AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
06-09-2007
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AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
I picked up one of those kits at PepBoys the other day, and got around to doing it today. Followed the directions perfectly, and the pressure gauge said I was on the low end of the recommended pressure, so I kept adding more. Next thing I know, I'm two cans down, and it read barely any change in pressure. I'm pretty sure it's very overcharged though, because it won't hold any RPM (even accelerating) when the AC is on. I noticed afterwards that the sticker on the frame says that the recommended charge is 19.X oz, and each can I put in was 14oz.
So yeah, enough said...I'm just lucky I didn't break anything yet. My question is, what is the best way to get this fixed? Any way I can discharge some pressure safely? It's pretty clear the pressure gauge they have is total crap (which I'm pretty pissed about), so I can't use that to accurately check.
I'm planning on contacting the company and raising hell, but in the mean time, what's the best way to go on this one?
So yeah, enough said...I'm just lucky I didn't break anything yet. My question is, what is the best way to get this fixed? Any way I can discharge some pressure safely? It's pretty clear the pressure gauge they have is total crap (which I'm pretty pissed about), so I can't use that to accurately check.
I'm planning on contacting the company and raising hell, but in the mean time, what's the best way to go on this one?
06-09-2007
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Rep Power: 212 Re: AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
R-134a isn't illegal to discharge. R-12 is probably what you're thinking of. Going off the name (Also known as HFC-134a), it's also used in airsoft guns as a propellant, where it's commonly discharged into the atmosphere.
06-09-2007
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Rep Power: 272 Re: AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
u know the car is supposed to be running while you recharge the a/c right?... discharge the a/c with the car off... start the car back up.. keep doing it till the charge is in the green area... you check the pressure of the a/c while the car is running on the low side.. thats what probably happened.. you charged it with the car off
06-09-2007
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Rep Power: 231 Re: AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
you dont charge an ac system with the car on. with the snap on machine i use almost every day, you discharge with the car off. when you recharge, you pull a vacuum on the system, hold it, release the vacuum, and charge it. after it is charged, you close the high side port and guage, start the car, open the high side guage, clear the guages, check your pressure, **** the car down, and disconnect the a/c machine. you only start the car while charging if the ac system wont accept any more freon. then you start the car and cycle the compressor long enough to make room for more freon.
06-09-2007
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Rep Power: 212 Re: AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
Directions said to do it with the car on, so I did. It reads a WAY higher pressure when off, then on. I guess my question is more of HOW do I discharge it. The new stuff has this green UV dye to detect leaks, and it's going to spray everywhere.
06-09-2007
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Rep Power: 272 Re: AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
you dont charge an ac system with the car on. with the snap on machine i use almost every day, you discharge with the car off. when you recharge, you pull a vacuum on the system, hold it, release the vacuum, and charge it. after it is charged, you close the high side port and guage, start the car, open the high side guage, clear the guages, check your pressure, **** the car down, and disconnect the a/c machine. you only start the car while charging if the ac system wont accept any more freon. then you start the car and cycle the compressor long enough to make room for more freon.
but my question is did you read his first post or just mine... he used the store bought recharge kits you can find at almost any walmrt, pep boys, autozone and so forth... i have also used those store bought kits myself.. those kits only connect to the low port side.. those kits require you to have the car running with the a/c on to full while u charge it...
so i am responding accordingly to his situation and the type of kit he is using.. not everyone can afford a stand alone unit.. espcially one that uses both high and low port connections
06-09-2007
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Re: AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
you dont charge an ac system with the car on. with the snap on machine i use almost every day, you discharge with the car off. when you recharge, you pull a vacuum on the system, hold it, release the vacuum, and charge it. after it is charged, you close the high side port and guage, start the car, open the high side guage, clear the guages, check your pressure, **** the car down, and disconnect the a/c machine. you only start the car while charging if the ac system wont accept any more freon. then you start the car and cycle the compressor long enough to make room for more freon.
i dont think you should say things like this on a forum. did you ever stop to think that your using some different type of recharging kit? Most DIY kits require that you charge the a/c with the cars engine running and the a/c controls to the highest setting. You check the psi on the low side port with the supplied gauge it should be between 25-45psi to be considered filled. You do not recharge an a/c system through the highside port. The 7th gen civic takes about 17.6-19.4oz. While recharging you should shake the can vigoursly and remove the guage once in a while between to make sure the ready you are getting is correct.
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06-09-2007
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Rep Power: 212 Re: AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
Thank you for reading my post! I guess I'll give my mechanic a call and see if they can check the pressure/discharge. I'm pretty sure the gauge that came in the kit is worthless in terms of accuracy. It tells me it's all set, but somethings definitely wrong. I appreciate the help!
06-10-2007
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dude the atmosphere will be fine. those tree huggers out there are lying. just get one of those tire pressure guages with the pin on the back and use lots of rags and newspaper i guess
06-10-2007
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^^^jeez man , you probably dump coolant and engine oil into the sewers too. have some courtesy to your kids.
And also do not just push the nozzle and use "rags and newspaper", its refridgerant, which means it can cause severe burns which could be fatal.
Just bring it to the shop and they can discharge it for you. You'll probably spend more money on gauges and stuff when you can get an accurate discharge for less.
And also do not just push the nozzle and use "rags and newspaper", its refridgerant, which means it can cause severe burns which could be fatal.
Just bring it to the shop and they can discharge it for you. You'll probably spend more money on gauges and stuff when you can get an accurate discharge for less.
06-10-2007
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Rep Power: 231 Re: AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
a smart shop would evac it for free seeing as how they can sell it to other customers. plus they can acurately tell you how much was in it. if you used a 14 oz can, you probably only got around 12 oz out of it.
06-10-2007
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Re: AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
Honestly you don't know what your doing, and before you lock up your compressor and have to spend a ton of money in repairs i would HIGHLY recommend you take it in to someone who KNOWS what they are doing.
06-10-2007
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oh ya, and both R-12 and R-134a is illegal to discharge into the atmosphere. They are both ozone depleting substances.
06-10-2007
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thats wrong. time for a chemistry lesson- r12 is a chloroflourocarbon (CFC) in which the chlorine part steals an oxygen atom from O3 (ozone) which in turn creates O2 and a fully stable cholrine atom. on the other hand-R134a is a hydroflurocarbon which does not contain chlorine making it safe to evacuate into tha atmosphere. the only problem is that expanding refridgerants can cause freze burns
06-10-2007
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Rep Power: 255 Re: AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
thats wrong. time for a chemistry lesson- r12 is a chloroflourocarbon (CFC) in which the chlorine part steals an oxygen atom from O3 (ozone) which in turn creates O2 and a fully stable cholrine atom. on the other hand-R134a is a hydroflurocarbon which does not contain chlorine making it safe to evacuate into tha atmosphere. the only problem is that expanding refridgerants can cause freze burns
06-10-2007
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Rep Power: 212 Re: AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
Thanks guys, I will absolutely be taking it to a mechanic. Just for kicks:
epa.gov on retrofitting from r-12 to r-134a:
And for airsoft guns :
Since this is used as a propellant, it is discharged into the atmosphere each time an airsoft gun is fired.
http://www.airsplat.com/Items/GG-HFC134A.htm
I think it's safe to say that it's OK to discharge HFC/R - 134a into the atmosphere in terms of it's ozone depletion. On the flip side though, it can be detrimental as far as global warming goes. Try telling that to me last winter...heh.
epa.gov on retrofitting from r-12 to r-134a:
R-134a Refrigerant
Toxicity, Flammability, Corrosion
R-134a is regarded as one of the safest refrigerants yet introduced, based on current toxicity data. The chemical industry's Program for Alternative Fluorocarbon Toxicity Testing (PAFTT) tested R-134a in a full battery of laboratory animal toxicity studies. The results indicate that R-134a does not pose cancer or birth defects hazard. In addition, R-134a is being used in metered dose inhalers in Europe.
OEM engineers and chemical manufacturers have examined the flammability and corrosivity of each potential R-12 substitute. Like CFC-12, R-134a is not flammable at ambient temperatures and atmospheric pressures. However, R-134a service equipment and vehicle a/c systems should not be pressure tested or leak tested with compressed air. Some mixtures of air and R-134a have been shown to be combustible at elevated pressures. These mixtures may be potentially dangerous, causing injury or property damage. R-134a is not corrosive on standard steel, aluminum and copper samples.
When handling R-134a, as with any other chemical, service techs should be sure to work in a well ventilated area. It is never a good idea to inhale any vapor to such an extent that it replaces the oxygen in your lungs.
Toxicity, Flammability, Corrosion
R-134a is regarded as one of the safest refrigerants yet introduced, based on current toxicity data. The chemical industry's Program for Alternative Fluorocarbon Toxicity Testing (PAFTT) tested R-134a in a full battery of laboratory animal toxicity studies. The results indicate that R-134a does not pose cancer or birth defects hazard. In addition, R-134a is being used in metered dose inhalers in Europe.
OEM engineers and chemical manufacturers have examined the flammability and corrosivity of each potential R-12 substitute. Like CFC-12, R-134a is not flammable at ambient temperatures and atmospheric pressures. However, R-134a service equipment and vehicle a/c systems should not be pressure tested or leak tested with compressed air. Some mixtures of air and R-134a have been shown to be combustible at elevated pressures. These mixtures may be potentially dangerous, causing injury or property damage. R-134a is not corrosive on standard steel, aluminum and copper samples.
When handling R-134a, as with any other chemical, service techs should be sure to work in a well ventilated area. It is never a good idea to inhale any vapor to such an extent that it replaces the oxygen in your lungs.
Since this is used as a propellant, it is discharged into the atmosphere each time an airsoft gun is fired.
http://www.airsplat.com/Items/GG-HFC134A.htm
I think it's safe to say that it's OK to discharge HFC/R - 134a into the atmosphere in terms of it's ozone depletion. On the flip side though, it can be detrimental as far as global warming goes. Try telling that to me last winter...heh.
06-12-2007
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Re: AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
ok, so i was reading every one elses comments. I have a 98 civic and need to recharge my a/c. I know where & how to do it, but am a little unsure on how much stuff(134a) i should put in. How do you know if you put too much in, if the gauges don't read right on the cans?? Also, are the cans as effective as taking it to a shop & having a machine do it? b/c my dealership wants 175$ to do it. What a rip off! help ...
06-12-2007
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Rep Power: 212 Re: AC Recharge kit overcharged my system! What now?
It depends on how low you are. For me, the total charge reccomended is 19 something ounces, but the cans are 14, so keep that in mind. Basically, if the can messes up, then you're SOL, and have a chance at causing more damage due to higher pressures. After having this experience, I'll never use a can again, but that's just me. The kit cost $35, and now they're evac'ing it, cleaning, and then putting the proper amount back in. I would definitely have a shop do it, because it is NOT the same. Call around for some quotes, and hopefully you can get it for less (the dealership is probably the most expensive).
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