How to refill a Freon leak in 1995 Dodge Caravan?

The mechanic is a crook. You should be able to replace the entire AC system for not much more than that.

Let's see, R134 is post-1994, right? You can buy this yourself. You really need to do some studying before you attempt this yourself. Done improperly, you can explode things & cause injury. Gages are relatively cheap. Search on-line. I got my certification so that I can buy & sell R-12 for my older cars.

#4 answer: No, there's no stop-leak material. R134 is cheap & doesn't harm the ozone layer. Learn to fill it yourself & you'll be way ahead in the long-term.

-Jeff Deeney-

P.S. Do some google searches for info on servicing. There's lot's out there. I went thru Mainstream Engineering for my certification.

Horse hockey, but that's another issue.

For basics, do a little web research or go to a local library. Get a manual for your car to find the specific connection locations and correct pressure/temperature curves. Maybe

message boards, but READ for a while, don't just jump on and ask a newbie question, as many pro mechanics use those boards.

A 1995 should use R134a. If it has "quick-connect" fittings, its R-134a, screw-on fittings are R-12.

This is the most difficult part with R-134a. With R-12 you just watched until the sight-glass quit showing bubbles. But with R-134a, you not only need a pressure guage and fitting for the HIGH SIDE pressure, you need a thermometer attached to the liquid line from the condensor to the expansion valve. You need to run the system until it stabilizes and the temperature guage is steady, then use the chart in your car's factory service manual to look up the liquid line temperature and find the pressure range that is acceptable at that temperature. Charge until the high-side pressure AND temperature intersect within the "normal charge" region of the graph. Overcharging won't "blow up" anything because the pressure-limit switches will shut down the compressor, but R-134a WILL NOT COOL well if overcharged!

Most of them do more harm than good. The one that MIGHT work is

I've never used it, but the theory looks at least halfway reasonable. The others are just gummy stuff that will "seal" all the wrong parts in an A/C system.

I don't agree here. Those dual A/C systems are a plumbers nightmare and can leak in many places. If you take it too a legit auto a/c specialist and they replace the evap coils, some piping, accumulator and such, it could easily cost this much to do it right. Lots of labor and parts cost.

The real question is whether its just low or empty. If its low and uses r-134, you can try to add some yourself. Harbor freight has R134 gauges on sales now for $59.95 or so. If its empty, you really need to find the major leaks and fix it right. And that's going to cost you. I believe you can buy a cheap interdynamics gage to check static system pressure for under $30 at most parts stores. Keep in mind static pressure will vary with temperature. You might post this question to aircondition.com for more help.

BOB

I am trying to do the same thing, can you tell me how you recharded your AC? I have a can of r-134a that has a connector on it. My only problem is finding the low pressure service port to attach the new can of r-134a to. There is a connector that appears to fit the connector, it is located on a tube between the radiator and the evaperator. Is this the correct place to connect the can? My vehicle is also a 1995 Dodge Caravan.

Thanks

Sean