I need help. I have a '97 torch red that I bought brand new on March 31, 1997, one of the first C5 Vettes in South Florida. It is mint, I even bought a townhouse with a garage for it in 1997. The car has less than 18,000 miles on it but it is driven weekly harshly, but politely, on city streets. My A/C stopped blowing cold air. It is the regular A/C, not the dual zone (if that matters at all). I bought a cannister of R134a with a meter. I found two valves. One is in the front of the engine bay and is too large, the other is toward the fire wall on the passenger's side. I drove the car, warmed up the engine, parked it, kept the engine running, turned on the A/C on high and attempted to recharge the system. The problem is, almost nothing is getting through that valve. Every time I disconnect the recharger, all the refrigerant that built up in the recharger hose bursts out. A little refrigerant did get through because now the right side is blowing cold but hardly cold enough for South Florida. I repeated this procedure several times but to no avail. It hasn't improved. I still have a full can of R134a. I have tried turning the cannister upside down and shaking it, right side up and shaking it and still nothing seems to be getting through that valve. Am I missing something? Can anybody help? Thanks so much. -Allen, Deerfield Beach, FL

 

if you are as mechanically as inclined as me, you may want to go to an a/c specialist it is not like the old days when you added a can of freon if it wasn't cold enough if there is no indication of line/condensor frost, it may not even be low on freon and you could be damaging things is the compresor running, maybe loose belt and a whole host of other things. good luck but don't break it even more before you get some advice! i know, not of much help but at least you know we care

jim

 

Seems like the best idea. My cousin recharges his A/C this way (BMW) so I figured it would work. Thanks for answering. The car has only been dealer serviced so I guess I will end up reluctantly making an appointment for next week. Cold front is coming through and temps will dip to the low 70s this week.

Doesn't anybody else have this problem?