Chrysler Repair: air-conditoner only puts out hot air, r 134a, chrysler voyager

Question
my daughter has a Chrysler voyager year 2000 it was sending out cool air but is know running hot we ahd it serviced last year my son-in-law say it could need anti freeze but we don't know where to put it in.  thank-you

Answer
Hi Elizabeth,
The air conditioner system runs on refrigerant (not anti-freeze), R-134a type, and when it is lost due to a leak and the quantity in the system drops to a level which is unsafe for the compressor to operate then it prevents the compressor from engaging. You can tell whether this is the case by opening the hood while the engine is idling and having a helper turn on the a/c while you observe whether you hear a click and hear some new noise coming from front of the engine (which would be the sound of the compressor).
It is possible that if you happen to have the 3.0L V-6 engine that the reason it is not working is that the drive belt for the compressor has broken. So if you have that engine look to be sure there is more than one belt on the front of the engine. All the other possible engines have only one belt and if the a/c belt breaks you would know it because several things would stop working.
If not, then it is certainly likely that the refrigerant has leaked out too much. My suggestion would be to locate an air conditioning/radiator shop and take the vehicle there for service and explain that you had it serviced a year ago so that they will then know that you have a leak somewhere which needs to be found and fixed before they add refrigerant.
It would be a mistake to try to simply fill the system yourself with refrigerant when there is a leak and you don't have the tools to know how much to put in and also how much lubricating oil to put in. This is the sort of servicing which I don't do myself either. And there is no point in just throwing in more refrigerant only to have it leak out again in a year. The shop has a sniffer that is used to locate the leak and it is not something that can be done by naked eye, again another reason to not try to do it yourself.
Roland