opisdfagjo

Hi, I've had my 1992 Lexus SC400 since October, 2015. I bought it from the daughter of the original owner. Everything has been OK except for some minor issues, but recently my A/C hasn't been working.

Since the Fall of 2016 up until early spring of this year, I didn't need to use my A/C because I just rolled the windows down. A few months ago I realized my A/C didn't even turn on. It turned out to be the wrong fuse, which was blown. After I replaced the fuse with the correct one, my A/C turned on, but it doesn't blow cold. I live in Las Vegas and it's hotter than satan's ******* right now and this makes me not want to drive anywhere because I just end up being a sweaty mess.
I'm not knowledgeable with cars. I've done some things like replacing alternator and some small pipes and tubes, but beyond that I have no idea.

Here's what I know so far:
1. Checked to see if my radiator was damaged. It looked fine. I'm guessing I wouldn't be able to see any leaks unless I had the dye?
2. Compressor seems OK. I turned my car on, and pressed the A/C button on and off to see if the compressor is turning on and off, which it is.
3. The A/C light is not blinking.
4. Warm air blows on both driver and passenger side.

I have looked and read many threads on here and other forums, but none of them really helped me (besides suggesting to refill R12 or take to mechanic).
I guess if there's a chance, I'd like to know before going to a mechanic, OR being able to just fix it myself.
How do I know how much I need? There is a guy selling 2 cans of R12 for $15 each. One is DuPont and the other is Sercon. Is that enough? When people talk about pounds, they're talking about pounds of pressure right?

Any help is appreciated...It's HOT!

super400

Pounds of pressure, yes. If that compressor has been on the car for some time it's seals are probably shot and it has lost all the refrigerant. The 3 biggest issues with these cars are the dash needles failing, powersteering pump seals failing, and the ac compressors failing. I just had my original one replaced in summer of 2015. The compressor had been broken since summer 2007 or 2008 and I had finally had enough. About $1,000 later I had a new compressor, receiver/dryer and it had been converted to the new refrigerant. The thing will freeze you out and was well worth the cost considering my car is black. If you can do some of the work yourself you'll spend much less than I did. But odds are your compressor is probably shot.