Recently got a '02 Chevy Tracker 4 door as my DD. Love it so far...especially the (formerly) working AC. Sat for most of the last year so things have been "coming back to life" a bit. When I purchased it on Sunday and drove it 4 hours home the AC seemed weak. Cooled you but didn't ever freeze you out of the cabin. Got a bit better these last few days but never seemed Nome, Alaska cold.

Picked up a can of R134 at NAPA and went over to my buddy's dad's house. I've either owned vehicles without AC, with completely non-working AC, or with perfectly fine AC so I've actually never had to dick with it. He claims he does it all the time and knows what he's doing.

We put the little blue hose on the can, put it on the Low fitting, and started the process. Emptied the can, it was blowing colder, and then he declares we overcharged it. We let some out of the high side, didn't seem like too much...and the needle was in the red around 70. He declared we had a leak and recommended I go get a can of the R134 with the stop leak stuff and try that.

Off we went, I got a can of R134 with lube/leak stop/die/fries/etc and we put that in...and didn't seem to get anything. In fact, now the needle on the gauge is stuck all the way over on the red side. He seemed to indicate that meant undercharged...I'm thinking overcharged?

Did we let it all out and I don't have enough in there? Happened so fast I thought we were just bleeding a little off but I'm now questioning how he was reading the gauge and his process. Overcharged? Do I just bleed some off of the high side? Should I be concerned about lubing the system or letting it out?

!!!?  Is the truck A/C still cooling Andrew or is it blowing hot air now?  Is the compressor still functioning or did the compressor stop cycling?  If the compressor is still "cycling" on and off is it possible your friend induced a vapor lock in the lines?

I have added refrigerant to my '96 when I had it using a standard (then) can of freon with the cheesy pressure gauge in a kit.  One can goes along way in these little truck systems.  I gassed it up into the "green" zone and it was good to go.

Typically, the longer you drive them (Trackers) the cooler they get.  Mine doesn't cool all that well sitting still but once I get rolling it cools much better.  Max cool for mine is with the setting on recirculate and the windows up completely.  Once out on the highway it cools fine.  Crack a window open and the cool gets sucked out quickly.  My wife calls my Trackers the "hot or cold trucks"... because in the winter you are either hot or cold and in the summer you are either hot or cold.  I still like them though.

My 2 cents... take him to a shop that has a qualified A/C tech to check it out. 

Yeah, looking for a shop now.  Was recommended a series of steps to check if I could find some actual professional high and low gauges but I can't seem to locate any.  In Michigan it'd be a different story but I'm here not there.

No more redneck AC work for me.  Just hoping it's simply overcharged.

Yep! You need high and low side pressure figures in order to nail down the problem, which I'd be glad to help you with as well.

My nearby "Jiffy Lube" is providing FREE A/C checks! Maybe you have one in your locale or something similar?  

The "charge" quantity is VERY critical and I've also noticed that Zuke A/C (in general) isn't the most efficient A/C on the market (comparing here to Honda and Toyota) but it's acceptable.

I found just charging it, while it's running and re-checking/ adding a small amount a few times over an hour or so fills it nicely.

The real problem IMO is that the system is too small even for a 2D.

Went over to the friend of a friend's house today and got it mostly straightened out.  WAY over charged.  He let a bunch of pressure out of the low side and now it blows nice and cold again.  He's not a fan of the DIY AC stuff sold at the parts stores and I kind of see why.  Says most of the AC work they do is fixing stuff like this...DIY broke/killed it.

He's worried that the stop leak stuff I put in might have clogged the orifice.  However it works for now so he said keep running it until it does something different or doesn't work.  Said he could be wrong and if not, he'd have to do the same stuff he did today.

I'm thinking I got off easy for now at least.  Just happy to have AC back.

Good news to hear.  A/C is good to have too!!!

Yes it is.  Wish I had it a month ago when it was 100 here but I'll take it all the same.

That would be 100 degrees.... with 99% humidity!

Yep.  Beats freezing but still, damn was it hot.