My 2004 Corolla will be 8 years old this fall, and has never needed A/C work before this. I think the A/C system has been losing it's ability to cool for about a year...but it just now got hot enough that I actually need it (metro Atlanta GA). I got a can of refrigerant and the hose that has the pressure gauge. I used the gauge on the low pressure port (if I am correct, it is on the passenger side, near the firewall (I am guessing about a foot ahead of it), up high. The low pressure port did fit the gauge, I think that fitting has a yellow paint mark on the line (the other one, near the front of the car, and lower, was green, I think). Anyway, the pressure came up as about 100-105 psi. The gauge, a generic one, says that is too high, but I saw somewhere else out on the internets that 100psi is about right for the low pressure side (??? really)
When I hit the A/C switch in the car, I can feel the small "clunk" noise, and the idle changes (when I do it when sitting at idle).
Thoughts about what to check on this system? I hate to take it to a dealer, I just got back to work, I'm making nowhere near what I used to, and I just can't afford to pay several hundred to fix this, if I can do any of the work myself. Otherwise, it's gonna be a hot summer. :-)
Thanks!!