Hello Gents, I've got a '99 windstar that as far as I know the hoses have never been changed. Is there a way to check if they need replaced, or should I just get it done before something blows. Should all be replaced at the same time? Is it difficult for an novice in the field to attempt? Ther's no present signs of leaks or any other problems. Thanks

I have an air conditioner on my 2001 Taurus that has been very temperamental. The car has the 24V engine, and has roughly 95K on it. Last year I had to recharge it because it was no longer working. After recharging it, it worked fine. This year it would work for a little while, and then quit (blow warm air). If I left it on max a/c and max fan the whole time, it would work ok, but I would get horrible gas mileage, and the car cabin would get very cold. If I turned the fan down at all, the compressor would kick off, and it would stop working again. I have a set of gauges, and have checked the pressures, and they are a little low, but not horribly low. The low side was about 35, and the high side around 200. I have put a little less than two 12 oz cans into the system. I've been told that sometimes these cars have problems where the clutch spacing becomes too big and can't engage. Has anyone ever taken the clutch plate off to take out the "spacer" that they refer to? I'm also curious if anyone has ever done this without dismounting the compressor. Thanks in advance for the advice.