Has anybody rechrged their AC? I accidentally put a tiny hole in my condensor and lost all my freon. The kits look simple enough, is ther any advice you could give me?

 

Did you fix or replace the condensor?
If the system was opened you really should have a professional pull a vacuum before recharging it. You might also need a new dryer.

 

Get the $12 kit from walmart. If you're totally empty, you might need 2 kits. Attach the hose to the low side port (the one with an "L" on the cap). Then fill 'er up.

The compressor must be running for it to fill.

 

I had the condensor welded in the spot. Does the vacum draw all the air out? Guys at the auto parts store told me to just use one can of oil and three cans of freon. Do the first can of freon upside down, then the oil upside down, then the last 2 cans of freon right side up.

 

I seriously wouldnt do it yourself. I tried to add freon to my 98 se a couple weeks ago at the advice of a friend, he said "dont worry, the car will only take as much as it needs" soooo not true! If you put too much freon in, the compressor wont be able to compress it all. At the very least, your AC wont be cold, at the worst, you'll be buying a new compressor. Just take it to someone and pay the 20-40 bucks to have them vacuum it out and refill to OEM specs.

 

Don't listen to the guys at the auto parts store. Look at the underside of your hood. There shoud be a sticker indicating your R134 A/C charge amount. It's in oz. You should only put oil in if oil came out. To much oil and the system doesn't run right. Only put in the correct amount of R134, 2 cans might even be to much, read what the charge is and only put that amount in. It should be somewhere around 15 OZ.

**** Never charge upside down (liquid) if your system only requires gas!!!! You will ruin your compressor!!!! *****

The vacuum does draws all the air out and will give you the best charge possible and a very clean system, being you had a hole, I'd reccomend you have that done or your system may not function correctly. If any moisture go in, R134 and moisture dont mix and could seize up your compressor.

 

Vacuum is the way to go. It removes all air, moisture and any R134a that is still in your system. Then you can have an a/c shop charge the system by the precise weight and you'll save yourself a whole bunch of trouble. They'll also be able to tell you if you lost any oil. The right amount of oil can save you dollars down the road as the compressor will be under stress with too little or too much.

How long was it before you had the condensor leak repaired?
If it's been a while the receiver/dryer probably needs to be replaced. Also, would't hurt to have the shop hold their leak testing probe over the spot weld for a few minutes to make sure you're ok.