The refrigerant gas in your car’s AC system will need to be occasionally recharged. To do this, you will need to add more refrigerant to the AC system to ensure that your car remains cool in hot weather. Many people go to a garage to have this done, but it is something that you will be able to do on your own.
Determine If You Have Refrigerant In The System
Before you start recharging your system, you need to check if there is any refrigerant in the system at all. To do this you will need to fit a charging hose to the low-pressure port which is near the accumulator. It is important that you wear eye protection at this point.
If the system is completely discharged it could be contaminated with moisture and recharging will not provide the results you want. The receiver dryer will need to be replaced and the source of the leak found and sealed. You should also consider adding compressor oil if the system has been leaking.
Tap The Refrigerant Can
Once you have checked the system, you will need to tap the refrigerant can. This is done by fully opening the tapping fitting valve which will then retract the tapping pin. This is important because if you fail to do so the tap will puncture the can when it is installed. This will release the refrigerant before the fitting can be sealed and is something that you will want to avoid.
Thread And Tap The Refrigerant Can
You can now securely thread the tapping valve onto the refrigerant can. Once this is done, you will need to close the valve completely. The pin in the valve will drive into the top of the can and release the refrigerant when the valve is opened.
Purge The Charging Hose
You will now have to open the valve until you hear the refrigerant fill it. You then need to slowly loosen the brass fitting which connects the hose to the valve. You need to ensure that you do not allow the refrigerant to touch your bare skin as it will freeze it on contact. Once you hear refrigerant escaping, you will need to retighten the hose and this will force any air from the hose.
Locate The Low-Pressure Charging Port
The low pressure charging port will be on the refrigerant line of your car. This is a larger tube which will also be located near to the accumulator. You will have to connect the quick coupling and ensure that it is not leaking.
Turn On The AC
At this point, you will need to turn on the engine and place the AC on high cool and high fan. If the recharging hose you use has a pressure gauge you need to determine if the system is in need of refrigerant. If the pressure is steady and in the recommended range, your system is full and does not need recharging. However, if the pressure is low you will need to recharge the system.