Well, I decided to take the loser's way out with the A/C and used the Interdynamics kit today. I haven't had A/C for 2 years, and didn't want to spend a penny more than necessary to get cold air.

The procedure took about 15 minutes. I was going to take it to a shop and have them evacuate the system, but took the liberty of checking the low pressure side valve to see if the system had anything in it. It did not. So I went ahead and added the adaptors, turned on the engine and the A/C on high, and pumped in a can of R134a, a can of oil, and another half-can of R134a. I followed the instructions provided very precisely because I didn't want the can to grenade in my hand or whatever. About halfway through the first can of coolant the compressor stuttered to life; by the end of the can and a half, the system didn't seem to be taking in any more, and the compressor was running steadily. I checked the pressure with the supplied gauge and it looked good.

The vents are blowing cold air now. I read plenty on the web pro and con about doing this, and understand I'm taking a risk. I guess I don't care since the car is 12 years old and I'm not going to spend 1000's to fix something the shops have already charged me hundreds to fix and didn't. So my car is a test case; maybe something terrible will happen to the compressor, or whatever, but we'll see. I'll post updates as it goes along this summer, so people can make up their own minds about this. It's a hack job; but for now, it's working. Cold air! For 34 bucks! And I can recharge it for 5 bucks a can if it leaks down again! And if it leaks, I'm not destroying the planet's atmosphere. It's all goodness so far.

Stay tuned. The lab rat is running the maze now.

Thaddeus