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My air conditioning on my 2002 LX has not been working well recently, so I bought a recharge kit in the hopes that some more r134 would solve my problems. But first, the symptoms.

When I first turn the car on, the air conditioning works for about 3 minutes before it feels like regular air. I assumed that meant that the compressor was working, but that the refrigerant was low. Yes, I tried the recirculate button, but that never worked for me. Perhaps that also is meaningful.

Anyway, I got the recharger, turned the car on and set the ac on max. I don't know how to tell if the compressor clutch is engaging, but if I turned off the ac (that is, turning off the ac button, not turning off the fan) then the fans behind the radiator stopped. I looked for a pulley but couldn't find one that wasn't moving. So I tested the pressure at the low-pressure port (blue cap with an "L" on it - I'm guessing that's the right one) using the recharge kit. The pressure was around 150psi! I left the car running for 15 minutes and the pressure never went down. I didn't put any refrigerant in the system. Does this mean the compressor is bad?

Ultimately, the bigger question is if I should take it to a mechanic or if I can fix this myself. Any feedback appreciated. Thanks for reading!

 
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I would do it again, run it for like 10 mins on high. hook up the gauge to the low port, typically will only fit low port and check gauge.......150 on the low side is crazy high.

If you get that reading again, take it to a mechanic who knows ac.

 
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*note: You can't compress liquid (refrigerant). If you overfill your system you will ruin your compressor.

With the car on and max AC on open the hood and listen for the compressor to cycle. AC is a "cycling system" meaning the compressor will come on(cycle) about every 30-60 seconds.