2015 Subaru Forester AC Compressor replacement

[nizzle321]

I am throwing in the towel. I gave it a go, but since this is my daily and I'm still a ways away from being a, even middling, AC DIY'er, I'm taking the foz to a qualified AC pro.

9 days ago I rented the AC manifold from Autozone again to check the pressure in my system. I didn't feel comfortable knowing the system was probably high. And I also wasn't too impressed with how cool it was. So I checked the high and low side pressures. They were both a little above the pressures specified by subaru. So I let a little refrigerant out in order to bring them into range. It worked. Or at least I thought. Driving home that night the air was barely cool. And I heard it making that low on refrigerant sound. In fear of wrecking my compressor, I stopped using the AC.

Subaru says in the service manual to drain refrigerant completely whenever adjusting the pressure in the system which probably explains why letting out some refrigerant was not the solution.

I'm not sure if I drain and recharge it if the High and Low pressures will fall into spec of if they'll end up high like before. I'm not sure if my TXV should be replaced. And the charging proceedur isn't clear to me. It says to charge it with the engine at 1500 rpm and the fan set to max but for inspection, says to check while idling the engine for 30 min and leaving fan at 3/4. Both inspection and charging reference the same pressure chart. There are just too many variables and I don't have the experience or stomach to keep messing with it. Maybe if this was my secondary or beater car. ....

Anyone following this mess recommend a AC pro in the Delaware or South East PA area?

[Dougflas]

People that keep venting refrigerant into the atmosphere are going to get caught and fined. Refrigerant needs to be recovered not vented.

[nizzle321]

I don't have the means of obtaining that kind of equipment. And to recover the refrigerant was going to cost me $100. I don't want to intentionally destroy the ozone layer, but I'm also not made of money.

[Cusser]

And adding refrigerant to meet certain pressures is not the recommended way to get correct refrigerant charge: charging BY WEIGHT is.

Go to a certified independent mechanic.