04 ford escape air conditioning?

[fish2live]

can i recharge the air myself or is it better to bring it in? if i do it myself what equipement do i need?

[Jeremy airjer W]

Yes and no. The first thing you need to know is why is the A/C not working. If it is low on freon then a person can buy recharge kits from any autoparts retailer and most large retailers (target, walmart).

If the system is not low than a recharge will not help!

The best advice I can give is to bring it to a shop and have them due an A/C performance check. If you shop around you'll find them to be pretty readonably priced ($30 - $40). Also note that most places due not include the cost of the freon in the inspection fee.

A shop will hook up a set of guages to read high and low side pressures. If the see a lack of pressure and or the a/c compressor kickin in and out than they will likely suck down the system, add a dye, and then put in a pound or so of freon (every shop has there own way of doing things so a particular shops procedure may differ). Once they have the dye in the system they will let it run for a while and then check for leaks with a dye light. If any leaks are found they will evacuate the system and give you an estimate for repairs.

If you due plan on attempting this yourself please use caution. The pressures on the high side can be over 200 psi when the compressor is running. Also please do not use any product with a "fix a leak" in it. These products can mess with a shops A/C equipment which can cost a shop hundreds if not thousands of dollars to repair.

[Valv]

I agree with Airjer 100%. By the time you buy a set of gauges, freon, dye, etc. you are above the cost of an estimate.

If it needs repaired you cannot do it yourself, as shop has to do it since gas needs to be recycled.