If I remember, you have ECC. The system should go into recirculate mode with high blower speed when you first turn the car on. Set the temp dials to 76F or 78F to be kind to the compressor. Leave the blower and vents on 'auto'.

When checking the system, look in the engine bay and feel the 2 coolant pipes where they enter the firewall. The top one should be sweating with cold, the return pipe should also get cold in about 4-5 minutes.

I had a habit of rolling down all the windows in my 98 black wagon, as well as popping up the sun roof, as soon as I could after engine start. Once I felt colder air coming from the vents, the windows closed and the SR came back down.

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