AC Delete: Safe DIY Refrigerant Check?
 

Is there an easy, SAFE way to check my refrigerant level before I go to the trouble of taking the car to a shop to have it evacuated (and possibly finding out there isn't any left)? Thanks for any help.

Assuming you don't have an A/C pressure gauge set, inspect the sight glass on the high pressure side of the system. With the system ON, you should see either bubbles floating past (indicating the system is low) or no bubbles (indicating the system is either full or empty).

If no bubbles are visible, remove the cap from the Schraeder valve and depress the valve and see if refrigerant leaks out. Wear safety goggles and gloves. If nothing comes out, it's probably empty. If so, have an A/C shop evacuate the rest of the refrigerant. It's not okay to release it into the atmosphere.

Sherwood

Ooops!

Thanks for the reply. So even though it appears empty, I should still go to a shop? That's what I'm trying to avoid, if possible. It there a more definitive check?

Sorry. My answer was confusing. I meant to say, if the system has refrigerant, have an A/C shop recycle it. If it's empty, go ahead and remove the system from the vehicle.

Sherwood

OK, cool. Thanks!

I just did this. After checking the valve to see if high pressure gas would come out (it didn't), I just vented it to the atmosphere (one second of hiss, then nothing), so a big Al Gore shame, shame on me.
But since I've never used Aqua Net and I didn't put four pounds of R12 in there to leak slowly out over the next six months, I figure I've earned some kind of a carbon credit. Sorry if the tip of Florida falls off next week.