If your air conditioning doesn't work as well as it once did, the cause could be low refrigerant levels. Topping off the system with additional refrigerant will help the system work more effectively, keeping your interior as cool as possible. The best refill port to use for this process is the low-pressure A/C recharge port, which can be found on the high side of the receiver dryer behind the passenger side wheel well.
Disconnect the liner on the inside of the passenger side wheel well by removing the T-30 Torx bits holding it in place. With a Phillips-head screwdriver, remove the two plastic body snaps that remain and allow the liner to fall out of place and rest on top of the tire.
Locate the receiver dryer, which is a metal cylinder that is now facing you. Connect the hose of an air conditioning recharge kit to the service port on top of the cylinder. With the engine turned off, the pressure shown on the kit's gauge should be close to the ambient temperature in Fahrenheit. For example, if the outside temperature is 75 degrees, the pressure gauge should show close to 75 PSI. If it is significantly less than this, a refill is in order.
Start the engine and turn the air conditioning to its maximum setting. Make sure both the A/C and recirculate switches are switched on, the fan is on high, and the output is not set to defrost.
Hold down the trigger on the recharge kit momentarily to dispense refrigerant into the system. Pause to check the pressure gauge. Repeat until the needle reaches the green area of the gauge, meaning that the system is now fully charged.
Turn off the engine, disconnect the hose, and replace the wheel well liner by reversing the process used to remove it.
