A/C keeps turning off when driving, suspect low refrigerant

>A/C keeps turning off when driving, suspect low refrigerant
>Would take it to a shop to have done, but don't have a lot of money, and try to work on my cars myself when I can
>buy $30 can of refrigerant at parts store
>about to add a little bit to the system, maybe 1 or 2 ounces
>also happen to be 400 miles from home at gf's grandpas funeral
>gf's boomer uncle walks up, sees can
>"hey you know how to do that? Need help? I've done these about a million times"
>Give him the benifit of the doubt, hey maybe he actually has something to contribute, despite the hic accent
>hand him the bottle
>immediately regret
>he looks at the directions, begins to follow them
>he says something along the lines of "this guage is reading wrong"
>red flags start raising in my head
>let him finish what he's doing, after all, if he has 'done this a million times' he must know what he is doing
>ask "what is the system capacity?"
>he looks at me blankly
>have to look at the sticker myself, because he didn't check.
>22 oz says the label
>"It says 22 oz, that's a 18 oz can, how much did you put in?" I ask
>"oh, she took the whole can"
>fuck
>now the a/c which mostly worked beforehand is not working
>compressor kicks on every 5 seconds, and has huge parasitic draw on the engine when it does
>hear "PSSSST" noise after the compressor turns on
>Now the ac is completely non-functional instead of partially non-functional
>wasted the whole can, even though only needed a little.

I did some research, I think it's overfilled now, and the noise must be the pressure relief valve going off. Now I have to make a 400 mi drive without AC in 100 degree heat, AND on top of that I will likely have to take my car to a professional to get the system serviced, which will be expensive.

Am I right about the system likely being overcharged? Is there more potential damage to come to the system if it is?

Point is: don't let other people touch your car, unless you are super sure about their competency.

Pic related

>A/C keeps turning off when driving, suspect low refrigerant

There's your problem mr. self diagnostics.

>bought a ford prelude
You're a fucking idiot.

I mean, that's not completely unreasonable, and if it is the case, can be a cheap fix.

>ford prelude

I paid $70 to have my system evacuated and refilled. ac runs great and it now has dye in the system so if it WAS leaking I can find it and fix it. How was a $30 can of refrigerant a better bargain than paying $70 and having it done right?

Fucking dumbass. All you had to do was watch a YouTube video. These cans are terrible. It gives poorfags a chance to waste their money instead of doing it properly. A/c work is not for the diy unless you have the proper tools. Your 30 bucks would've been better spent on a set of manifold gauges so you can see both pressures.

fucking good question

how much is a leak detector (sniffer kind)? are they better than using dye?

i have some tools, but my leak detector is old as fuck and for R12

everyone I know uses dye.

>>compressor kicks on every 5 seconds, and has huge parasitic draw on the engine when it does
>>hear "PSSSST" noise after the compressor turns on

hmm
i get this problem even though the a/c works

Have you tried to turn the compressor by hand? Engine off obviously.

Yeah, I'm retarded. This is what I will do. Also the problem is probably the switch or the relay. Hopefully I didn't do too much damage.

No I have not. What should I be feeling for?

You need to learn how to write greentext stories OP

This still sounds like it's low refrigerant OP. The pressure reliefs are usually little balls stuck in a fitting that will pop when the high side pressure gets too high.

While low refrigerant will cause the A/C not to work, low oil in the system will also cause hot air. Basically while you add refrigerant you also have to add oil otherwise the compressor itself will not cool.

I highly recommend that you never try to do any work on the A/C system at all unless you know what the hell you're doing and you have the proper tools as well. Just bow your head and swipe that card at the shop buddy.

>>A/C keeps turning off when driving, suspect low refrigerant
Oh god are you retarded?

Y know those things come with gauges right? Literally plug it in before filling on the L side and see if the pressure is already OK.

All the people saying AC can't be done at home are wrong, it just takes a little more intelligence than just changing your oil and helps if you have a general understanding of how an AC system works.

Now here's what you do.

Take just the gauge and hose, and plug it into L side. check pressure, it should be crazy high. Open the valve where the bottle goes, and allow it to drain. Don't tell anyone this is kinda illegal in some places, but fuck the environment.

Now drain it to the point where it is where it should be, once that is done see if system works.

If it is back to where it was before, good job not too much went wrong.
If not, congrats you have a leak somewhere or a blown compressor. It could also be other things yes.

Drain the whole system like above, get a dye charge and find the leak. If it's a compressor, well fuck need a new one.

Also
>Letting ANYONE else touch your car
I've told my dad not to touch shit when i was changing my timing belt. I know he doesn't know shit about this specific job even if he is better at other things than me. You shouldn't ever let anyone touch your shit.

>check L side pressure
>should be crazy high
>checking a/c with only one gauge
fuck off. you're just as dumb as OP.

Yea i know, you should check both sides, and before filling you should check if the system can hold a vacuum.

But i doubt OP has a vacuum pump or a proper gauge set.

I'm just trying to help him poor fag his system back to some working order, because currently any mechanic would charge him up the ass just for draining his system.

>charge ac with can in parking lot
>Ice cold ac now

Hey quick question. Did you use a can that had a/c oil in it? Or a stop leak can? Because if you did either of those things you dun fucked up m8