Honda: 88 Honda Civic LX air conditioner, honda civic lx, heater valve

Question
QUESTION: I had air conditioning put on my 88 Civic LX a couple of years ago (by an aftermarket shop in California).  When they installed it they said that it never really would get that cold.  Now that I live in NJ, I really notice that the A/C  doesn't get cold enough to do any good when the temps are in the 80's or 90's.  Any advice or suggestions?

Thank you.

ANSWER: yeah- don't buy aftermarket ac they always suck, my 90 civic had aftermarket ac it never really worked so I threw it in the trash.The lamest part of the story is the dealer only charges a couple of hundred bucks more.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your response.  However it didn't really address my problem with the air conditioner that is on the vehicle now.  There was no dealer who I was able to find to install A/C on the vehicle.  I had no option but the aftermarket place...anyway to increase the coldness of the A/C unit?

Answer
Make sure your refrigerant pressures are right,check your heater valve is closed, make sure the blend door is in the cool position.a/c is a reasonably simple process,but if the components are not matched it may never work.for instance if the compressor is not matched with the condenser or the evaporator its almost impossible to cool. If you are serious about making it work without taking it to an ac shop you will need a book or check out a website to learn how it works.