This is getting beyond frustrating. After locating and purchasing the red angel stop-leak, an oil injector, a digital scale, and a new set of Mastercool gauges, I attempted to recharge my system.
My first disaster was I apparently had the low-side hose situated in the opposite direction, as the red angel was only going into the hose, not the accumulator. It would not take it all in so when I undid the hose to see what was going on, it shot it all over the car and the garage, like a volcano erupting! What a mess and a waste of $37.
So then I attempted to go ahead with the recharge anyway. I filled in about 1.7 lb of r-12 with the car off. I then started the car, turned on the a/c, and it would not cycle the compressor at all. I had to jump the pressure cycling switch connector to turn on the comp. and draw in the rest of the charge. I stopped at 3 lb. However, I then discovered that it was really 3.9 lb because the scale was reading differently with the yellow charge hose attached!
Pressures on the gauge were about 45-50 low side, and 210 high.
So now I have too much charge in there, and I still have no a/c becuase the compressor refuses to run AT ALL unless I jump out that switch. I am assuming I have a bad switch, even though it was working last time I charged back in June. Now I am thinking that maybe I never lost and charge last time, perhaps the switch went bad.
I have spent over $500 on this already and this does not even include the R-12 which I got for free. Still no a/c. This may be the trickiest thing I ever dealt with on any car!
Is there a way to reduce my charge without having to completely evacuate and start over? I think I am getting low on how much freon I have left in the tank. Does anyone know how much those 30lb tanks weigh empty?