Ok, so my a/c stopped blowing cold sometime between september and march. I bought a recharge kit, went out and tried it. After i put some refrigerant in, i heard a rushing, hissing sound. i identified it as coming from the bottom area of the a/c lines (under the radiator fan). i assumed, foolishly, that it was the the low pressure line (the wider diameter one?). i bought one at the stealership ($115) and swapped it out. the old one looked like it had a crack, and there was some discoloration. after installing the new one, i tried the recharge kit again, with exactly the same results. that's around the time that i noticed that there is a joint in the (high pressure?) line right where i heard the rushing hiss. i can't really tell what type of connection it is, but it connects a hose to a metal line. since no one but acura seems to sell a/c lines, my options are very limited. I looked in my helms, but there is very little information there too. can anyone tell me how to fix this problem? also, after i fix the leak, can i recharge it myself, or should i take it in and have it evac/oil/charged?

 

Most places will do a pressure test of the system after properly discharging the old refrigerant. That would help you pinpoint the problem and fix it yourself and then you can recharge it yourself.