2000v6SE: Thanks for pointing that out. I forget R-12 still exists sometimes. Plus, I didn't know Freon was a brand name
MB: Yes, a recharge should do the trick as long as you don't have a leaky system. As far as your temp guage goes, when the A/C is on it forces the engine cooling fan(s) to stay on. This keeps the engine at a lower temperature. It used to be that running the A/C actually made an engine run hotter because the fan was belt-driven and there was only one. Now, there are usually two and they are turned on/off via the car's electronics. My car always runs cooler with the A/C on.
