When i went to turn the AC on in my Civic for the first time this year it didn't work. It worked perfectly last summer. I can hear the A/C clutch kick in when i turn it on, so i don't think that is the problem. It blows somewhat cooler air than the regular blower/fan, so I'm assuming the there is probably a leak and the system doesn't have any refrigerant in it. I want to test the pressure of the system before i bring it in to a mechanic to charge it and find the leaks. How would i go about doing this? what kind of pressure guage do i need? Should i try to re-charge it myself first? Thanks for any suggestions/help.

My chart shows that car holds just 22oz or refrigerant. It would start to perform poorly with perhaps just 7 oz low. Be careful of just low side only kits you see everywhere as that is just part of the info you should have and the can will have way too much refrigerant for your needs if you used it all. You can get DIY gauges that will show both pressures and a line for the small can with tap for about $59 bucks but it can't be used for pulling a vacuum as it doesn't read vacuum on the gauges.

You could boost this up and add some dye and find out if the leak is easy or hard or so slow it's not worth it yet. To fix a leak requires recovering the refrigerant, fix leak whatever it is, and charge back up by weight into a well held vacuum! Very important.

Take a look at what's out there but know that the info with it is limited and what you can do is limited without more equipment and some detailed instructions or you can really mess things up.

Don't fall for the sealers and magic potion things they sell. It just complicates what might be an easy fix,

T
Tom Greenleaf - MetroWest Boston - USA
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http://www.autoacsystems.com/tomgreenleaf/