This local shop has advertised $26 for a a/c system check/leak test. then its $20 if the car does not have any freon. since my car doesnt have any freon, would it be cheaper to fill it myself then give it to them. if so, how many small cans of r134 would i need to have.
filling up an a/c system with cans isn't the most accurate way to fill a system.take it to a shop have them vacuum it down to check for a major leak,if it holds vacuum then have them put some a/c leak detector dye in the system and fill it up with freon.then simply use your a/c until it runs out of freon and take it back so they can use a black light to find the leak and just go from there.i don't recommend using an a/c sniffer because they're not very accurate.
for $26 do u think they would go through and vacuum the system? i think that they were going to put some leak detector and find the leak and that is it. thats why the ad said if freon is present, otherwise it would be more $$. i didnt think to ask because i didnt know you could vac. the system. this shop is a tire store that does other work as well, so im not sure if they would have the right tools to do a vac check, if it involves anything special thanx
1st off you need to see how often the compressor is cycling. If the compressor goes on and off every 3 to 5 seconds, or so, you most likely have a leak and are out of refrigerent.
At this point you can't simply vacuum the system down. This will just introduce more moisture through the leak into an already contaminated system. I use pressurized nitrogen gas, which is very clean and has no moisture to find leaks. Once the leak has been found and fixed the vacuum is then used to remove the moisture from the system. I will sometimes leave a vacuum pump on a car for a long time to ensure all the moisture is removed. The insides of the ac do not do well with moisture, you should get this fixed soon providing you truly have a leak.
P.S. Don't run the defroster until an uncharged system is fixed, or you have a very good chance of toasting the compressor altogether.