Automotive Air Conditioning Information Forum

Everone including me seems to be totally concerned about what the presures are doing on the LOW side. Big question is what about the high side. IF I connect A gage and using a ambient temp chart notice either high pressures or low on the high side, is there anything Ican do legally to get the numbers back in the ball park. Thanksin advance

Sure...Is the fan working? Good airflow through the condenser? Fan shroud in place? Air going around the condenser instead of through it? Anything externally blocking the condenser, like leaves or a plastic bag? Is the condenser internally blocked due to a faulty compressor shedding debris? Is the condenser leaking? Is the R/D saturated with moisture, and is the desiccant bag intact?

Good questions, and the remedies are all legal for a vehicle owner to repair, at least in the USA. But first you should acquire a decent Manifold Gauge Set (ACKits.com, this Forum's sponsor, can help with that), which will tell you the pressures on both the high and low sides. You'll need the two pressures and be able to interpret them correctly (not relying on a chart) to make a good diagnosis. I'm afraid just one gauge, reading only the HP side, isn't going to do it.

Get a professional Manifold Gauge Set as mentioned by JohnHere and post both hi and low pressures, and ambient, and center vent temp (digital thermometer is best), with engine at 1500-1800, max fan, max cool, recirculate, doors and windows closed. With that info we can tell you the health of the system.
We do not use the charts in the FSM, they are seldom actually useful, Some of them show low side pressures all the way up to 45 or 50. Low side numbers like that will NOT cool a cabin. Some of the mechanical engineers who are responsible for those charts have never actually worked on a system with their own hands.

If you want to learn more about automotive AC, step back thru the posts on this forum one by one for a couple years, you will learn a lot. No other AC forum has the skilled advisors that Tim has gathered here.
Look at post counts of the posters, that should tell you something, also