know NOTHING about vacuum pumps and gauges, this came on very slowly so I think I'll just try the do it yourself kit and see what happens, if that doesn't work I'll take it to a shop.  We are on our way home but its getting HOTTER and having the AC sure would be nice.

Dave

[NeverEasy]

2 hours ago, GlennWest said:

Have never found a leak with my Whisperer. Actually a waste of money.

Hmmm...I use mine a lot and found it very useful.  Have used it on many rigs at rallies.  Are you using the headset?  Pretty useless without it.

[GlennWest]

No likely my problem.i am usually in a windy area. All my work is near coast. Wind sets it off. 

[porky69]

Don't use the do-it-yourself stuff with stop leak in it....if you do and then take it to a shop they will want to flush and replace everything (relatively speaking). Find the leak, replace/repair the leak and top it up.

 

Do-it-yourself plain freon top up can work quite well if there is still pressure in the system, we do it to dads Dodge early each summer and have been for about 10yrs. If pressure is zero it probably won't work out great.