my ac is cool but not cold and feels good if you put your hand up to it but will not get the car cold so should i get one of more of those cans and do it myself or pay a shop to do. i can do it myself but i have heard from others that you can mess it up if you do it yourself (not sure how, over charge the system i think) or it just doesn't work at all.

 

You can do the job yourself if you purchase A/C manifold gauges to monitor refrigerant pressure at the low and high sides of the system.

 

Need the manifold gauge for sure, to avoid overcharging or charging when the problem is really something else. These are sold at most parts stores for around $75.00 but you have to ask for them.

Use only pure plain R-134a, no additives. The cheapest can on the shelf is actually the best choice. NEVER use any sort of "leak sealer" product.

Before assuming it needs more refrigerant, check a couple of things. Does the compressor engage and stay engaged constantly (it should)? Does the fan on the condenser work? Some models where the condenser is the full width of the car, BOTH radiator/condenser fans need to come on with the A/C.

If it's a 1993 or older model there are additional considerations because those were originally charged with R-12 instead of R-134a.

Also the total capacity starting from completely empty is only about 18 to 22 oz. It should take less than one can to "top up" a system that cools some but not well.

 

Yea um don't do it yourself cause you sound like you really know nothing about the a/c system
take it to a shop and just watch how they do it (properly) andask as many questions as you can think of.

 

well i know how to work on cars, i just did head gasket, and clutch by myself (except getting the tranny back in) but your right i dont know that much about the ac system. also $75 seems kind of steep for doing it myself, how much will a shop charge to do it?

 

Purchasing a set of A/C manifold gauges could be viewed as an investment that would save you money in the long run, assuming that you would work on a car A/C system in the future.

When a car problem arises, try to take advantage of the situation to learn something new about your car that you didn't know before. While this requires some work on your part, you can in this way "turn a lemon into lemonade".

 

harborfreight.com has manifold gauges for $40. worth every penny IMHO.