is it a good idea to discharge my a/c of 12 year old refrigerant and put in fresh referigerant in? I would like keep my compressor working as long as possible. Any thoughts?

 

There is only one compressor. Periodic use of the defroster will keep the seals conditioned. If you haven't used either the defroster or the AC lately, it wouldn't hurt to run the AC for 10 minutes or so.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The only time I have ever heard of anyone replace the R134a is after they had none left.

If your refrigerant does leak out and require filling up, have them put a dye in the system to facilitate leak detection. Obviously you don't have this problem but I did.

My R134a was replaced about 4 years ago and again last June. I had the dye put in the 2nd time. If it leaks out again, I should be able to have the problem diagnosed.

 

I had my friend add a little r134a on mine last year its amazing now like it was oka but he just put like a little in it was perfect. I know really not suppose to but ehh its not leaking becuase its still really good so no harm was done but my freind is really good at ac stuff and a general mechanic so I trusted him with the level.

 

the thing is my a/c is not as cold as i would like it to be but i did measure the refrigerant level with one of those off the counter recharge kit and it was in the green or okay level. I thought maybe if i replace the old refrigerant with the Arctic Subzero refrigerant, my a/c might blow cooler air. Any thoughts?

 

Well in my integra I had my cousin empty the whole thing becuase we where doing a motorswap anyways. When he refilled it, it was like a brand new car ac was amazing.

 

In my opinion those cheap gauges are almost worthless. Refrigerant doesn't wear out and doesn't need changed.

It's possible thought that either your condenser (thing in front of the radiator that looks like a radiator) or radiator is dirty or plugged which will cause the A/C not to cool effectively. I would start there as it is simple to check and virtually free, but it's also not likely to be your problem.

It's also possible that there's hot air from the heater mixing with the cold air causing it to not cool effectively, but not a common problem with these cars.

Chances are your a little low on refrigerant, or your A/C system has a mechanical problem like a failing compressor or expansion valve. The only way to diagnose this is with a A/C manifold set and a good amount of reading, or take it to a shop that can diagnose it for you.

You could try adding it yourself with that cheap gauge but in my opinion the savings isn't worth the risk.