Is A/C charged?

[97ranger22bronco]

As part of the resto, I'm looking to remove/replace the condenser to paint the core support/inside of engine bay, rad is out already, how can I tell if the A/C system charged/empty?

 

[SenorNoob]

Cheapest safe way would be to get one of the gauges like comes with the can of coolant IMO.
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[Uncle Gump]

Just push the Schrader valve down for quick second. If the is pressure you'll know.

You might be able to leave things connected and just move it out of the way. Not totally sure though.

 

[JoshT]

You might be able to leave things connected and just move it out of the way. Not totally sure though.

When we did the V8 swap on my 99, I removed the entire underhood portion of AC system intact and charged from the Explorer and installed it in the Ranger. No evacuation and recharging. Of course after getting it up and running we discovered that the AC compressor was bad, so it was a waste of time. Basically did the same thing again when we rebuilt the engine. Unmounted the condenser and compressor, then draped them over the fender while removing and reinstalling. That was on a V8 explorer system, can't say it would work the same for the Ranger system.

Worth a shot anyway.