Quick question:

My buddy is working on my car tomorrow. My air conditioning needs recharged, but he's going to try to look for a leak first. What's the average cost of recharging air conditioning?

withoug fixing the leak i can get it done for 75 bucks.

if no leaks then get a bottle of R134a and a self fill kit. the kit should come with a gauge. i just did this yesterday.

spent 15$ on the hose kit w/gauge and 10$ per can. mine took 2 cans. so your looking at maybe 35$.

if there is a leak though, you will need to fix it......so i dont know about the cost of that.



- Cameron (CaliforniaCavalier)
- www.csc-motorsports.com (my new NOR-CAL car club site!)

You should never need to recharge a 134A systems, the refridgent last for 112years, the old R-12 only lasted for about 15.

If you need a recharge you have a leak.




- 2004 Cavalier - 124k, owned since new

My AC wasn't blowing real cold so I decided to buy a recharge kit with a gauge on it and check it out. The kit cost $20 at wal-mart. I let my engine warm up, then blasted the AC as the instructions said. I took the initial reading with the gauge and it was in between full and add so I figured I would add some. I began to add the R134a and nothing really happened. The can made the rushing noise like it was coming out but the gauge never moved even a tiny bit. I even un-hooked it and re-hooked it to check it again and it still had not moved. I wonder if my system has a leak or I was just really low. Should I add more Refridgerant untill the pressure rises or should I just quit now and take it to a mechanic? The only thing I could possibly think i was doing wrong was not holding the can strait up while I was adding it, but it did not say it needed to be. I would really like some help with this one. Thanks!


Have Fun!

hold the can straight up and make sure you push down on the valve and hose fitting while recharging to ensure a good connection. I tried to fill mine once and snapped the connector to the valve but it was not on far enough. I had to hold it down with my hand to get it to take.