Ac stystem depressurized, what’s next.

somebody broke into my car & disconnected the Ac lines from the compressor. What’s next . Do I have to evacuate the whole system, then refill it . Or do I just vacuum the system, then refill it. Or what do I do. Thanks.

Who, what, where, why, and how?

civicls said:

Who, what, where, why, and how?

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Life is crazy ha

bgutierrezx said:

somebody broke into my car & disconnected the Ac lines from the compressor. What’s next . Do I have to evacuate the whole system, then refill it . Or do I just vacuum the system, then refill it. Or what do I do. Thanks.

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Unfortunately, it is very complex and most DIYers will not do it properly.

bgutierrezx said:

Do I have to evacuate the whole system, then refill it . Or do I just vacuum the system, then refill it.

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Either option will be fine.

It's NOT difficult for the DIY'er to do A/C work on their own car, provided they invest in the correct equipment, and educate themselves in what needs to be done.

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For any work on the A/C system, you should/must wear Safety Glasses, and suitable Gloves, to protect you from cold refrigerant.
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You can quite easily do A/C work on your car to just about any level from

(a) A quick topping up of the Refrigerant.
All you need is a can or 2 of R1234yf and a single Low pressure Gauge.($110)

all the way up to

(b) Changing the Condenser or Compressor, or a noisy Suction tube, replacing the Dryer, or detailed Diagnosis of your A/C system to find what component is faulty.
For this you WILL need to invest in some equipment, but it is not that expensive.
(1) Vacuum Pump
(2) A full Manifold Gauge set, with both High & Low pressure Gauges.

Since, this is DIY, and you are working on your own car (not being paid), you can do this, but you will not be able to Legally purchase bulk refrigerant in 30lb cylinders.
But you can legally purchase 8oz Cans, which are quite sufficient for your own personal use.

Honda a/c Parts are easy to get from Online web-sites selling Honda parts at reduced (Non Gouging) prices.

The whole myth about A/C work being "Difficult" seems to be spread by those doing it for a living (with a license one hopes), who want to keep secret just how easy it really is, so they have job security.

For full A/C service work , you can get a (R123) vacuum pump + full gauge set for $110, and a set of R134 to R1234yf adapters for $10. (see Ebay)
(Not many R1234yf dedicated sets about yet.. so expensive.. so get a R134 set + adapters)

So for $110 of equipment, about $150 for refrigerant & dye, enough to fill, and a few top up , you are set to go - once you have done the necessary self education to do the job correctly.

or spend up to $6500 on a machine that does it all for you automatically !!!

I was just worried about the refrigerant still left in the system. I’ll just pick up from the vacuum step & follow every YouTube DIY video. Thanks guys. & I’m definitely doing it my self reguardless the expense. More then likely buying a harbor freight vacuum & gauge set, I already have adapters coming.

SCOPESYS said:

The whole myth about A/C work being "Difficult" seems to be spread by those doing it for a living (with a license one hopes), who want to keep secret just how easy it really is, so they have job security.

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That those in the business will want you to keep away from your AC is true, and they do thankfully appreciate the help of the government regulators in this matter.
But work on AC in general is indeed "difficult" for most diy'ers because thorough understanding how AC works is outright impossible to someone who doesn't comprehend fluid properties and thermodynamics. Not difficult, but impossible. Very few people understand fluid properties and thermodynamics.

Still, repair by replacing different parts is indeed easy and sure anyone can buy a can of freon and try to fill up the system, often with success. A little harder is topping up. But diagnosing and repairing a system in general is often beyond the capacity of even many professional hacks. Finding leaks exceeds the skills and/or available time for many ac technicians.

How long would you pull vacuum on a system that contains a hygroscopic oil and has been sitting open for hours (days?) and is contaminated with water? Do you need to add/replace the lubricant?

Gruber said:

That those in the business will want you to keep away from your AC is true, and they do thankfully appreciate the help of the government regulators in this matter.
But work on AC in general is indeed "difficult" for most diy'ers because thorough understanding how AC works is outright impossible to someone who doesn't comprehend fluid properties and thermodynamics. Not difficult, but impossible. Very few people understand fluid properties and thermodynamics.

Still, repair by replacing different parts is indeed easy and sure anyone can buy a can of freon and try to fill up the system, often with success. A little harder is topping up. But diagnosing and repairing a system in general is often beyond the capacity of even many professional hacks. Finding leaks exceeds the skills and/or available time for many ac technicians.

How long would you pull vacuum on a system that contains a hygroscopic oil and has been sitting open for hours (days?) and is contaminated with water? Do you need to add/replace the lubricant?

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you're right, but id rather break stuff until I get it right then take my car to a mechanic. might seem like a fool but not really, if I can learn something that I can pass down to my son later on, itll be worth it. Anyways I was just wondering if I was going to damaged my vacuum if there was to much refrigerant left in it.

What makes AC repairs costly is the equipment you have to use to recover refrigerant from the lines. Assuming your whole system can keep a vacuum, you should be fine. If not, you have a problem.