Hi All

I like to fix my AC system of my car and started this thread for your advise. I bought this car 3 years ago and AC never worked. long time ago i tried to recharge the system and mechanic put AC gas in the system, it ran for two hours and died. i went to mechanic and he said there is leak in system and it could be anything. compressor, lines, condenser. It will be too expensive for me to fix the whole system in a shop, so i decided to fix the leak, change system o-rings and overhaul (if i can) as much as possible. then go to shop for AC recharge. I am learning online and would ask your kind help time to time. The Car is in Australia and tools here are not available for rent.

Car: Accord 95 EXI with F22B3 Engine

Things Bought: Manifold pressure Gauge with R134a connector

Planning to buy: Venturi type AC Air vacuum pump

My question is, do i need to buy above mentioned vacuum pump as i have seen video people using electric pump to evacuate system and cant afford to buy this. would Venturi type AC Air vacuum pump be beneficial?

 

I bought the US$80 electric vac pump from Harbor Freight, but they also sell the venturi type which gets decent reviews for sucking down A/C systems:

harborfreight(dot)com/air-vacuum-pump-with-r134a-and-r12-connectors-96677(dot)html

Worth a try... ~AU$20?

 

Thanks Roader

The same type i would like to buy but bit confused if that would be really helpful. it says moisture only. what about refrigerant and oil. would that serve?

 

Rent the vacuum pump from a parts store. They give you a full refund once you bring it back. Personally I would vacuum down, recharge the system with dye and find the leak and replace whatever needs to be replaced from there.

DO NOT use and stop leak freon.

If there is a Big Lots around you, they have the freon for 6.50/can.

 

Thanks
Is there any alternative apart from dye. online search for dye is bit costly for me around $50. how to find leaks without dye.

 

Is the car R134a or R12? Different countries have different laws...in the US the 95 should have been a 134 car. There should be a sticker under the hood or on the rad support stating the refrig charge and type?

If 134, there should be cans available that come with ac dye - in the US I can get them for ~$9 for a 12 oz can.

If you can't get you hands on cheap "gas with dye", look at all of the connections very close. Usually a leaking connection will have lots of "dirt" around it. Also note that, IMHO, one of the most popular points of leaks is the service fittings.

 

X2. Both of the Schrader valves on my car leak but the two blue caps stop the leaks.
Yes. Pulling a vacuum removes refrigerant and moisture. Compressor oil, no, but you don't want to pull that out anyway.

When you find the leak you probably should replace the receiver/dryer since the system's been open to atmosphere. They're cheap.

 

There is a good chance the leak/s (may be more than one!) is in the evaporator housing. In that case dye can only be detected when it drains from the condensate drain from evap box. Since your AC isn't working, it is unlikely you will be able to detect an evap leak.

I found evap leaks in my 94 EX several years ago at connections; expansion valve and thermal feedback bulb. Leak is caused by dissimilar metal corrosion of aluminum evap and brass expansion valve connection. A white powder is formed that distorts oring until a leak occurs.

Since you are overhauling, you should consider removing evaporator and resealing w/ new orings on expansion valve and thermal feedback bulb. Evap removal is not too difficult in this Accord model.

You may want to consider doing all the repair work youself, and paying someone to charge the system. This would cost $100-$150 in US.

good luck

 

Thanks Guys and Curse on me.

I bought Manifold gauge for R134a and dint check my car's type (R134a or R12)
couldn't find that info under hood. just praying if it is R134a

 

One way to test for leaks is to close the system and pull a vacuum through your manifold. Close the manifold, then see if the a/c system will hold a vacuum for 30 minutes. A good vacuum pump should pull to around -30 psi. So your manifold gauge should remain at the same level when doing this test.

If you are repairing the system, I'd suggest replacing every o-ring. Also the shaft seal/o-ring on the compressor. The shaft seal isn't hard to replace, but there are tips that we can give to install it, if your accord is like my previous one (95 US accord).