I've been trying to get my A/C in proper working order. When I purchased the car a couple years ago it didn't blow cold at all and if I'm remembering correctly the compressor never engaged. Last summer I put on the 134a adapters and charger it with a couple of small cans (12oz I believe) of 134a. It was enough to have the compressor stay engaged while the A/C was on, and it blew adequately cold all summer. By the time it was winter however if I used the defroster the compressor would cycle on and off every second or so.

So, a couple weeks ago I decided to try to get the A/C going again. I thought I'd just add a can every summer and just deal with it instead of spending the money to actually fix it. I added a small (12oz) can of 134a and it was enough to keep the compressor engaged, but by the time I drive the car around all day it was back to going on and off. I decided to get a larger (18 or 20 oz) can that came with a hose with a gauge, and also was supposed to stop leaks. Before adding anything the pressure was super low. After adding the whole large can, the pressure was at about 40psi, however the gauge indicated it should be 50 with the ambient air temp. I purchased a 10oz can of 134a, that also had .25oz of stop leak/UV dye. I added that whole can, and checked for leaks. I couldn't find any leaks anywhere, but the pressure still didn't go above 40psi after adding the whole can...it didn't really change pressure at all. The compressor has been staying engaged after adding the large can, but I haven't used the A/C much in fear I'll just make it loose refrigerant more quickly.


I would greatly appreciate if someone can give me some advice as to how I should proceed. How can I test the components such as the compressor, evaporator, and condenser? Why isn't the pressure increasing at all even after adding a whole 10oz can?

Thank you!