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By best do you mean easiest and safest for you or legal and best for the world's environment? You'll not likely get people telling you to break the law and just open a fitting, so the "best" way is to get it to someone who has the equipment to properly suck the old refrigerant out.
Goops, did not think about that. The plan is not to break the law (I am in Europe, legal situation here is most probably different anyway, will check). But I have dismantled half of the engine bay already to install a new camshaft. In order to do that I need to pull out the condensor so I have enough available space to pull out the old one and install the new one. And I can not drive to a specialist...
Last edited by alexandervdr; 12-09-2018 at 06:22 AM.
I suspect the equipment needed to properly evacuate and store the refrigerant is not cheap to buy. So perhaps someone who services home air conditioning (common where I am) could come to you and do the job. Otherwise its between you and your conscience.
You won’t recover 100%, but most if you hook up gages and a 30# tank that has been evacuated and covered in ice. Takes a while and car needs warm environment. Used to do this before recovery systems were available.
You need to recover it with the proper equipment, and when you install the new parts, you will need to use a special vacuum pump to evacuate/pull down the system for a minimum of an hour or so to an absolute vacuum, depending on humidity. If you do not have the proper equipment/knowledge, take the car to a pro to have the refrigerant removed BEFORE you start your work, and then, afterward, have him pull down the system (vacuum pump to 29-30" HG) and install the new refrigerant. Good to go.
If you want your A/C operating efficiently you need to have somebody that knows what they're doing with the right equipment to deal with the system - capturing the freon and refilling and prepping the system... You don't want to go all "amateur hour" on this job!
Moreover - the Vintage Air systems are a bit trickier than some...per instructions...
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 12-09-2018 at 04:04 PM.
My engine bay looks like this, I am not going to reassemble everything to take the refrigerant out
Proper removal of the refrigerant is accomplished with hoses connected to the service ports (typically schrader valve ports). Proper recovery of the refrigerant uses the equivalent of a portable vacuum pump and air conditioner to evacuate the refrigerant and condense it into a liquid for storage in a clean pressure vessel cylinder. Some Plumbing and HVAC Contractors have the recovery equipment, and will usually do the recovery for labor cost (at house service call rates, and they may keep the refrigerant). The benefit is the recovered refrigerant may be reused if it is clean, saving the expense of purchasing new virgin refrigerant. If you have an associate in the air conditioning industry, willing to barter for their time, the cost is usually more reasonable.
There is no legal penalty for having a car that leaked it's refrigerant, as hoses and connections may leak without warning. The only resulting problems are that the leak must be found and repaired and new refrigerant must be purchased.
What refrigerant do you have in the system?? R12 or R134a or 1234yf ??
If R12, it may well be in your best interest to buy a refrigerant recovery tank and recovery the R12 like Pop23235 advises. You can then use it to charge your system later on.
If R134a, recovery may not be economical and the environmental impact very (very) small to release it. Perhaps one of your Schrader valves suddenly starts leaking and the next day you discover your system is empty. You then replace the bad Schrader with a new one and all is well.
1234yf I am not certain about, and would have to check your country's environmental laws. You cannot use what is correct/proper in the USA if you are living in Germany or Holland. You really need to understand your own country's environmental laws regarding refrigerant, and make sure you are not doing anything illegal and that could cause a large fine $$$ or worse.
Just remember to not get yourself in this jam again.
Larry
Last edited by Powershift; 12-09-2018 at 05:11 PM.
I'll consult a car guy I know some streets away who runs a professional 'mobile on the road repair' service (not sure how this is called in the US). He may have the tools to get the stuff out.
I'll consult a car guy I know some streets away who runs a professional 'mobile on the road repair' service (not sure how this is called in the US). He may have the tools to get the stuff out.
We call them basically the same thing here in the US...and there are some companies which ONLY do mobile A/C work and can come by and pull out the freon.
IF you are swapping a cam out...you should not need to remove the freon. I have replaced cams in engines a long time ago and I never need to pull out the freon to get the condenser out of the way to do it.
If you loosen the condenser and move it you may be able to change the cam without opening the AC system.
That's what I was wondering. Might tweak a couple the bends in lines in the process by a few degrees but they should go back with minor effort and some care.
12-09-2018, 03:49 AM
letting refrigerant out of AC
That's what I was wondering. Might tweak a couple the bends in lines in the process by a few degrees but they should go back with minor effort and some care.
