How to Charge an Air Conditioner in a Mitsubishi Mirage

If your Mitsubishi Mirage is having air-conditioning issues, you may be able to recharge it without having to take it to a mechanic's shop. The caveat for recharging the air-conditioning system yourself is that the vehicle needs to have some cold air coming out of the vents, which means that there is still some refrigerant left in the system. It should be noted that recharging the refrigerant involves the use of chemicals that are dangerous to your body and the environment, which is why the Environmental Protection Agency closely regulates the use of certain refrigerants.

Raise the hood on the Mirage and prop it open. Find the high and low service fitting valves for the air-conditioning system, which should be located near the upper left part of the engine. Since the mid-1990's, the fitting valves for R134A refrigerant use two different sized valves for recharging, sized at 13 and 16 millimeters. Look for the low side fitting near the hose that connects the accumulator and the compressor. The high side fitting is on the other side of the compressor, near the hose that connects to the condenser.

Check the Mirage owner's manual to ascertain the correct refrigerant pressure, which can vary among different manufacturing years. Otherwise, fill the system until the low-pressure gauge measures between 25 and 40 pounds per square inch, or psi.

Attach the service hose valve from the recharge kit to the refrigerant can. Rotate and tighten the valve and hose connection until the can is punctured. Turn the valve slightly in the opposite direction to loosen it so that the air is bled from the hose. Shut off the valve once the air is bled from the hose and refrigerant can.

Hold the refrigerant can upright, placing it near the low service fitting on the Mirage's air-conditioning system. Screw the recharging kit's hose onto the low service fitting. Screw the high-pressure gauge from the recharge kit onto the high-pressure service fitting. If your kit has a high-pressure gauge, it should read between 225 and 250 psi when your Mirage's air conditioning system is fully recharged.

Turn on the engine and turn the air conditioning on full blast. Open the valve on the recharge kit so refrigerant is pulled into the vehicle's air-conditioning system. It is useful to have a friend inside the vehicle monitoring the temperature of the air coming from the Mirage's vents. Wait for five to 10 minutes to allow the air conditioning to be fully recharged. Continue to monitor the low-pressure gauge on the recharge kit.

Turn off the valve on the recharge kit and remove it from the air-conditioning system's fitting valves.