has anyone used it in their a/c system yet? with summer comming out, i know that my ac wouldnt pass a performance test, it is cold, but with the hot weather yesterday in ontario i had to somewhat put the blower speed on medium/high to get it cold enuff...

safe to use? also best thing to use?

 

i've wondered this too

 

Ive done it. works fine. just make sure you dont put more than your needed pressur einto the system.

if you are already at maximum pressure, i would pay a shop to vacuum it all out and put new freon in.

 

Read the instructions completely before you start. You can get them w/ a gauge too so you can tell if the pressure is correct.

 

I agree and in all honesty i would probably do whats in bold.

 

How much would it typically cost to have them suck it all out?

 

Worked fine for me. I bought it with the intent to put it in on my own but wanted to do a whole flush so i took it to my friend's shop. Not sure on how much it would cost, but shouldn't be much. For sure under $100, maybe even $50.

 

the correct method would be to vacuum out the refrigerant (not into the atmosphere) and refill.

 

Originally Posted by phee
Ive done it. works fine. just make sure you dont put more than your needed pressure into the system.

if you are already at maximum pressure, i would pay a shop to vacuum it all out and put new freon in.


Mine appears to be low on r 134a but with no leaks.
fsttyms1 and all while i would love to pay a shop to suck out the old, how neccessary would you rate that?
I'd like to just get a can and put in the new over the old. Is adding new to old asking for trouble?

 

If you are dead set on not having a shop do it, You can do it, just turn the dial to the aprox temp on the filler gauge to the outside temp, and with the AC running at max follow the directions on the can. Dont over fill it. If that doesnt work with the results you are looking for i would have a shop vac the system (also pulls any moisture out of the system) and reinstall the 134 and oil

 

I bought a cheap set of HVAC manifold gauges and rely on that instead of whatever gauge is built into the cans of r134a. To me the gauge set was a good investment (you can use it to measure different types of refrigerant as long as you know the temperature to pressure conversion instead of relying on the "rings" around the gauge faces for r12, r134a, etc...to refill different refrigerants I would get a separate yellow [charge] hose for each just to be sure, or make sure you run a bit of whatever refrigerant you are adding straight thru the hoses before connecting to the system to recharge)

If you can find the service manual specs for pressures, armed with a gauge set you can make sure the system is charged *correctly* and performing like it should.

As far as evacuating the system, a local shop charged me 20 bux to evac the r134a from my truck when I needed to work on it. It seems expensive since all they do is plug it into a machine and let it run for 30 minutes or so, but the flipside is doing something illegal so its not too big a deal.

If you have it evacuated and dont open up the system, you'll still need to put it under vacuum to A) check for leaks and B) potentially burn off any moisture still in the lines, before recharging it with fresh r134a. Gauge set would help determine a leak (if any), and if there is no large leak I would personally just recharge it to factory specs. Get a can of refrigerant with dye in it so down the line you can use a UV light to spot any leaks if necessary.

 

I've used it on my van before and it worked fine. I figured it would only be temporary since the old had to have leaked out for it to need more, but it's 2 years later still blowing cold off the canned stuff.

 

do they make it other than in a pressure can? do you mean like in dry powdered form...that's news to me!
or do you mean plain can for use with manifold vs can with gauge
Note most cans have a special oil included -there is a measured amount that's supposed to be in the system, when filling by machine its added as its own can of stuff
Over oil and over pressure = bad

correct pressure is the key, doing it in the cool of morning is best, open door so air can blow out as you want to set it to min temp and max fan during `refilling`
a quick read of some online ac filling info/youtube would be a wise investment of your time. Too much Freon in the system will cause it to not work then blow seal on compressor.

don't forget the cabin air filter, all that air has to pass thru it
suggested 1 year replacement schedule, some places with heavy dirt/construction may fill up in 6 months
Anti allergen-charcoal-baking soda added filters are available
note on shop method of removal = special machine has to store then recycles old stuff back into car. You dont get NEW in most cases, ask!!
Freon doesn't go away, and its release into the atmosphere is bad news
Also use protective eyewear!!! you don't want to find out why~

 

I've used it in the past with good luck. Just make sure it's the one with oil added. Some have a dye too so you can see if there's any leaks.

 

excellent point!
It would suck to pay a shop and still be left with the old in.

 

its not just YOUR old, but mixed with everyone else and redistributed back into other cars!