92 Seville

[Marika]

I want to recharge the AC myself. I'm tired of paying everyone else to do it. What kit can I buy to get the job done?

It's a 92 Seville BUT the AC was converted to the new stuff back in 2002.

I saw recharging kits on JC Whitney for like $40 which includes a can of r134a, plus a hose with a gauge built into it.

What should I buy? How do I do it? AC experts only.

[Ranger]

Marika,

While acknowledging that Kevin is our resident A/C expert, I can tell you that any of those "kits" will do for just adding a can. My understanding is that you can't rely much on those guages. You really need a good set to measure high & low side. If you are going to just add a can, I would think you can do it for less than $40. A can of R134a is about $5 and a simple adapter hose should be less than $35 at someplace like AutoZone. DO NOT buy refrigerant with sealer in it.

[Marika]

Marika,

While acknowledging that Kevin is our resident A/C expert, I can tell you that any of those "kits" will do for just adding a can. My understanding is that you can't rely much on those guages. You really need a good set to measure high & low side. If you are going to just add a can, I would think you can do it for less than $40. A can of R134a is about $5 and a simple adapter hose should be less than $35 at someplace like AutoZone. DO NOT buy refrigerant with sealer in it.

Speaking of refrigerant with sealer. The Brogan Cadillac dealership used a can of sealer on my AC system when I had the car there a few months back. They said it was a GM approved sealer. Anyone know anything about this or was the dealership just treating me like a stupid woman.

[Ranger]

Though I can't say for sure, I would suspect the latter. I have always been told that you NEVER put a sealant in the A/C system. On the other hand, I find it hard to believe that any dealer would use anything that is not GM approved. Check your FSM if you have one or call another dealer to see what they have to say and post back. Inquiring minds want to know.

[KHE]

GM has not approved any A/C system sealer that I know of. Neither has any other manufacturer. Was this the goo that supposedly hardens in the presence of air or just the o-ring conditioner type? Where is the system leaking? I would fix the leak first to mimize the recharges.

To do the job properly, you really should have a set of manifold gages - you can buy a decent set for $50 but if you are just recharging when the "LOW REFRIGERANT" message come up (and there is still refrigerant in the system), you could get away with just adding a can of R-134a. Having just a low pressure gage is worse than worthless - Just buy a R-134a charging hose and can tap - they can be purchased for $10 and cans of R-134a are in the $8 range.

[Caddynut]

I recharged my '92 seville....real easy. Buy a charge kit (hose and R-134 refrigerant). Start your Seville and turn the temperature down all the way on the climate control. Make sure the compressor is cycling. attach the clamp on the hose to the top of the can. Next....connect the quick disconnect side of the hose on the connector on your Seville (low side on the aluminum "cannister" on the passengers side). screw down the wing nut screw to puncture the can and then unscrew to open the can. Make sure you leave the refrigerant can right side up NOT upside down. Let the A/C system cycle and pull in the refrigerant. Depending on how low the system is....it might take it fast. After the can is empty....pull the quick disconnect off of the low pressure line. If you get a guage with your charge kit....you probably will want to connect that to the low pressure side and make sure it doesn't have too much pressure. It might be a good idea to add a can of recharge oil to lubricate the compressor. I hope this helps. PLEASE....anyone....if I missed something....let me know....don't kill me.

caddynut

[Ranger]

Charging it with the can in the up right position (gas) seems to take forever. I have always turned the can upside down (liquid) position. Never had a problem doing it that way. What say you Kevin?

[KHE]

With accumulator systems like GM has used for many years, charging as a liquid is much faster you won't slug the compressor because any liquid refrigerant quickly vaporizes in the accumulator. I always charge accumulator systems as a liquid.

Some of the older receiver/drier systems where the drier was in the discharge line could not be charged with a liquid as the risk of slugging the compressor was high. Those old systems were best charged as a gas.

Don't add oil from one of those cans as it will probably not be the correct type and viscosity. If the system needs oil, have a shop inject PAG-150 oil into the low side port.