I have a 97 accord ex coupe and my ac works but isnt THAT cold. I was wondering how do i charge the system? do i need to have it vacuume out first then charged or can i just by the kit and do it my self without removing any other r134 thats already in it. please help

 

you should leave that to a professional however if you want to do it

By a r134a recharge kit that has the red dye in it and add freon through the low side hose after you

wash your engine compartment and clean off the condensor
turn car on
open all windows
turn a/c on full blast

attach a guage with a hose to your low pressure side and add the approperiate amt of r143a with the dye to get the low side pressure where it should be.. and then check the system for leaks.

Accord-Pro, do you know the low and high side pressures for a EX at various engines RPMS?

 

yeah, it can be done with the self service kit, you want to be sure not to over charge the system, it's really best to vacum it down and add oil and put in some flourescent dye and have it done right. Then you'll be able to find the leak later. But PROMISE me you won't put in any of that 'sealer' crap. We lost a $2500 A/C machine to the junk last year it plugged up the solenoids and this year we got a car that had some in it and it froze up the gauges. I spent a full day flushing the machine out. Now our customers have to pay the extra cost for the sealant test.
The worst problem of the sealer is that it will eventually cause harm to the system.
When the sealer meets with oxygen it turns to a rubber stuff, but any moisture in the system will also cause the rubber to coagulate, like in the expansion valve.