Well it to DAMN hot here in sunny AZ to go with AC and I don't want to spend the big bucks to fix it just now, so the environment will just have to wait. I suppect all you smokers never consider the environmental consequences when lighting up ;>)

I purchased a Interdynamics 2-way R-134A Retrofit, Charging & Measuring Kit at my local AutoZone store + a dash outlet test thermometer all for just over $40 with tax.

The low pressure fill port is on the right hand side of the engine compartment at up front. I threaded on the gage to the end of the hose from the kit and without the engine running (and therefore also no AC running) I read a pressure of 132 psi. I turned on the engine and then the AC to max and then read a pressure reading of 25 psi.

The gage has 4 zones on it: 1 = green 0 to 25, 2 = blue 25 to 45, 3 = yellow 45 to 65, and 4 = red 65 to 200 psi. The instructions for the kit says "green - may require additional refrigerant. blue - system has proper amount of refrigerant. yellow - system is prossibly overcharged, do not add refrigerent. red - system has a problem other than low refrigerant, do not add refrigerent.

Prior to starting this project, I measure the vent temperature with my test thermometer as I drove home from the store (5 minuite drive). It read 82 degrees. The outside temperature is 105 degrees.

So with the AC system producing 82 degree air and a pressure reading of 25 psi (just on the edge between add and having a proper charge, I elected to add 1 12-oz. can fo R-134a. After 15 minutes of running the engine and AC the can finally emptied itself. It was in the upright position. The test thermometer reading went from 82 degrees to 55 degrees. At that point I took off the empty can and attached the gage back to the low pressure port. I had a reading of 45 psi, or at the upper edge between blue and yellow. I turned off the AC system and the gage went to 135 psi. (I suspect the system goes to an equilibrium position since there is no low pressure side when the system is not compressing the fluid).

This was easy to do. The hose fitting is quick and easy to attach to the low pressure port unlike the old R-12 system which you have to thread on. When I was introducing the R-134A into my system, I first let a small amount of the gas come out the end of the filler hose prior to and as I was installing it onto the low pressure port. This way I was not pushing outside air into my system that was within the hose when I first started adding refrigerant. In about a week I will update you all on the results.
--
Jim - 1996 Platium Limited Edition, tower brace, hitch, tinting 101K miles