How to Retrofit Air Conditioning in a Pontiac Grand Am

Have a service technician evacuate the air conditioning system in your car. This removes all of the R12 refrigerant from the system. This is usually free since R12 refrigerant is very expensive.

Look near the firewall to find the Low Pressure Side service port. The cap is black or blue marked L. Remove the cap and look at the service port. If the port is a screw-type connector, you should continue with the retrofit. If you see a quick connect valve, the system already takes R134 refrigerant, so retrofitting it is unnecessary.

Wipe the connector valve off with a clean towel. This ensures that the retrofit connector properly adheres to the valve. Place the long retrofit connector from the automotive retrofit kit onto the Low Pressure Side valve. The retrofit connector has a special adhesive on the threads that will help it adhere to the valve. Screw the connector onto the valve. Tighten the retrofit connector using an adjustable wrench. Place the cap provided in the retrofit kit onto the retrofit connector. This keeps dust out of the system.

Follow the air conditioning lines until you see the High Pressure Side port valve. Remove the red cap and wipe off the valve.

Place the short retrofit connector onto the valve. Screw it on and tighten it using an adjustable wrench. Cover the new connector with the cap provided in the retrofit kit.

Fill out the Retrofit Identification sticker provided in the retrofit kit using a permanent marker. Remove the protective backing and place it on the interior side of the hood. This lets future owners and service professionals know that the system has been retrofitted.

Recharge the air conditioning system. See the related eHow titled "How to Recharge Air Conditioning with Freon in a Pontiac Grand Am."