DIY refrigerant recharge experiences

[TriangleHeat]

Anyone here remember the good old days when AC systems had a sight glass where you could actually see bubbles when the Freon was low?

Yup, last car I had with this was a 1993 Accord which used R12 refrigerant, sight glass was built into the receiver/drier. Miss that car, wish I never sold it but I was broke as hell back then lol.

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[FirsthondaSI]

I basically just followed this tutorial:
https://www.carcarekiosk.com/video/...L_4_Cyl._Sedan/air_conditioner/recharge_freon

"Low side with AC full on and engine at normal operating temperature?" --> correct

Would you say it’s pretty easy? On a scale of 1-10(being most difficult)?
I have the same symptoms as you but my dealer doesn’t have an opening until mid September and driver side is not as cold as passenger.

 

[jtrader]

Would you say it’s pretty easy? On a scale of 1-10(being most difficult)?
I have the same symptoms as you but my dealer doesn’t have an opening until mid September and driver side is not as cold as passenger.

It's seriously a 1 or 2. Making pancakes for breakfast is more difficult. Hook up a few hoses and open the valve. Done.

Mine is still cold. It looks like I'll get 2 summers out of 1 can! Woot.

 

[FirsthondaSI]

It's seriously a 1 or 2. Making pancakes for breakfast is more difficult. Hook up a few hoses and open the valve. Done.

Mine is still cold. It looks like I'll get 2 summers out of 1 can! Woot.

Thanks a lot bro. One last thing, is the pressure the low side suppose to be at 40?
Also I think autozzone has 8oz cans. Do you think one would be enough?

 

[jtrader]

Thanks a lot bro. One last thing, is the pressure the low side suppose to be at 40?
Also I think autozzone has 8oz cans. Do you think one would be enough?

If you're blowing warm air, your system is essentially empty and 1 full 8oz can is the perfect amount. It won't get you up to 40 though. I think my low side was showing 30ish, which was fine.

Autozone didn't sell r1234yf last year, that's cool that they do now...but I see Napa is still the cheaper option. $29 vs $45

 

[FirsthondaSI]

If you're blowing warm air, your system is essentially empty and 1 full 8oz can is the perfect amount. It won't get you up to 40 though. I think my low side was showing 30ish, which was fine.

Autozone didn't sell r1234yf last year, that's cool that they do now...but I see Napa is still the cheaper option. $29 vs $45

I’m going to try it today and I’ll come back to report lol yeah it’s so annoying how the passenger is really cold and the driver side is less cold, especially since we’ve had a heat wave and it’s been the 100’s the last couple of days ??. Thanks a lot bro

 

[Shtumpa]

Yup real easy and it's well over a year now had to fill twice.

 

[mike t]

Anyone remember the sight glass on older cars? If you saw bubbles the system was low on freon.

Yep,the good ol days

 

[jtrader]

Hello fellow A/C lovers, I just refilled my system last night with another can of r1234yf. My first can lasted almost 2 years. The filling process took all of 5 minutes. The gage on my hose read 25psi by the time the can was empty. A/c is super cold once again. Here's hoping for another couple years of ice cold A/c.

Cheers!

 

[CivicEX18]

Hello fellow A/C lovers, I just refilled my system last night with another can of r1234yf. My first can lasted almost 2 years. The filling process took all of 5 minutes. The gage on my hose read 25psi by the time the can was empty. A/c is super cold once again. Here's hoping for another couple years of ice cold A/c.

Cheers!

Nice! Did you have to evac the system or just add refrigerant? I was thinking about getting this kit.

Honey Well Genuine 8oz R1234YF Refrigerant (3 Freon Cans) & HD Brass Can Tap with Gauge https://a.co/d/91NRXLF

 

[jtrader]

Nice! Did you have to evac the system or just add refrigerant? I was thinking about getting this kit.

Honey Well Genuine 8oz R1234YF Refrigerant (3 Freon Cans) & HD Brass Can Tap with Gauge https://a.co/d/91NRXLF

That'll work. I get my cans at Napa where they are under 30 bucks each. If you have one nearby, you could go that route to save some cash. I don't think they will ship them.
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NFRR1234YFCAN

Yeah, no evac required. Obviously it wouldn't hurt and would probably help prolong the life of the system, but so far just adding a can when needed is working great. Better than dropping $1500-2500 at the Honda stealership. Good luck.

 

[CivicEX18]

That'll work. I get my cans at Napa where they are under 30 bucks each. If you have one nearby, you could go that route to save some cash. I don't think they will ship them.
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NFRR1234YFCAN

Yeah, no evac required. Obviously it wouldn't hurt and would probably help prolong the life of the system, but so far just adding a can when needed is working great. Better than dropping $1500-2500 at the Honda stealership. Good luck.

Thank you!! I just went to Napa and picked up a can of Honeywell refrigerant. They didn’t have the correct charge kit so I went to O’Reilly’s. I went with the Ac/Pro Gauge kit.

I will attempt this tomorrow when it is cool! Hopefully this will last me 1-2 yrs!

 

[jtrader]

Thank you!! I just went to Napa and picked up a can of Honeywell refrigerant. They didn’t have the correct charge kit so I went to O’Reilly’s. I went with the Ac/Pro Gauge kit.

I will attempt this tomorrow when it is cool! Hopefully this will last me 1-2 yrs!

Cool! So O’Reilly’s has a compatible hose?? ..... Interesting, did you get this?
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...ied-a-c-pro-a-c-gauge-and-hose/int5/certyf102

 

[CivicEX18]

Cool! So O’Reilly’s has a compatible hose?? ..... Interesting, did you get this?
https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...ied-a-c-pro-a-c-gauge-and-hose/int5/certyf102

Yes! I liked it better than the other options on Amazon plus it was local. Did you have to purge to release some air? I was using this video and the AC/Pro videos for guidance.

 

[jtrader]

Yes! I liked it better than the other options on Amazon plus it was local. Did you have to purge to release some air? I was using this video and the AC/Pro videos for guidance.

Great vid! A perfect tutorial for how to charge our a/c. Cheers!

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