Converting A/C system to R134

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Has anyone tried that?

I have A/C issues just like many of us civic owners. I already took mine in to the dealer twice, 2nd time they put in a dye in the system. I scheduled an appointment for a 3rd service, but decided to look at the condenser with a blacklight. I found 3 small oil circles right at the same level where the unprotected vents in the bumper are.

Honda unfortunately does not cover condenser that are shot because of debris. One user in another topic here wrote that his dealer replaced his free of charge along with some other things, but I don't know if I want to risk that route, as the dealers charge like $300 fee diagnostic fee if it's your fault, and fighting it in corporate ends with Honda telling you to go f yourself, as described by other users.

So, can we just shoot R134 into our systems? The main issue is the oil - some people claim it'll work just fine, some say it requires a flush and then using oil that'll work with R134. I found a dude on a dodge forum (https://www.dodgedurango.net/forums...nvert-their-r1234yf-systems-back-r134a-2.html) who said he just shot it in and claimed to have worked fine.

Has anyone tried that with the civic yet?
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i JUST REFILLED mine yesterday with the 1234yr . someone in your area might sell it to you soon. I got mine locally. But I heard that you can put 134a into 1234 yr system but not the other way around. Idk about the oil.
 
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I have bought r1234 before on ebay. It's expensive as hell, 100 bucks for 2 cans (1 pound of gas).
 
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Here's an article Denso put out... for what's it's worth. I read it after I found out we didn't have R-134a.

http://www.denso-am.com/media/corpo...essor-oil-and-refrigerant-mixing-old-and-new/
I have read this before. If we had a Denso compressor, it would be a matter of just charging a different gas, since Denso oils are compatible with both gases, they evne tell which oils to use, I think ND-12 for example works out. Honda uses an oil called HM85RL (or RL85HM, I cant remember how the letters go, I got that info from Honda shop manual), so it's their own blend.
 


CivicChina

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My car (chinese spec) has R134A, and i'm very happy of this, but still is not supercold as my previous cars.
I guess it should be possible to source the parts that may be needed from china, if there is really a hardware difference.
 
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My car (chinese spec) has R134A, and i'm very happy of this, but still is not supercold as my previous cars.
I guess it should be possible to source the parts that may be needed from china, if there is really a hardware difference.
What oil does yours have? It should say on the same sticker.
 

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I only have this sticker under the hood. Anywhere else i can look without disassembling the compressor?:p

Honda Civic 10th gen Converting A/C system to R134 IMG_20180807_185301
 

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The main difference is that the new r1234 is an unstable, dirty substance that will decompose easily to a relatively strong acid. That's exactly why it is considered to be so great for global warming. So it needs an oil that will not cause decomposition, but rather inhibit it.

In contrast, R134 is a very stable compound, so it will work with about any oil of the correct viscosity for the compressor.
Therefore, the new oil developed for r1234 should work for both refrigerants, but the r134 oil will likely not agree with r1234.
 

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The main difference is that the new r1234 is an unstable, dirty substance that will decompose easily to a relatively strong acid.
And it's flamable :doh:
 


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I replaced the condenser, flushed all components, drained all oil from compressor and then filled everything again with new oil and r134. So far so good. I am waiting on a really hot day now to see how it works and then I'll drive for about a month and let you guys know how it all worked out. If I have no issues, I'll make a write up on how I did it.
 

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This guy was last seen here in Sept of 2018 it says.
Maybe he blew himself up fooling with his ac.
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