A/C help - 98 Blazer 4.3L

[corey]

Ok, so a shop told me that my A/C compressor is leaking and sure enough, the A/C is warm now. I intended to just add some more R-134a to hold it over until next spring, so I bought one of the $30 kits @ Wal-Mart.

I hooked up the pressure guage and the pressure registered 125psi, which indicated "a problem with the system." Yeah, I know, it's a leak and I'm out of refridgerant. My question is: is the system so low that this is what the pressure guage is supposed to do? Can I still add the refridgerant to get 3 more months out of it until I have time to get the compressor replaced?

Thanks.

[72'CaminoKid]

i'm not positive to tell ya the truth, but this is just more evidence of my theory that GM needs to re-engineer it's AC systems. well, they may have, but to my knowledge, a large number of the 95-at least 99 trucks and suv's have a/c problems.

[mrjohnwayne]

If it read 125 on the high side then yes it is low. I surely hope you did not have one of those single cans with a hose and gauge attached. If so you are lucky it did not explode in your hand. The low side should run around 30-40 psi. high side should be around 220 psi. You might be able to get away with adding some but it depends on the size of the leak as to how long it will last.

[bradrhale]

i dont think that you can hook up to the high side, 134a fittings are different between sides so that you cant put that can on the high side to blow up. you did have the compressor on when it was hooked up, yes??
if not, it will show high like that since all the freon equalized out in the system.

[corey]

Ok, yes it was the cheap wal-mart hose.. but the can had not yet been attached (as instructed, take reading first). Yes it was the low side. As Bradrhale said, you can't hook up to the high-side, fitting compatability. And so with the compressor cutting in and out (couldn't get it to stay on due to such low pressure) the thing was reading in the red zone for the low side which is over 100. I know it's out, the question is why did the system read that high? It's been leaking all summer and now it's warm (gone). I know there's a leak. But if adding 134a gets me 1 or 2 months of cold air, I'll take it.