New cars don’t stay new for long – sooner or later the AC will need Freon added

Adding freon or topping off a cars A/C system is the most common task performed to restore performance and get cold air blowing again. However, adding refrigerant isn’t always the solution for car air conditioning problems. There can be many other things wrong besides a system being low on refrigerant. To diagnose problems, an A/C manifold gauge set is needed to read high and low side pressure readings. Avoid adding refrigerant with a simple charging kit like the ones sold at parts stores. Don’t add any stop leak, this can cause problems in the compressor, expansion valve or condenser.

Read the rest…