How to Recharge Your Air Conditioning

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Is Your Car Blowing Hot Air?

There's nothing quite as bad as driving around in a vehicle with little to no air conditioning. Take it from us. Our first vehicle didn't have functioning A/C and when things heated up in the summer, it was roll down the windows and deal with the noise, or suffer through the luke-warm air coming through the vents. Thankfully there's a couple ways of recharging your vehicle's A/C so you always stay at an ideal temperature while you're out driving. Of course, you could always just keep driving around with the windows down and the music cranked. Though, that might make it a little difficult to talk to your passengers.

Before we get into how to recharge your air conditioning, we wanted to point out that recharging your air condition is only a temporary fix to what is usually a bigger issue, like having a leak, or needing a new A/C system all together. We recommend having a trusted mechanic, like the ones here at Sherwood Ford, take a look for you. Recharging your system may be cost-effective in the short term, but you could end up paying a lot more down the road if it turns out that you need a new A/C system installed. Remember, you'll be working with hazardous liquid, so be very careful not to spill anys.

Recharging Your A/C

First things first, you'll need to gather up the necessary tools in order to recharge your A/C. This typically includes a meat thermometer, an A/C dispenser with trigger and side gauge, Refrigerant, and safety glasses and gloves. Start by cranking your A/C as high as it goes. While it's on, open your hood and look for the A/C compressor to determine whether or not it is engaging. You can test this by adding refrigerant. After you've done that, turn your vehicle off and find the side pressure port which is usually found on the passenger's side of the engine.

After you've found the port, attach the recharge hose by placing the quick connect fitting over the port and pushing down firmly until you hear a click. Now, restart your vehicle and make sure the A/C is on its highest setting. Monitor the gauge on the recharge bottle, and if the pressure is below 40 psi, it needs to be charged. You want to be as close to 40 psi as possible. Next, attach the refrigerant to the hose and slowly recharge your A/C until the pressure reads 40 psi. After you're close to 40, step back inside and use the meat thermometer to read the temperature blowing out. If it's not cold, you may need to bring your vehicle into the shop. If it's cold, congratulations! You've recharged your A/C.