IMPorsche

A/C is not blowing cold air after coming out of winter hibernation. Has anyone recharge/refill the refrigerant using the off the shell refrigerant refill can? Or do you have the run a compressor to empty out the line and refill the entire line?
I have tried off the shell solution for my other cars and it has never failed or have any side effects that I'm aware of. But am concern that I might cause more issues down the road. Appreciate any advice or personal experience dealing with refrigerant - thanks!
Also, any DIY instructions/video will be greatly appreciated!

Cuda911

I just did this with my Cayman last week. Easy to top off. Make sure that the car is warmed up, AC is on, and engine is running during the recharge.

Pavegeno928

Have you found the leak? I've used the cans of refrigerant on my old 911 and it works fine.

IMPorsche

I have not found out where the leak. I guess I'll start by checking if there is any pressure left in the system.
Also just to confirm it's the plain R134a refrigerant cans and NOT the one with leak sealer?

HardRider

When charging you want 35-45 psi at around 85F ambient. Have all windows down fan on max and recirc off. If you have a hard time getting the freon to go in DIP the can in a pan of hot water /recently boiling. It will get it in there. DO NOT turn the can upside down or you are putting liquid in a compressor bad. As long as you are not using more than a can a year who cares if it has a leak. much cheaper to put a can of freon in then find leak.....

asellus

Malfunctioning a/c can be caused by a few things, only one of which is low refrigerant. Check your charge, if that's good then check that the a/c clutch is being engaged when the hvac is calling for it. If both those things check out then you have a much more fun issue than you can properly DIY, as I assume you don't own a recovery system.

If you have no refrigerant left, don't just fill it. You need to pull a vacuum first. Since it's leaking, you won't be able to pull a vacuum, which means you need to replace the faulty part. Not a fun DIY job, beyond just the special tooling required to do this.

If you're just slightly low on refrigerant, chances are you have a slow leak. Topping it off isn't the correct thing to do here -- you need to confirm it's actively leaking and then fix that leak. This involves pulling a vacuum. Using a stopleak-infused can from the parts store just pushes off the problem until next year. You're still going to leak freon into the atmosphere, which is bad for the environment.

If your pressure checks out but your clutch isn't engaging, you usually have a signal issue. Check voltage on the terminals, check the wiring, etc.. If you have power going to it but it's not engaging, then your clutch is toast and needs to be rebuilt. If it's engaging with good charge and you aren't getting cold air, then you have a problem that's even more fun and you should just throw it at a shop and expect to pay $600-1500.

GTSMeister

Also, make sure you are matching refrigerants. Porsche has been switching to R1234yf in recent times. Not compatible with R134a. Both are available in small cans.

@asellus is right that if you have a leak, you'll want to fix that. These systems do not just bleed out refrigerant unless there is a leak. So finding that is the right way to go.

IMPorsche

Thanks to all the responses/advise. Pressure checked out to be very low to non. I think this is more than what I can handle (or required more tools that I don't have). Will take it in for the pro to handle so I can enjoy it as the weather is warming up