I was gonna buy one of those kits with the gauge to do it. My ac is still cool but it is not that cold after driving for a while and my SES goes one and off with it (when ac goes on or off) and i can hear the compressor clicking on and off after a while. How much freon would I need? There is a place in town that does it for about $70 bucks so should i just do that? Where is the low pressure side of the system (the one by the radiator or the one by the firewall side? any input is appreciated.

 

I can't remember the name of the kit (I'm not close to home right now or I'd find it for you), but just do yourself a favor and buy it. There are instructions inside the kit. The low and high side fittings are different sizes, so you can't screw up there. I was afraid of doing it myself for a long time and just said screw it one day and bought it. It was only $40. The kit I bought has a gauge with it and all the necessary fittings. Just follow the instructions like I said and you'll be just fine. It's actually a VERY simple job. Hell next time you need to service an A/C system you can do it yourself and save some money. The refrigerant isn't all that expensive either, I think it was only ~$4 a can. If I can do it (and I'm an idiot sometimes) you can too.

- Brent

 

I am having problems with my A/C and have found that the low pressure side of the system refers to one of the tubes that run from the firewall to the radiator or accumulator bottle. There should be two tubes, one is larger in diameter than the other. The larger diameter tube is the low pressure side and the small diameter tube is the high pressure side. There valve for the low pressure side(large diameter) should be somewhat close to the firewall, whereas, the high pressure side (small diameter) should have it's valve close to the radiator. The low pressure side is where you want to recharge your system. Double check with somebody on this. Hope this helps.

 

You're right, the larger fitting IS the low pressure side.

- Brent