Mayberry40

My 08 GT/CS doesnt throw out cold air. Im guessing it is because the A/C system needs freon. My question is; will the systems that are sold at walmart for recharging A/C units work on my 08? Its been a long time since I charged an A/C unit and I dont know if things have changed over the years.

Diabolical!

I know this is going to sound stupid, but I can't tell you how many people I know who thought that their A/C was out when they had just accidentally turned off the compressor with the dash switch. Make sure the button that says "A/C" is lit up.

Mayberry40

Its lit up !

tx_zstang

If you are truly low, with a '08, you have a leak somewhere.
You could also have electrical issues.

take a good look at the condenser through your grill. If there's any area that looks like it is or was wet, that's probably a leak. It's not uncommon for a rock to hit and damage the condenser.

You can get one of those 'recharge kits', (134a freon), but make sure it has a gauge so you can see what the charge is. If you don't know what you're doing, get a friend or someone to help you out. I've even seen autozone showing a lady how to check and add freon, so a local part place may do that for you if you buy the stuff from them, but most probably wont.

One final check, with the a/c 'on', can you hear or feel if the compressor is engaging? You can also look at the front of the compressor to see the clutch pull in and turn when engaged. If the compressor is engaging, you are probably low on freon but not quite too low to have insufficient line pressure (which would be sensed and the compressor turned off). If the compressor is cycling on and off, it's most likely low.

humansieve

Just a little refrigerant info, Freon is a brand name R-12 was the refrigerant. Manufacturers stopperd using it in the 90's. The new refrigerant is called R134A. If you really are low on R134A and are going to charge it yourself, buy a can that has dye in it, it won't hurt your system and it will show where the leak is by usung a black light and a set of goggles which you can buy seperatly. If you're handy you can replace the parts yourself and recharge. Really if you have a leak you should evacuate the system and replace the dryer and orifice tube as well as the leaking part. Best bet, bring it to a professional and let them go through it.

moosestang

Look at the compressor, if it's cycling on and off quickly, every 2-3 seconds, then it's low. Mine is leaking at the fittings on the drivers side by the brake booster. I recharged it, but it's still leaking. I use my AC so very little, that I haven't bothered taking it to get fixed.

JRC702

I agree the best place to start is by making sure your ac system is sufficiently charged, but there is a lot to be said for having a shop do a proper evacuate and recharge including putting the system on a vacuum pump to remove the moisture before recharging it to specs w/ a slight amount of oil and dye.
It is also important to see your high and low side pressures at idle and at about 2500 rpms.

In the old days, AC systems used to hold 3-4 lbs of refrigerant and had sight glasses so you could see if there was air in the lines. I don't think any cars have sight glasses anymore and max capacity on most cars is less than 2lbs.
It's not so easy to get away with just adding refrigerant as it becomes difficult to get the charge right without overcharging or undercharging the system.
Overcharged systems don't work very well either.

An honest shop will charge about 1 hour labor and for the refrigerant.

Mayberry40

How many lbs. go into an 08?

moosestang

If you buy one of the kits, it will come with a gauge that shows when it's full. Mine took a little less than one can to fill.

Mayberry40

I got a can with a gauge from walmart. The hose did not seem to fit the low pressure nozzle.........I had to press hard to get it on. Once it was on the nozzle I got no pressure reading and the freon sprayed but not into the nozzle.
Has anyone had this problem?
Is there any place that sells the hose that should fit.