I have a '96 accord. Back during winter break I accidently completely emptied all the freon out of my car and never bothered to re-fill it. Its starting to get warm and Im going to need to recharge my system. Would all I need to do is to grab a couple cans of r134 freon and re-fill it? Would my o-rings need to be replaced if its been without freon for ~6 months? Roughly how much would it be if a shop did it for me? (Im lazy). Any help would be appreciated.. thanks.

 

where did it leak from?

if you want to do it yourself, just get a refill kit and fill it untill it is about under 60 F in side the car. But if you want it done right take it to a shop so that they can put it at the right PSI on the high and low side.

 

i will evacuate your system and refill it with fresh freon for 60 bucks i am in the la area... let me know

 

I don't know if you've got a BJs whole sale club near you, but the one I go to sells a kit with the r-134,and the pressure guage and pretty much everything you need to do the job yourself for like $20 or $30.

$60 is a super deal though especially for freon which is better than the new r-134

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jweller &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... $60 is a super deal though especially for freon which is better than the new r-134</TD></TR></TABLE>
Since it's a '96 it probably needs R-134a. Some people still call that 'freon'. Don't put R-12 into a R-134a system, it'll mess up the compressor lubrication.

If it's been open all this time, you might want to replace the receiver/dryer.

 

If it's been open all this time, you might want to replace the receiver/dryer.
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yeah i was just gonna say that, the dessicant bag absorbs all the moisture, so if your system was open for very long w/out refrigerant then you should definately change the receiver/dryer.


also, how did you accidently empty it all out? yeah dont put r-12 it'll screw everything up, r-12 now adays usually runs about $60/lb, and r-134a is cheaper, r-134a has been shown to run just as efficient as the older systems.

as for the o-rings, you could have wherever you are taking it to perform a leak test, since the system is empty you could put like a 1/2 lb of refrigerant and perform a leak test or they could vacuum the whole system, and see if it holds vacuum.

 

we call everything freon in my shop... i have r134 and a R12 replacement called freeze12 ...the freeze12 will cost you like 10 bucks more ... thats only if you have a r12 system .. i am epa certified so let me know

also you cant just fill it up if the system has been opened you must evacuate all the air in it first or your system will not be cold

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Stripped Honda &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">we call everything freon in my shop... i have r134 and a R12 replacement called freeze12 ...the freeze12 will cost you like 10 bucks more ... thats only if you have a r12 system .. i am epa certified so let me know
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hey that freeze12, what is that made of? is that pure r-12? or does it have other elements in there? I know soome are made with like propane.

 

Thanks for the replies..

Yeah I know it needs r134a. I dont know what you mean by it being open. Well how it came out in the first place.. I was replacing my radiator, I unscrewed a wrong screw in the front that purged freon all over the place. When the pressure stopped purging I screwed the screw back in and let it be. My a/c never worked because there was no pressure in the system. Like it wouldnt turn on, when I pressed the ac button nothing would happen, just keep blowing vented air. I was just wondering if all I needed to do to get my ac system working again was to add r134a back in and press the button or is there anything else I needed to do? Thanks.. keep the helpful comments coming.

 

well your going to have to have a shop evacuate any refrigerant and oil that could be left in the system. then they will have to put a vacuum and go to a certain psi of vacuum, then they recharge the system. I would not recommend you doing it yourself since you dont want to overcharge your system ( could lead to compressor failure). The reason your system didnt work without any refrigerant is that there is a low pressure cutoff switch that will not let the compressor clutch engage w/out a certain amt of pressure.
as for your system being "open" its just that when you leave it exposed to any air, the receiver/drier, which i think for your car is located in the front bumper area, absorbs all the moisture from your system, and when its left open for a long period of time, the dessicant bag in the rec/drier absorbs moisture and goes bad.
normally i think for your car it takes about a lb and a half, but like i said for this, i recommend you taking it to a shop to have it done correctly.
hope that helps a little ???

 

I just finished putting the motor in my car, and had to replace the hose that connects the compressor to the line that's at the radiator support cause it had a leak. I replaced the hose, and was gonna take it to a local shop to get it recharged, but I was wondering if the small leak that the hose had was enough to have to replace the receiver/dryer or not????

Also, about how much should it cost to get the a/c system evacuated and recharged with R-134a???

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by aaj23 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">... but I was wondering if the small leak that the hose had was enough to have to replace the receiver/dryer or not????</TD></TR></TABLE>
It all depends on whether any moisture got into the lines. The receiver/dryer's job is to absorb moisture, otherwise moisture inside there kill the AC performance.

I've had a system open for several days, & didn't replace it. It was OK. But it wasn't rainy or humid during that time.