The Ex isn't cooling like I think it should. It's cooling, just not great. I put a set of gauges on it. 83 degrees ambient. High pressure was high at 260, low was in the middle at 55.

The book says I either have too much refrigerant in the system or have air in there.

Is the best path ahead to have a full evacuate and recharge done, should I just bleed some out and see what happens, go another route or is something else wrong?

 

Your on the right track. A complete evacuation and recharge is in order.

 

Unless you have recently added Freon to the system, or someone else has, How would your freon level be "too high"? It doesn't add itself. I think I would go with the air in the system. Like HVACGUY said, looks like evac and recharge. Let us know.

 

Make sure before you recharge you pull the system into a vaccum with a vacuum pump. That is the only way to get all the non-condensables out of the system.

 

If I've got the gauges and access to a 3cfm pump, is there any reason not to just run this pump to pull the vacuum myself vs taking the Ex into a shop and have them pop it on their recovery machine? In other words, does R134a need to be recovered in order to stay inline with what the feds require/what is good for the environment?

 

While both pressures are high, I'll bet your clutch fan is weak (or the condenser is dirty) and actually masking an undercharge condition.

Spray the condenser with a concentrated surfactant like Somple Green or Purple Power cleaner. Spray it deep into the fins and let it sit for a few minutes. Blast it out with a water hose and recheck your pressures.

If the pressures are still high (after it dries), mist water over the condenser. If the pressure drops considerably, the clutch fan is weak.