well after 2 years, im fixing this A/C system. ive gotten new lines, compressor and drier. is it absolutely necessary to change the expansion valve. let me know. thanks

 

im pretty sure its not. Ive always been told its only required when converting from r12 to r134

 

any other opinions

 

NO! you dont have to. and you DO NOT have to when you convert either. by the way i have most certifications in auto repair i was a tech for a long time and manage a auto repair shop if that makes you feel any better.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by agrn93ls &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">NO! you dont have to. and you DO NOT have to when you convert either. by the way i have most certifications in auto repair i was a tech for a long time and manage a auto repair shop if that makes you feel any better.</TD></TR></TABLE>

whats required when retrofitting a r12 system to r134a???? ive been told its RECOMMENDED that the receiver dryer be replaced, and thats about it. the rest of the stuff is a matter of putting on the r134a fittings, filling it up with pag oil and them some r134a freon........can you verify or confirm?????

 

im not retro fitting anything. im replacing broken parts. its a 2000 integra

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MeanGreenMachine &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

whats required when retrofitting a r12 system to r134a???? ive been told its RECOMMENDED that the receiver dryer be replaced, and thats about it. the rest of the stuff is a matter of putting on the r134a fittings, filling it up with pag oil and them some r134a freon........can you verify or confirm?????

</TD></TR></TABLE>

you have to replace the drier. which is always a good idea if you open the system but mainly because you cant pull the oil out of it. when you retro you have to flush all the oil out of the evap core, condenser, compressor, lines etc. the freons use different oils. the R12 uses mineral oil and the R134A uses PAG 46 or 100 or 150 honda uses 46 ford 100 GM 150. etc...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by agrn93ls &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

you have to replace the drier. which is always a good idea if you open the system but mainly because you cant pull the oil out of it. when you retro you have to flush all the oil out of the evap core, condenser, compressor, lines etc. the freons use different oils. the R12 uses mineral oil and the R134A uses PAG 46 or 100 or 150 honda uses 46 ford 100 GM 150. etc...</TD></TR></TABLE>

what is YOUR STANDARD procedure on flushing out a system when retofitting?
honda recommends pag oil i beleive, but i have got away with using ester., any pros or cons to using either pag or ester?

 

pag 46 is suggested. i try not to venture off of what they suggest. flushing..... we have a canister you pressurize that squirts the fluid into lines etc... then i work it back and forth with pressurized air. depending how dirty the system is. if its fairly clean ill just spray it through till i notice that what im spraying out isnt oily any more. then ill pour half the oil charge in the compressor and the rest in the reciever/drier. then assemble, vacuum at least 30 minutes after flushing if no flush 15 is sufficient. then charge and enjoy lol

 

I had no A/C experience at all, but when my compressor went out on my 92 RS, I figured I would swap over to R134a at that time. I bought the compressor, and the only way to keep the warranty on the compressor was to flush the system and replace the drier and expansion valve. I didn't replace any lines and used a cheap ester based conversion kit with a cheap gauge for pressures. They were like $20 each.

I did all the installation and flushing myself, but had a vacuum pulled on the system at a local A/C shop. It has been about 4 years since the conversion, and about 75K miles, all is well. This is in the hot FL climate. Hasn't leaked any refrigerant to date. This was all done when the car had 230K miles and it now has 305K miles. Haven't had any problems since except for a condensor fan that went out, but that is unrelated. Not bad for a first-timer.

 

so i got everything wokring, then found another hose busted. which i dont get, the system held pressure fine. expletive this A/C system

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by playahwitgame &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so i got everything wokring, then found another hose busted. which i dont get, the system held pressure fine. expletive this A/C system</TD></TR></TABLE>

which hose busted?

 

"suction pipe A" its the hose coming from the compressor and sits RIGHT at the top of the radiator. it connected to another hose which connects to the evaporator.som of a bitch i tell you. im glad i know what im doing though. i couldnt imagine how tough this would be for someone who didnt and like all students, dont have enough money to just hand the car over to a shop.