So I bought a 99 Pontiac Grand Am for the g/f... We knew it didn't have AC when we bought it, and now it's time to fix it. I KNOW for a fact there is no freon in the system, I'm going to get one of those charge kits from Advanced and see if maybe I'm lucky and it'll work. If not, does anyone know their way around these systems? Would much rather pay someone on the side for work rather than take it to a shop and get beat over the head.

 

If it just needs to be recharged, it will be around $70 for us to charge it.

 

I'm hoping that's all it needs... I need to get underneath the car and check the condenser and make sure there's nothing f'd up w/ it. I dunno, if I can find someone to help diagnose the issue and just need a charge, I'll be there.

 

does the compressor at least kick on?

 

Nope, we "tested" at the shrader valve and NOTHING came out... We unplugged the sensor on the line, and when we plugged it back in, the compressor came on for a second, and the fans started to spin... Crossing my fingers

 

with the system in a low pressure state the compressor will likely not turn on... there was more than likely a leak somewhere for it to have no pressure at the shrader valve at all. cheapest way to get going is to try to fill it and see if it works. Negative impact is, if there's any moisture that got into the system, when you try to charge it youll more than likely blow the compressor shortly after. You need to get the dye and do a UV test to find if it's leaking. Do you see any green oil around the compressor at all?

 

A good majority of the time if there is no freon in the system, the compressor will not turn on and second there is a leak. I am sure over the years you can possibly going to lose it but chances are that may not be the case. However, the system is pretty much a sealed system and if you lose freon it is due to a leak/permeating through old hoses/fittings, etc.

Your best bet is to evac/recharge it with some freon and either add some dye and let it circulate in the system(this may take a few hours or a few days) by running the a/c as normal. If it starts to blow warm again, you know there is a leak and with some glasses and a black light you can see where they dye is.

You can also use a freon leak detector which can detect freon that is leaking.

 

Our freon has UV leak detector in it. So if you need help, come by next week.

 

The roommate is "suppose" to bring home some stuff from his work to help the issue a long... But, if he falls through I believe I'll be making a trip out to see the new shop before the cookout lol. Thanks everyone.

 

You can re-charge it yourself for around $30.