A/C in the 360 needs recharge

They are also notorious for leaking at the compressor. You should have theme check for leaks before the recharge.

 

I had my AC recharged in my 2001 spider no issues after fixing a leak. Just the same as any other cars AC

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I've got a slow leak on my car that takes about 2 yrs to bleed down. With that being said, there is no electronic device you have to open or manipulate prior to recharging. Also, the HVAC system in the 360 is really not that great...infact, I'm more likely to park my car in the Tx summers rather than winter...

For example, according to the WSM, a correctly functioning HVAC system should be blowing an average temp of 46-55 F from the vents when the outside temp is 68-72 F. Where as my 2006 Chevy truck blows around 36-39 F when it's over 90 outside

 

The best you can hope for on most any system is a 40 degree delta. That is pretty much limited by physics, energy to convert liquid/gas. My system worked pretty well and I am pretty sure I did better than that BUT I live in Norther CA so I don't have quite the same situation you do. Humidity hurts you in that the air hold more heat (energy) in a given volume. Thinking about it: I would expect humidity to limit the temp drop ambient to vents. That is probably why Ferrari specified the smaller spread; so they didn't have problems in places with high humidity.

By the way, I am not an expert on these systems. I just know enough of the physics to be dangerous. There are others here that DO understand HVAC very well and can probably provide more insight.

 

No electronic gizmo. No special valve. Go to Walmart, buy the $5 can of freon. (assuming you have the rest of the freon kit with the valve if not buy the $10-15 complete kit) Then take off the carpet behind the front carpet, on which the inflator is attached. Remove the black cap on the right hand side. You'll see it matches the diameter of the freon attachment. IF it don't fit.. wrong nipple. (protect your eyes and hands please)
Start the car, attach the freon nipple and add some freon quirt by squirt until the pressure comes up and the aluminum hose cools nicely and the air-conditioning cools. Do it one year. then get it diagnosed if it recurs or filling it doesn't work. Too cheap not it.

 

Check that the shraeder valve on the charging port is tight. That's a very common place to have a freon leak.

 

There have been some very hot days here in Switzerland, around 35 degrees celcius/95 degrees fahrenheit, and my aircon worked very well, keeping us nice and cool. So at least from my perspective, it should be able to do the job. As others stated, maybe you need the AC topped up or some other check of the overall system Good luck!

 

I’d never do a recharge without finding and fixing the leak first.

 

I bought one of these leak detector a few years ago. Cheap and effective. You can find them on eBay for about $30.00.
Here's a video of it in action:

 

I bought Skidkid's old 360 Spider and I took it on its first mini-road trip (about 130 miles round trip) yesterday in humid FL. It was about 90 F (100 with heat index) and the A/C had no trouble keeping the car cool (with the roof closed). I haven't checked the temperature drop with a thermometer in a vent but I won't be surprised if I am getting about a 40 degree drop.

 

The maintenance schedule calls for changing the receiver/dryer/filter and refrigerant every two years, which hardly anyone does. It really helps on Ferraris to let the vacuum pump used for a refill stay connected overnight and pull as much vacuum (and remove as much water) as possible before refilling. Any competent AC shop should be able to do this for you with a little prompting and maybe a little extra cash. They can also check for leaks. I would definitely not recommend doing this yourself unless you have a very good vacuum pump and really know what you are doing.

 

Can't agree more. Also, if you live close to an AutoZone, they have vacuum pumps in the Loan-a-tool program and unlike most of the things in there, it hardly gets rented since most people don't know it's there. IIRC, it's a deposit of $99.00 and when you bring it back, you get your money back.

 

That was new to me. So, just get some of the Ferrari compressor oil, some cans of unadulterated R134A, some dye for later diagnosis and you can do the job by yourself and save a lot of bucks. Unless you have a a significant leak this should allow you to limp into the next summer season. At that time, you would need to do it all again, but this time breaking open the system and replacing the inline dryer.

I think that the recommendation for an overnight vacuum draw-down is a bit over the top. As I recall, the standard is about 30 minutes.

I did a top-up this summer and was able to get the temperature drop to about 38 F degrees with an ambient air of 85 F and a fan blowing air into the nose condenser.

R12 or R134A, the difference is in the thermodynamic properties. No mystery here.