I am thinking of doing this tomorrow, have any of you guys done this yourself? How much of a pain in the b@lls is it, and what do you think it would cost to just have it done. I'm pretty handy and have all the tools necessary to complete this...I've done it on a Chevy 350...just never the VQ. Thanks in advance!

 

Cool of you to ask. I dropped by my mechanic today and he let me do it. Note: this's not per FSM, just how we winged it.

You have the hookup with 2 dials, right? And 1 more line goes to the r134 tank. Have your car on, AC full on. Put a thermometer into the passenger vent. Plug the blue/low line from your hookup into the "low" tube right by the power steering reservoir. It should read close to 40 (forgot actual spec). Charge as necessary. My temp ended being 52F on idle, 50F at constant 2k rpm (engine bay was 122F).

Just to note, my 93 Max hit 35F. Damn, that's freezing! R12 kicks arsh.

Jae

 

Hey thanks man, anyone else have any experience with this? How tough of a job was it ?

 

are you just topping it off? you can go to an auto parts store and buy a gauge and a charge of r-134a for less than $20. just follow the instructions. its very easy.

 

Guttermouf5150 +1. I've seen those used on other cars. I dunno what PSI they run at (it's just a green zone you're supposed to be in).

When doing a true recharge, you're supposed to vacuum everything out, do a leak test, then refill. I only kno 1 person who can do it, and he's got r12 cuz of his license. Good luck dood.
Jae

 

actually it's light blue. 25-45 PSI

 

my ac is currently not working, is it common for maxima's to just need a recharge? Are their any other common problems?

Where exactly do you recharge the AC?

 

R134A the chemical used to cool down the air never "goes bad" or anything, it just slowly leaks out of the system. So every now and again you need to check the pressure on the low side of the AC to make sure everythings cool. Also when you say your AC "isnt working" do you mean it only blows on speed 4 and its not cold or?

Check your fuse, mine was shot to my blower motor AND my relay was shot too, I have a spare relay that cost 25-28$ that i am willing to sell, so let me know if you or anyone needs one!

 

I added a How-to on this.

 

davey6693 - Great write-up. I'm glad to see some accurate, concise advice on this topic. I visit a lot of automotive message boards and see a great amount of misinformation regarding A/C service in general (even from so called experts). For people wanting a better understanding of how an automotive A/C system works I suggest going to www.aircondition.com and/or http://www.geocities.com/microjet_2000/index.html.

 

It blows warm on all fan speeds. should I be ok with just adding some refrigerant?

Davey6693 - great write up!

does anyone know where the chemical is added to in the car?

 

bump ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

 

Thanks BobK. I've read one or two or your posts and no-one will go wrong reading your advice either

Assuming you want to top up the system, the low side line is on the passenger side of the vehicle. The port itself is easy to spot because it sits in the middle of the metal line and has a blue plastic cap on it. Beware not to attempt to charge through the high side port which is further toward the front of the vehicle, lower down on the passenger side of the condenser, near the radiator. A refill kit will only fit the low side in any case.