So I am sure everyone has seen the television and heard the radio ads for ACPro and using it on your a/c system. At Vatozone, it was on sale for $42 so I bought a bottle. A friend there told me how I should use it and to make it last use certain precautions. The directions say use it on the low pressure valve which I believe its the valve on the right near the engine side (by the way I have a 96 cherokee, 4.0 4x4). The ac is blowing somewhat cold and feels good in the morning but when it reaches 90 + degrees its time to park it.
I am on a tight budget and have another friend that can help evacuate the system and recharge it if that is all it needs. If it needs more then the friend can do what is needed.

 

To me stuff like that is snake oil it probably do more harm then good.I would let your friend fix it the right way so it will work good for years.

 

System needs to be evacuated, vacuumed, and then charged to be done properly

 

All it is, is freon in a large can. You can get freon and hose for less. And, Yes it works if all you need is to refill it to the proper amount. Not if you have a leak and need to evacuate the system. ONLY have you friend help you evacuate the system if he knows what he is doing and has a good vacuum pump to do the job. DO NOT attempt to drain the system and recharge it without pulling a vacuum on the system or you will be changing out the compressor. Take it to an AC shop and have it done right.

 

Save your money. It does not help leaks. A friend gave me 3/4 can cause he didn't need it. Filled mines up. Worked for a month and stopped. I used this 134 in a can with leak stop from walmart. Works better, fixed the leak and i still have ice cold air.

At the end if the day though, nothing beats a good ol vacuum and refill

 

Getting A/C to work properly usually isn't cheap.

Cutting corners may do more harm than good.

Let your friend take a look at it if he is certified and trained.

 

I tried a bottle of that stuff...worked OK for about 2 weeks.

It will re-charge your freon...but any reputable AC shop can do that and won't be any more expensive. The difference is that the AC shop will diagnose the CAUSE of your problem. The bottle will not help you find the problem.

I guess if you want a quick 2-week fix, go for it, but beyond that I would call the stuff a waste of money.

 

First off, you say that your A/C is working but just not cooling adequately as ambient temps climb during the day. It is quite possible that all you need is some additional refrigerant (134a).

I have owned at least one XJ for 29 years in one of the nastiest climates in the US and neither of my Jeeps have ever been in an A/C shop except to have the '85 system evacuated prior to changing it over to 134a after they quit selling r12 to the general public.

I am not bragging -- this amounts to nothing more than pure, dumb luck and a bit of patience. My point is that if you are on a budget as you say, and as I was back in my '85 days, IF YOU ARE LUCKY, it is quite possible to avoid shop fees and have great A/C. If it doesn't work, I don't think you are going to ruin your system by putting some 134a into it.

I am not familiar with ACPro but from the ads it appears to just be another charging kit of which there are several available from Walmart and parts houses. Somebody suggested this are "snake oil" but I would have to see more to explain why he feels that to be true. In any event you say you have the kit so why not use it.

Note that in terms of cooling, too much refrigerant is just as bad as too little. I charged my '93 system about 1 1/2 years ago. Cooling was quite adequate but after several months it got icy and I assume I got just a bit too much in to start with.

I am just presenting a divergent view here. You got good advice above and I am not an expert. If you decide you have the cash, let you friend dig into it or go to a shop.

There is a current thread about valves on compressors. My '93 still has the valves that were eliminated at some point. If the '96 still has them, note that you turn the low side CLOCKWISE to open and turn only enough to allow the 134a to enter the system, about a turn and a half.

Good luck. Get back with any questions.

 

So I plugged in the supply line onto the low pressure valve and had the engine running and a/c on high. I then squeezed the trigger a couple of times and checked on the inside and found the air was nice and cold. I drove my daughter to summer camp and it worked the whole way there.
The only problem (if this is a problem) is that the gauge on the canister reads in psi and stayed in the white area of 0 to 25 psi. I am assuming it worked b/c I got the cold air I wanted, but the gauge didnt move so did it really work the way it is designed to?
Based on what everyone has said about having the system properly gone thru or the luck some of us have had with their systems and just adding freon, I will have to see what this will do for me. If it lasts the whole summer then great, but if not and for only a few weeks then it will be time to take it to the shop or simply use up the whole can and hope it lasts until I can properly have the system gone thru.

 

The gauges on these various kits are virtually useless. They can give you some indication of what is happening but that's about it.

I have to add about half a can of 134a to my '93 system about every 1.5 years as I said above so I have a very slow leak. I've had it for 9 years and believe but cannot swear that it leaked faster when I got it. Whether the A/C gods have just been kind or whether the stop-leak sealant that is in the 134a has helped I don't know. The system was converted by the PO and didn't cool at all when I got it until I charged it with several cans.

I mentioned valves and another thread earlier. I'm just curious if the '96 has the valves on the compressor if you wouldn't mind a brief comment here in your thread when you have time.