Post by
Q451990 »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/q451990-u142.html
Sat May 10, 2008 6:46 pm
A couple of seconds of refrigerant loss shouldn't be critical. The seals will leak a little every year anyhow...
The FSM has very detailed graphs and procedures to check the performance of the system in terms of the output temperature relative to the ambient temperature and humidity...
Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much if it feels cold to you and you're happy with it while driving. If it's not working as well as you would like, you can always add a little refrigerant, since your 1996 model uses R134a refrigerant that's available for about $6 a can over the counter.
Of course, the correct way to charge the system is to have it professionally vacuumed down, so that the exact charge can be put back in - but if you're getting pretty good performance, you can typically top it off a little and get it back to "good enough" assuming you don't have any major leaks.
Heath