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I was replacing the windshield fluid motor in my wife's car, and I saw this sensor had broken in half. Says it's an AC pressure switch, and looks like I could just unscrew it and replace. Except for the fact that it has a seal around it, so I'm curious does this mean if I remove it all the refrigerant is going to escape?
If so how should I handle replacing this? Is there a shutoff valve, or do you just let it go and get one of those recharge kits?
Yes, if you remove this, you will lose all of your refrigerant. There is not shut off valve. The way it should be done is by a qualified A/C repair person. They will remove all of the refrigerant from the system (vacuum it out), replace the sensor, replace the drier, draw a vacuum on the system, then if no leaks, fill the system again with the proper amount of refrigerant.
If you do not have the proper equipment to do this, you should leave it to the professional. By just popping the sensor out, you run the risk of getting burned from the decompressing refrigerant. The reason why you'd need to replace the drier is because once it is exposed to atmosphere, it should also be replaced.
This is not just a remove/replace operation if you want your A/C to operate correctly in the future.
