Recharging your 1998 Chevy Malibu with refrigerant is a relatively easy job if you know the basics of how to use the recharge kit. The 1998 Malibu uses R134A refrigerant, which can be purchased as a recharge kit at any auto-parts store. Be sure that you purchase a kit with both a high and low side pressure valve, which will allow you to monitor your refrigerant recharge process more accurately, helping to prevent busted seals and gaskets that are caused by putting too much refrigerant in your vehicle.
Using the high side fitting on the Malibu's air conditioning system, the gauge on your recharge kit should read between 225 and 250 psi (pounds per square inch) at full capacity. Your low side fitting gauge should read between 25 and 40 psi when your system is full. In order to prevent over-filling your system, turn off the valve on your recharge kit whenever the air conditioning inside the Malibu returns to its normal level of coolness (around 40 degrees Fahrenheit).
The 1998 Chevy Malibu's refrigerant capacity tops out at 28.00 ounces. It is important to note that although that is the maximum refrigerant capacity, it is highly probable that you will not use that much refrigerant in your recharge since there will still be some refrigerant left in your air conditioning system from the previous recharge. If you do not have any refrigerant left if your system, then you will need a professional mechanic to do the work for you.
Look for two valves on the Malibu's air conditioning system, which should be marked with an "H" and "L," for high and low side fittings. The high side fitting is located between the compressor, which has a belt and pulley, and the condenser, which looks like a smaller version of the grille from your radiator. The low side fitting is located between the compressor and the accumulator. If you have a metric ruler or metric socket set, the high side fitting is always going to be 13 millimeters in diameter and the low side fitting will be 16 millimeters.
Have a friend or family member sit inside your Malibu while the engine is running so that he can feel the temperature of the air conditioning system change as you recharge the system. Have your friend turn the air conditioning on full blast before you turn the valve on the refrigerant recharge can to release the R134A chemicals into the Malibu's low-side fitting valve.
