A/C work in home garage?

[STL_G8GT]

Guys,

I fix cars here and there for family and on referral basis. On more than a few occasions I've put time into diag and other work only to find out it's something with the A/C system. Most recent is a 2011 Grand Cherokee that has a combination AC condenser / Trans cooler that was leaking trans fluid. I could physically do the swap easy, but I've got no way to currently work on the A/C line part of the setup. At that point, I have to cut my losses and refer them to another shop for drain, fix, and refill.

I don't want to get into refilling the system, but is there a way that I could drain the system to work on it, and then have them take it somewhere for a recharge?

I've seen recovery units that are moderately priced, but don't want to get into it if it's a huge hassle.

Any insight?

[Greg@PacePerformance]

I ended up buying an old AC machine on craigslist for $300. It needed some TLC and a some new seals, but it works great. Purchased a 30# tank of 134a and I was ready to go.
I've used it about 12-15 times now in the last year and have gotten my money out of it.

It does the recovery, vacuum, and recharge.
-Greg

[TooManyHobbies]

Charging a system is not hard. I watched/helped when working on my interchiller. After that I replaced the condenser on my sons car and charged it unsupervised. The recovery system is the most expensive equipment of the deal.

[STL_G8GT]

I appreciate it guys.

I'll try the CL route first!