Hello everyone. I was topping up the 01 Bonnie last night with RedTek 12a and for the heck of it I used a RedTek 4oz can of Stop Leak and one 6 oz can of RedTek 12a Refrigerant to start. It says deduct 57 grams (2 oz) of the stop leak as half of the can is Ref and the other stop leak, so total input was 8 oz of refrigerant and 2 oz stop leak. It says on the larger 6 oz can of 12A that it is equivalent to 16 oz (454g) of R-134a so do I basically do the math conversion from grams to lbs to get to the total RedTek I need for the 2.0lbs the car holds and if so can I assume the system was depleted of Refrigerant completely? It was not cold at all last year and I added 2 cans RedTek (12oz - which for some reason I thought was only a lb) and it lasted the summer just fine but was not cold again this season. I was thinking of adding another 6 oz can but think this would put me in an overcharge situation and want to know if I can am correct in assuming the system was completely empty of refrigerant when I started last night. According to the conversion calculation I just found, one 6 oz can of RedTek 12a is equivalent to 1lb so I have installed 605 grams or 1.334 lbs of Refrigerant in total so far with the 2 oz in the Stop Leak correct? I Can't buy smaller than 6oz in just 12a regular refrigerant so any suggestions on getting another 0.67lbs of 12a into the system (one full can will overcharge?) assuming the system was completely empty when I started of course? The problem is I do not know how to read this gauge properly (see attached picture). When I connected the fittings and opened the valve to release the 12a with the system off as the instructions tell me to do, nothing happened. The gauge just stayed between 70 or 80 in the large black numbered section even though the instructions on the can tell you to install the redtek with the system off until sufficient charge is achieved. The redtek would not start flowing into the system until I turned the car on and ran the air, then all was good. The gauge read in the blue section at around 30-32 and after the second can read around 35 or so. The passenger side as with last year, is cold and the driver side cold but very noticeably less cold. I read the threads on the actuator and may check it but this could just be a case of simply not being fully charged. No the instructions with the kit never mentioned how to read the gauge but I will ask a mechanic buddy or search online. RedTek phone help was no help at all. Would anyone suggest simply installing a 4oz can of oil charge or another leak stop (2 oz of which is Refrigerant). The oil charge would ensure compressor lubrication is good. Last year it was a good colour but not as much filled the test applicator as I thought might come out. Thanks for the help as usual.

So your AC keeps losing charge and you keep throwing more refrigerant and (shudder) stop leak in there? I think you have bigger problems than undercharging.

Can't be too big, Takes about 8-9 months to loose it'* cooling ability so it'* probably a slow seal leak, but of course whenever you take it in to a shop you can't escape without them saying it'* $1000 to fix. A half dozen people I know have paid $1000 in the last two summers. Must be a magical number What a racket. Since I am only going to have the car another 2 years or so I would rather blow $30 per season than pay someone a grand just because it'* hot out and he knows he can get that kind of money. It'* environmentally friendly anyway. So did you have a suggestion as to what that larger problem might be or did you just want to mocl my usages of stop leak. You must have had some experience with sop leak I assume since you are not a fan of it? What about ProSeal for AC?

I have personally never used it, but in school we saw some of the effects it can have on AC components and expensive AC recharging/recovery machines. We were also advised to avoid stop leak like the plague.

If adding refrigerant alone lasts the season, why add the stop leak? Does it seem to be helping at all? (not mocking you, this is a serious question)

I will agree with you that it sucks not having AC and seeing the price some places charge to repair it. We pressure tested the Lincoln I had at the time and threw some dye in it and found a leak, but I just said forget it and dealt with not having AC.

You may want to try adding some dye to the oil (if it doesn't already have it) and using a UV light to try and find the leak. That'* how we found mine.

Stop leak from the old days but the new stuff I was told by a few places does no harm. I know stop leak for engines and radiators was never a good thing usually. I Just thought I would try the stop leak to see if it helped at all since it was half the price (special I guess) and still added refrigerant. If I still have cool air next summer, I will know it maybe helped out. Was just joking about the mocking comment, no worries. RedTek makes the dye as well, but if the leak is in a line you cannot see, it does no good. I dyed my truck and did all sort of pressure testing,a few years ago. Seemed like a rip off having to fill the system to check for the leak while (a the while it being illegal to let the stuff float into the atmosphere from the leak itself) then having to empty it and refill once repaired. You know they just recovered into a container yet they would always charge you twice for the fill job anyway.In the end the dye was found no where and was probably coming from the rear AC lines hidden in the frame of the truck so could not see it so I shut the rear lines down completely and "fixed" it that way, but when they can't find the leak they want to start replacing every part under the hood to do with AC. Got sick of those scammers over the years. They would make you replace the evaporator to warranty the compressor etc etc...what a bunch of pirates. I bet a bunch of them are p*ssed now with DIY kits. Not saying all shops are bad and there is a time not to be cheap about a repair but spending $1k for 2-3 years of nice air x 2 vehicles gets to be a little much, especially when your maybe using it here for a total of 20-30 actual days out of the year. I think the oil charge is just oil and R12, they seem to sell a separate can of dye. I definitely cannot put oil AND the dye in it now if they both contain R12 as well as it may overcharge the system but I will see if dye is avail by itself without adding R12. Thanks for the input.