How do you evacuate the AC system in the dodge stratus 2001 it's blowing hot air and you want to recharge it?

Answer 1

If you feel like spending several thousand Dollars, you can get a machine which will evacuate the refrigerant and oil, store it, recharge your system, pull a vacuum to leak test the system.. our shop recently got one from Cornwell tools, and it was right around $6000. Oh.. the machine also requires a cylinder of R134a, which you can't buy without the corresponding ASE certification.

There's a simpler method.. all it requires is a vacuum pump, R134a cylinder, a scale, and a manifold gauge set... oh, wait... the R134a cylinder again. Well, guess that's not going to work so well for you.

But, that's alright. Because the thing of it is, is that you've (maybe) lost refrigerant from a 2001 model year vehicle. If that doesn't seem unusual to you, I've never had to add refrigerant or PAG to my vehicle, which is a 1997 model year. While it's not unheard of to lose enough refrigerant through connections to where it won't provide sufficient cooling, you have reason to suspect a malfunction of some form.

See, just because your AC isn't blowing hot air, it doesn't mean that you don't have enough refrigerant. There are seven operating conditions for diagnosing an AC system, which are based on the pressure readings taken from the high and low sides of the system while it is in operation. Condition one is normal operation, while the remaining ones all lead to insufficient cooling. Thus, there are a number of reasons an AC system may not cool properly... you could have a bad low pressure switch, you could have blockage in the system, you could have bent condenser fins which don't allow sufficient airflow through in order to allow the heat exchange to take place, you could have a leak which is allowing refrigerant to escape, your compressor might not be functioning properly, etc., etc., etc.

Why you don't get sufficient cooling from your AC system requires a diagnosis. Because if it is, say, a blockage in your system, adding refrigerant isn't going to do anything for you. And if it is low refrigerant as the result of a leak, then you're going to want to get that repaired - otherwise, the refrigerant is just going to leak right back out again.

I'd recommend you find a reputable shop, and have them do a system performance test (which should come with a refrigerant purity test, as well) in order to determine the cause of your AC system's performance.

By the way, when you use one of those DIY AC recharge kits from Wal Mart, Auto Zone, O'Reilly, Advanced Auto Parts, etc., you don't evacuate the system beforehand - you simply add refrigerant to whatever you have left in your system.