A question I havnt seen on here...

CrackerJack

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How do you recharge the A/C??? I cannot find the damned AC in the engine for the life of me. My old minivan's stuck out like a sore thumb, but this; DAMN.

I'd like to know because
A. My AC sucks...
B. The passenger side is always like 10 degrees warmer
C. It's hot right now and black leather interior isn't helping...

Much thanks.
 
never done this on a ls before but did you check behind the splash guard in the wheel well? it took me an hour to find it there on my brothers focus lol.
 
No, but just a tad more searching on the net pointed me to the bottom of the engine on drivers side. Apparently you have to take off an aluminum splashguard to get to it.
 
crackerjack, i've been searching my old posts to find the pic i uploaded when i did mine and couldn't find it. you can pretty much just jack up the car and get to both outlets through the bottom to recharge it. i will keep trying to find that thread for you
 
drivers side behind wheel and splash guard, low, it easier to get to with the wheel off and the splash guard out but it can be done with just a jack (and stand) without taking anything off
 
So, what all do I need to go about recharging the A/C? I was going to have my uncle do it out at the "shack" (literally) this weekend, but if I need to have the car jacked up I guess I'll have to do it myself before I go.

I've seen some "kits" for sale for like $10 or so, is that what I need?
 
Just did this a couple weeks back. The fill port is on the driver side behind a plastic splash guard near the suspension. The port on mine was either right on the AC compressor or very near it. The compressor is on the underside of the driver side front part of the engine and is easily accessed once you remove the plastic panel covering it, just 2 or 3 tiny screws hold it on. jack up the car, no need to remove the wheel, just work underneath, engine OFF until ready to charge/Test.

You will need the modern R134(?) type port adapters instead of the older R12. Since R12 is pretty much illegal for home mechanics, the stores sell only the correct coolant and connectors.

Get a coolant charge that also has lubricant in it since when you lose charge you lose lubricant too. You might even get a charge that has untraviolet(Black Light) dye to spot leaks. Just use a hippie black light to spot the leaks.

You should buy a recharge kit with a guage so you can check to see if you really need a charge.

To do the job properly you need to evacuate the system which means you go to a certified mechanic with the machine to suck out all your expensive coolant, and then put it back in without air and charge you lots. The home recharge kits are fine for when you are just low but are not good when your system is empty or has air in it.

The engine must be running while testing and charging so watch what you are doing.

Works good for me on at least 4 cars I have owned using R134 that needed a "top up" charge.
 
Just did mine, if you do it in a shop like I did it is easy. The low side fitting is on the compressor as everyone mentioned drivers side behind small splash pan, high side fitting is on accumulator pass side front under hood. The A/C machines can fill on the high side. Mine is a 2002 V8.
 
If you have a temperature imbalance from side to side I doubt the problem is the A/C. Have you changed the DCCV? This is the most likely reason for the passenger side being cooler.
Go ahead and check the refrigerant pressures but I would not add anything unless you really need too.
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