How to Recharge Air Conditioning with Freon in a Chevy Corvette

It is frustrating when the air conditioner in your Chevy Corvette is blowing warm air. You can usually fix the problem by recharging the air conditioner with Freon as long as all of the air conditioner components are working properly. If your Corvette was made before 1995, it may still take the old R12 Freon. In this case, you will have to have it retrofitted before you can recharge it yourself.

Instructions

1

Determine if your car uses R134 or R12 Freon. You will notice screw type connectors on the both the High Pressure Side and Low Pressure Side lines in models using R12 Freon. If your car has quick connect ports, it uses R134 Freon and you can recharge it yourself.

2

Inspect the air conditioning lines for damage. Most auto parts stores have leak detection kits. Some of these will seal small leaks. If you see any other visible damage, take your Corvette to a professional to recharge the air conditioning system with Freon.

3

Turn on the car and the air conditioner. You need to choose the lowest temperature and maximum power so you can get accurate pressure readings. Use an automotive air conditioner pressure gauge to check the pressure in the system. If the pressure is correct, lack of Freon isn't the problem and a professional should service the car. If the pressure is low, adding Freon will probably get the cold air blowing again.

4

Connect the refill hose to the connector on the Low Pressure Side of the air conditioning system. The Low Pressure Side connector will be larger than the High Pressure Side connector so the refill hose will fit properly only on the Low Pressure Side.

5

Release the R134 into the system by slowly turning the valve on the refill kit hose. Wait approximately 10 minutes while the air conditioning system sucks the refrigerant out of the can. Check the pressure often because adding too much Freon can damage the system and possibly cause an explosion. If it is still low, you need to add more R134 refrigerant.

6

Close the valve on the refill hose and remove it from the Low Pressure Side connector port when the pressure is within the acceptable range. Make sure that you replace the cap on the Low Pressure Side connector when you are finished recharging your air conditioner.

7

Leave the air conditioner running for 20 minutes after the recharge to allow the Freon to circulate evenly through the whole system.