What's the easiest way to depressurize the A/C system in a 98 Civic? I'm replacing the Compressor.

6/29/2006 4:41:31 PM

The ONLY legal way...take it to a shop and have them recover the refrigerant.

I ain't set up to recover.

6/29/2006 4:43:49 PM

Ok, well. How would it be done illegally? Not that I would do that. But just hypothetically.

6/29/2006 4:46:57 PM

drive to mexico

6/29/2006 4:48:45 PM

Yeah... should have known that no one would touch this with a 10 ft pole.

6/29/2006 4:59:03 PM

Evacuation should be next to free at any shop. I'd think that they'd be happy to do it, the stuff isn't free you know.
Ahmet

6/29/2006 5:00:57 PM

Surfers are usually so environmentally conscious.

6/29/2006 5:03:36 PM

unbolt A/C line, vent to atmosphere

6/29/2006 5:18:51 PM

can you reuse the stuff straight up or does it need to be processed before you can use it again?

6/29/2006 5:18:57 PM

i need to recharge my a/c. it's worthless

6/29/2006 5:20:24 PM

Well, since it isn't R-12 it's not THAT bad.

I found out, the easiest way to do it is to attach the valve from the new HCF134a can to the low side nozzle and open it up.

6/30/2006 9:27:38 AM

there is a schraeder valve you can remove with a tire valve tool.

but you should take it to a shop to have it recovered.

i cant imagine confrontations with the EPA would be fun.

6/30/2006 9:29:47 AM

About 10 grand worth of fun. Maybe jail time too.

6/30/2006 4:28:10 PM

Quote :

"can you reuse the stuff straight up or does it need to be processed before you can use it again?"

It has to be reprocessed to remove the oil, dirt, and other gases.

6/30/2006 4:42:29 PM

really depends.

Lots of places reuse refrigerant. Most recovery machines do filter refrigerant somewhat, purge any air, and separate the oil (if any) out of it. Minimal post processing, if any.

[Edited on June 30, 2006 at 4:47 PM. Reason : purge...]

6/30/2006 4:47:21 PM

Alright guys, I finished the job last week. The A/C works beautifully.

7/6/2006 9:35:53 AM

Just to piggy back on the original thread.

I have a 93 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the AC is not cold any more.

Is this a simple fix. Could I do what Surf3 did and if so what would a typical fix like that cost?

7/6/2006 1:51:11 PM

i got the longest philips screwdriver i could find, a rubber mallet, and WHAM! when i was takin the system outta my project vehicle

made a helluva mess, but was quick and free

7/6/2006 3:00:15 PM

It's likely that you just have a refrigerant leak, the problem is that your older car is going to have R12 in it. And you can't buy that anywhere except like ebay (not cheap). You have to convert your system to R134a. It's not that bad of a job, and there are plenty of retrofit kits available. It really just depends on how thorough you want to be. You can have a mechanic drain, flush, and vacuum the system for <$100 and then use a kit to add the R134 ($30). A lot of people recommend changing the seals as well, which will take you a little longer. I don't know what a mechanic charges to do all of it.

7/6/2006 3:22:28 PM

The kits are SHIT.

You really need to evacuate, flush, replace the receiver-drier/accumulator, replace the orifice tube (if so equipped; most cars nowadays have a thermal expansion valve which is much better and shouldn't need replacing), and change as many seals/o-rings as you can get to.

One big deal with retrofits is getting as much of the old mineral oil (not miscible in R134) out of the system. Its presence cuts down on the overall efficiency of the system for two reasons: it takes up too damn much space that could be occupied by refrigerant, and I believe it may leave residue on the inner surfaces of the evaporator and condenser.

Another thing to think about: if there's too much oil in the system that's continually recirculating (and the mineral oil IS supposed to settle out in the receiver-drier or accumulator but I don't believe all of it does), then the ratio of refrigerant to oil is less favorable. Since it's the refrigerant that changes phase and transfers by far the majority of heat energy, excess oil reduces the net amount of refrigerant that passes through the expansion valve/orifice tube and flashes to vapor (endothermic phase change that removes heat energy from the cabin air) and drastically reduces the efficiency of the system.

7/6/2006 3:58:48 PM

So what are you saying man? Is this something I need to pay someone to do? Or can I do it myself with a retro kit?

And I have seen a bunch of these R12 substitutes.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280003487460

Should I just get one of these? I just want the jeep to run for 2 more years. Trying to manage this the easiest way posible without droping too much money into it.

[Edited on July 6, 2006 at 9:56 PM. Reason : i]

7/6/2006 9:43:38 PM

Freeze 12 is NOT a good alternative. For one, you're NOT supposed to be able to buy it yourself without EPA Section 609 (Mobile HVAC) certification, as it contains 20% R142B, which is a regulated refrigerant.

It also contains 80% R134a. The 142b is in there to maintain miscibility in mineral oil, and in my opinion, it does a shitty job. I had a retrofit I did with Freeze 12 begin leaking at a much faster rate; the compressor seal bought the farm.

You also have to have a can tap and adaptor made to use the stuff. I threw mine away, because I refuse to use the shit.

In my opinion, the stuff is NOT worth the hassle.

Yes, you should pay somebody to do it. I seriously think that you will drop more money into it in the long run if you try to do this yourself.

Sure, folks have done it themselves, and some have even had good results. But it's a crapshoot, especially if you've not been trained on proper AC system procedures and theory/function.

7/6/2006 10:11:25 PM

Quote :

"unbolt A/C line, vent to atmosphere"

7/6/2006 10:46:07 PM

you nigger

7/6/2006 10:51:52 PM

after reading about half this, i think the less you know about ac systems, the more faith you can have in those kits, i personally think any and all retrofit kits and 134a should be sold only to licensed indivduals, because they usually cause much more damage than they are worth if installed improperly, i mean hell, just flushing a condenser and evaporator takes the good part of an hour with the right expensive equipment, like after a compressor shits the bed, and replacing seals and whatnot, a real retrofit can cost $150 to $250 just in parts. if you really want to do it right, go to carquest or napa and buy a specific kit for your vehicle, it will include o rings and seals, then get some solvent for that purpose, pour some of the solvent into the condenser and some into the evaporator, and blow it through with compressed air until dry, then replace the dryer and orifice tube, and invest in a decent but cheap compressor that is 134-a compatible, and you should have years of trouble free use. its ghetto, but much more likely to last than shooting 134a into a leaking fucked up r-12 system, if you cant afford the labor for a shop to do it.

[Edited on July 6, 2006 at 11:07 PM. Reason : dont forget to evacuate the system with a vacuum pump before charging, its kinda important]

7/6/2006 11:05:37 PM

^You de man.

7/6/2006 11:07:57 PM

zxappeal helped me ghetto retrofit R134a into my 89 Supra. we just evacuated the system, replaced the receiver dryer, and charged it up (with oil)

a lot of cars can get away with a really ghetto retrofit for a long time. previous owner of my 88 rx-7 just used a kit and didn't even replace the receiver dryer, and it's worked for over two years. Of course, I don't run it all that often, but still.

my current philosophy is this: if your car is old enough to even need a retrofit, it probably isn't worth much to you anyway (most likely a poor college student car), and hopefully by the time the ghetto retrofit leaks you will have sold it

7/7/2006 1:44:23 AM

Yeah thats what I am going for here.

Just need a fix that at the most will last 1-2 years.

7/7/2006 10:00:51 AM

just convert it to propane. much simpler and less govt shit to deal with.

7/7/2006 11:03:34 AM

Yeah. You got it. We need to rid the gene pool of some shit, anyway.

7/7/2006 11:32:23 AM

Ok so I got my hands on a can of R-12.

What now?

7/7/2006 4:32:49 PM

How in the hell did you get your hands on a can of R12?

You need a can tap to put it in with.

7/7/2006 4:40:38 PM

The beauty of Ebay.

Where can I get a hold of one of those things?

7/7/2006 4:57:20 PM

Therein lies the catch. You've got to find somewhere that has any of that stuff in stock. And damn near nobody does anymore.

I have a manifold gauge set that works with R12 systems, but I think I threw my can tap away (though I might still have it; it's a hunk of shit, though, and leaks).

Hell, just go find a shop that will throw it in for you.

Do you have your copy of EPA Section 609 certification to email/fax/mail to them?



[Edited on July 8, 2006 at 8:45 PM. Reason : -]

7/7/2006 5:06:31 PM

how much was that can of r12

7/7/2006 5:31:31 PM

should have been able to nab it for around 20 or 25 dolla

It's kinda funny; I bought my first can of R12 for around 99 cents back in 1987.

[Edited on July 7, 2006 at 5:34 PM. Reason : '87, bitches]

7/7/2006 5:33:31 PM

Quote :

"Do you have your copy of EPA Section 609 certification to email/fax/mail to them?"

No but you can send the seller a note saying you plan on selling it to a certified shop.

7/7/2006 6:24:05 PM