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How do I bleed freon from a car A/C?

I live in south Texas and the air conditioner stopped working on my car. My brother told me that I probably need to remove the freon and refill it to solve the problem. However, I’ve never done any type of maintenance like this before. How do I bleed the freon out of my car’s A/C?

avatar
Eric Schad · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
When you live in a hot climate such as
Texas
, driving without A/C is almost unbearable. You better have an extra shirt in the car, because you’re going to sweat nonstop! If your freon is the true issue, you can bleed the freon from your A/C with a set of tools and an air conditioner recovery machine.
To bleed freon from your car’s A/C, follow these steps:
  • Always wear personal protective equipment when removing freon.
  • Find the low-pressure A/C service port in the engine compartment. To locate it, use a schematic of your engine compartment, the owner’s manual, or simply look at the back of the A/C compressor. The low-pressure port is the smaller of the two ports on the back.
  • Use an adjustable wrench to close the valve on the low-pressure port.
  • Attach the car A/C recovery machine. You can either rent one or by one for between $300 and $500.
  • When used, the recovery machine turns freon to vapor, making the process of bleeding the freon far easier.
  • Open the low-pressure port.
  • Buy a can of freon and attach the included hose to the low-pressure port.
  • Turn on your car and fire up the A/C.
  • Press the plunger on the can of freon to put it into the A/C system.
If you have at least a fair bit of knowledge and about an hour, you shouldn’t have any problem bleeding freon and putting new freon in the vehicle. If you’re not confident, you can also take your car to the shop. They will charge around $150 to $300 for the task.
If you want to save some cash to pay for your freon bleeding and a subsequent recharge, check out the Jerry app. As a licensed broker,
Jerry
helps you find and compare quotes from over 50 top providers, including Nationwide, Allstate, and Travelers, in minutes. When you find a better rate, Jerry can help you buy your new coverage and even cancel your old policy!
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