Thoughts on AC Pro ?

[901Memphis]

Anyone have any experience with AC Pro for refilling a system with a possible slow leak? My Buick seems to be misplacing a small can of R134A about once a year, and it's getting hot air again even though the warm months are almost over i don't want the system to run dry since i use it all the time.

I know the typical BITOG mantra is R134A only, no leak sealers, no seal swellers, only dye is acceptable for finding leaks, but while it says the product will seal leaks, i am not sure if it contains leak sealers or not.

I have seen numerous positive reviews of the product and really like the reusable hose/gauge.

Yes i know about not having a high pressure gauge, and am okay with servicing the system this way since i won't go crazy with trying to over fill it.

Thoughts or opinions? I am unable to afford professional AC repair at this time.

 

[SilverC6]

I gassed up my son's Mazda RX8 this summer with AC Pro that I purchased at Walmart.

I'm like you, reading the can I'm assuming it has some system lube and sealant in it.

Seems to be working fine.

I also picked up a couple of cans of R134A for future fills with the same hose and gauge.

The trigger/gauge hose worked like a charm.

I did overcharge initially but bled off some gas and refilled.

I just needed to be a little more careful feeding liquid with the can inverted.

 

[EricF]

my beef with a/c pro is their commercials. I saw one where they said your a/c problems solved guarenteed.
THAT is a false statement because there's so many variables with an a/c system that they're relying on people simply have a small leak and that a refill from their can will get you going again, until next time.

But, it's not a bad product, I do like the hose they give, it works pretty well, very reusable.

I'm kinda against a stop leak, to much does harm, a little bit, like 2oz won't do much, but might help with a very smaller than a hairpin leak.

Usually if you leak freon, you leak oil with it. So have an oil with it is a nice thought.

You can't hurt anything by giving it a shot.

Just if you go and get it fixed at a shop, don't tell them you put a stop leak in, it tends to plug up their filters.

 

[JHZR2]

Illegal to refill without tracing the root cause and fixing, iirc.

Root cause may be stupid/minor. Mine was an O ring on a 10 sensor.

Probably the most important question is which products can shops still recover the 134a. If you put some junk in an already marginal system, then it breaks and you have to have a pro do some work, what will they touch and what won't they touch?

 

[Mr Nice]

I used this product on 4 different cars with good results and very cold A/C.

 

[tommygunn]

I love the long hose they give you!

It doesn't seem to be any better or worse than any other R134a.

Plus, the hose is reusable, so you only have to buy the Pro once, then just get the cheap cans thereafter.

 

[LotI]

My '04 Rainier stopped blowing cold air this year so I bought a can and it has been great this year. I think I paid $25 for a can of A\C pro.

One can was just enough and I have rear air.

Worked for me.

 

[Chris142]

the problem with refilling with cans is that you do not know how much you need to add. the low side guage is not an accurate way to refill a low system. the proper way is to recover whats in it. vacuum and fill it with a machine and its very accurate scale.

i had to buy a $500 filter to keep stop leak out of my $4000 ac machines. my customers cant get the charge right.they always over fill them. many new cars hold 24oz or less. a system that small wont work correctly if its 2oz low. so they shoot the whole 18oz can in lol.

 

[ARB1977]

Straight R134 is what I use in my Tacoma. Get it at autozone.

 

[901Memphis]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
the problem with refilling with cans is that you do not know how much you need to add. the low side guage is not an accurate way to refill a low system. the proper way is to recover whats in it. vacuum and fill it with a machine and its very accurate scale.

It's good to know there is a filter for the good AC shops to remove the bad stuff people put in their cars. I don't think i have a reputable shop around.

This car is getting close to getting junked since it might need a new transmission, new brake/fuel lines and the AC problems exceeding its value greatly.

i had to buy a $500 filter to keep stop leak out of my $4000 ac machines. my customers cant get the charge right.they always over fill them. many new cars hold 24oz or less. a system that small wont work correctly if its 2oz low. so they shoot the whole 18oz can in lol.



My system is pretty predictable, it gets warm air on the drivers side and ice cold on the pass side when low, but it's gotten way past that point and is now hot on both sides. I am pretty sure its very low, i am surprised the compressor still kicks on.
Originally Posted By: ARB1977
Straight R134 is what I use in my Tacoma. Get it at autozone.



I was going to get a gauge at autozone and a cheap can of R134a at a local store that had them on sale, but then i realized i would be at almost the same price as AC Pro with a cheaper gauge and less product to start with....

The stand alone gauges you buy at the stores for low side are really short.

 

[Silverado12]

I used it in my Challenger this year. It never blew very cold, but this year was worse. Now it blows ice cold air. Seems to work for me. Long term consequences unknown, though.

 

[Bluestream]

Take it to a professional and fix the leak. Help save the planet and the same time. The leak will only get worse anyway

 

[MarkM66]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Illegal to refill without tracing the root cause and fixing, iirc.

Root cause may be stupid/minor. Mine was an O ring on a 10 sensor.

Probably the most important question is which products can shops still recover the 134a. If you put some junk in an already marginal system, then it breaks and you have to have a pro do some work, what will they touch and what won't they touch?


Illegal?

Where is this law in the book? Please provide the actual law, because you keep making this "illegal" claim.

If it was truly illegal, these ad on kits would be outlawed.

 

[rshaw125]

No it is not illegal for the owner to top up his AC. That's the reason you can buy products like AC Pro. It is illegal for shops to recharge without fixing the leak. Same with your home AC unit.

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: rshaw125
No it is not illegal for the owner to top up his AC. That's the reason you can buy products like AC Pro. It is illegal for shops to recharge without fixing the leak. Same with your home AC unit.


This. It is part of the certification process for getting a mobile A/C (read automotive) license. I took the class on it and the list of rules and regulations from the EPA for a shop is huge.

 

[901Memphis]

If i could find a reputable AC shop nearby i might have them take a look at it. Any idea how much an inspection runs? Seems like it might be expensive.

 

[Lyman]

I used the AC Pro in my Ranger. It will [censored] near freeze me out now. It had a leaking schrader valve that I fixed before I filled it. I did notice the needle on the gauge was stuck when I was done with the job. Who knows how close I got it to the right amount.

 

[artificialist]

I used a premium AC pro on my mom's 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I did this about 2 years ago, and the car still is ice cold.

The other nice thing about this kit is that the tap is still in good shape, so if I ever need to add refrigerant again, I am not stuck with the expense of replacing the tap.

 

[901Memphis]

Well i got the A/C pro and used it. I found my leak but it was too late after i had already punched the can. It's leaking from the schrader valve on the low port fill side i believe as i saw a bubble when i took the dust cap off.

The Darn A/C Pro gauge/fill port cross threaded on the bottle as a was punching the hole in the can and it leaked out a little as i was filling it and now i can't get the gauge off the empty bottle. I guess it took the whole 20 oz +/- what might have leaked off, (A small amount).

I am going to see if AAP will exchange the gauge for a working one, since i want the re-usable gauge.

I should have gotten the hint when i tried to take off the little white disc that seperates the can from the dispenser and that was cross threaded. I thought it was just cuz it was plastic, but it appears the physical metal can has the cross threads.

Either way it's working for the remaining few weeks of warm weather and i can now find out how much it's going to cost to replace the schrader valve since i think that's the problem.

Anyone know what AC shops charge for that kind of repair?

 

[901Memphis]

The current dust cap is just the oem plastic cap. Does anyone know if a metal cap with a seal i can pull off a junkyard vehicle will stop the leak? Low pressure psi shouldn't be that high esp for just a leak right?