Long story short I payed to have my ac charged and it leaked it all out. It never even came out cold for a minute, so im guessing its a bad leak. Mechanic said it was from the compressor. I want to save myself the $400 in laybor and refill.

My question is, are all dseries compressors the same? a6, y8, b2, z6, etc?

 

for what year?

 

91 civic

 

All of the compressors where the same between the engines, but they were 2 diffrent manufatorers. You simply have to find out what brand of compressor you have then you can get one of the same brand from any D series of that year.

 

You will have to use a Pre-94 Compressor. Your 91 came from the factory with an R12 system. R12 Components will not work with R134a Components and vice versa so you will need an R12 D-Series Compressor. 94-UP will be R134a so your R12 lines will not work and will leak.

 

Thanks that helps alot. If my a/c light does not light up when it is pressed in, will that affect the compressor from coming on and not giving cold air?

My car was being recharged and the mechanic told me to get in my car and try out the a/c. But no luck, not even during the a/c system being fed refrigerant did it want to blow cold air. can there be a leak that big or bad?

Sorry i have so many question but the mechanic looked like he wasnt sure of himself.

 

figured out the problem. i was just the fuse.

 

How did it turn out? Do you have cold A/C now? Leaks will show up when you Vacuum the system down. If you have a bad leak you will never be able to pull a deep vacuum on the system.

 

After the mechanic told me how much labor and parts came out to, I said "I would think about it". In other words I'll do it myself. So I began diagnosing it here on HT and decided to start with easy and cheap routes. Replaced the fuse and fixed. Luckely the mechanic just asumed it leaked out but the compressor seems fine :knock on wood:

 

Say what????

A "mini" retrofit replaces the filter/dryer, pressure/cycling switch, O rings adds R134A service ports and a 90% charge of R134A all the other components will work just fine.

To the OP, as R12 is no longer available, what did the mechanic use to charge the system with? 94

 

I am not talking about a retrofit. I am saying that R12 hoses will not work with an R134a Compressor. He was asking which Compressor to get. Since he has R12 components, he needs an R12 Compressor. If he gets an R134a compressor the lines will leak at the compressor.

And saying R12 is no longer available is not correct. You can still get R12 Refrigerant with a license, or without one if your smart. It just costs a lot more than R134a, but that doesn't "mean" its not "available".

 

Of coarse it will be easiest to get the "OEM" one for that car, but just because it has the same connection(s) for the suction and discharge lines does not make it an R12 compressor, it is a compressor, it will compress R12 or R134a.

Maybe regulations are diff. where you are but here R12 can not be sold as a refrigerant for car A/C systems, if repairs are needed, [like a new compressor] a retrofit has to be performed.

Yes I know you can still get it, how the hell do you think I keep the R12 system in my 89 Dynasty blowing 2 degrees out of the vents, we are an authorized R12 recovery station and I can store it anyplace that regulations approves is a safe storage container for R12, that by a technicality, means I can store it in a cars R12 system that does not need repairs.

Maybe it was just semantics on your part, but saying the OP would need an R12 specific compressor was incorrect and misleading and that was the point I was making. 94

 

You are correct in saying that a Compressor will Compress both R12 and R134a Refrigerant. That is not the point of my argument. I am saying that the A/C lines for R12 are different than R134a. R12 lines are smaller than R134a. Hear me out on this, for example: Something freak happens and busts a hole in the Discharge line that runs from the Dryer, across the front bumper to the connection on the frame rail on the passenger side. So you need a new line, so you find an R134a line cheap and go to install it with your existing R12 lines, it will "NOT" hook up. The hose ends are different on R12 lines vs R134a so they will not work together.

I thought the Suction and Discharge hoses that bolt to the Compressor were also a bit different from R12 to R134a. Maybe I am wrong on that part however I am NOT on the part above. My whole argument was not about a Compressor being a Compressor, it was the fact that the R12 lines differ on the ends from R134a lines so if he got a 94-UP Compressor the existing R12 lines he has would not make a correct seal at the Compressor and leak.

fcm, I greatly respect your knowledge around here. I am just arguing my point that I think I am correct on. I know that some R12 and R134a lines are different. When I still had my R12 system in my Civic I needed the Discharge hose I commented on earlier that runs from the Passenger frame rail connection..across the front of the radiator support and over to the dryer. I got one at a Junk Yard, got home and it wouldn't connect to my R12 lines. Turns out the one I got from the junkyard was for R134a. That's how I know the lines are different so I figured the connections on the R12 Suction and Discharge hoses that bolt to the compressor although look the same on the outside were slightly smaller on the end that hooks into the compressor so I figured if you used a Compressor that came off an R134a car that the R12 hoses would leak at the compressor connections.

Maybe Honda made those two hoses the same but others are not when it comes to comparing R12 to R134a.

 

Again it is semantics, the "lines" have nothing to do with it being an R12 system or R134a system, only that the fittings on the end of the lines fit.

There are many diff. kinds of fittings used in both R12 and R134a, from standard #6, 8, 10 and 12 O ring and double O ring captured O ring and double O ring, standard tread and metric tread and spring-lock, block W/O rings, block W/seal(s), block with O rings and seal and a bunch more, the point is, none are specific to R12 or R134a and any one of them can be used with either refrigerant.


With that said, you will not find compression fittings, [as a seal] on R134a systems as you do with older R12 systems, again it has nothing to do with the refrigerant, it has to do with the "efficiency" of the fittings.

Your statement "I am saying that R12 hoses will not work with an R134a Compressor" is incorrect or at the very least misleading, it is the fittings that may or may not work, not if they are from R12 or R134a systems or even from a Honda, you could use the lines from a 2010 Toyota in your pre 94 Honda as long as the fittings are the same, in fact I can install the 2010 Toyota compressor in a pre 94 Honda with a few mods, use the Toyota compressor manifold hose assembly and change the other ends, [fittings] to the pre 94 Honda fittings, as easy as cutting off the existing ferrules and removing the fittings and crimping on new ferrules to hold the proper fittings, again it is the fittings used not the refrigerant used.

Take my word for it, I am pretty sure I know what I am talking about, my shop... http://airwolfeautoair.com/

Please understand I am not saying you are wrong about the lines, [they must of coarse fit] just about why, nuff said about this. 94

 

I beg to differ there are distinct differences between r12 and r134 lines. R134 are barrier hoses, r12 lines are not. A system that is being converted to r134 can use r12 lines, but that is only because they have been saturated in mineral oil. A r134 molecule will pass through a not mineral oil coated non-barrier type hose used in r12 systems. The hoses made today use barrier hose with either application, but not hoses original to r12 installs. Sorry, but your last post in not correct. No disrespect intended.