Re-gassing AC

[shadowarrior]

Has anybody re-gassed their own car's ac here? Need to re-gas the Pajero, thought I could save some bucks by re-gassing it myself, but can't seem to find a can of HFC-134a in any shops

[PHIL069]

You need to have an Australian Refrigeration Council, Refrigerant Handling Licence to buy or use air con gas.

[shadowarrior]

You need to have an Australian Refrigeration Council, Refrigerant Handling Licence to buy or use air con gas.

So those nice looking aircon gas cans with a gauge isn't an option for us?
*drives to the mechanic and hands over hard earned money*

Thanks for the info Phil

[ObsidianRadio]

Do mechanics usually charge extra to re-gas FTOs due to the whole import thing? So many mechanics around Adelaide try and tell me that everything costs more purely because it's an FTO...

[Vectose]

Should cost the same as any car. I got a shop-a-docket the other day for a re gas + leak test for $99

[silverGPX]

They will charge more if parts are required as evaporators and compressors are hard to come by.

[ZFL45H1]

Plus if u haven't changed your gas type over to the new one it will cost more as well just a heads up I had to do this

[Vectose]

I believe they stopped using R12 (Freon) in 1994/1995.

[ZFL45H1]

Well I'd say my car didn't ever get re-gassed till early last yr haha

[Bennoz]

Our cars are all 134a. Last R12 I had was me CC Lancer.

My mechanic still has a few bottles of R12 though, for his old truck, the tight arse

[PHIL069]

I am learning AC at TAFE this week. I have a 2 week in class handling license
Today I done...
- Removed and captured the refrigerant
- A leak test with Nitrogen, all good
- Pulled out the evaporator (through glove box space), took off the TX valve and flushed and cleaned the evaporator. Put it back in with new O-rings
- Took off the compressor, drained the oil and refit with new O-rings
- Flushed out the condenser and lines/hoses
- Replaced the filter/dryer (new) again with new O-rings

Tomorrow I will...
- Vacuum down the whole system to remove any moisture, 1 hour with a vacuum pump.
- Add new AC oil
- Add new refigerant
- Leak test and performance test

The full AC service is costing me $90 and is normally approx $600-$700 retail.

[shadowarrior]

:/
What's the certificate? Am guessing an advanced level automotive certificate? I was thinking of enrolling at the local tafe for certificate 1 automotive course and go from there. Want to learn how to work on my own cars. If I manage to do 70% of the work instead of taking it to a mechanic, am guessing that should save me quite a bit of money to invest elsewhere (moar mods )

[PHIL069]

I am an apprentice diesel mechanic, Cert 3 (Trade Cert). The Air Con week is just part of my trade, it is Cert 2 in Air Con. I had to get the classroom licence to be able to handle the refrigerant, it only allows me to work on AC systems in class. If I want to get a full AC licence I have to return to TAFE next year for a further 5 days at my own cost, $900, to get Cert 3 in Air Con.

[shadowarrior]

Aha I have a long way to go before I get near any AC units then! $900 is expensive! But might pay off if you take on regular jobs for working on the AC systems if they are priced at around $600-$700 per job retail?

[PHIL069]

$600-$700 is only for a complete service, Re-gas is a lot cheaper.
I was informed today that the course is not $900 it is $3350, and is only available to mechanical tradies ie. post trade course.
....and I was also mistaken with the AC qualifications, I am doing Cert1 in AC, post trade course is Cert2 in AC.

[shadowarrior]

$3350!!!
I'll skip the AC course, thanks. I do know how to refill the gas through those cans though, done that couple of times on my dad's car.
Will call up the tafe tomorrow and get some prices for a cert 1 in automotive (the basic entry level one)

[payaya]

How do you flush out the condenser??? I can see a small leak at the high side valve with the cap off is this normal?

[PHIL069]

How do you flush out the condenser???

Take it back to the "AC guy", his work should be covered by warranty.
The system can be flushed two different ways...
1. Take all components out of car and use a pressure tank filled (Flush gun) with brake clean and blow pressurised brake clean through each component and hoses.
2. Leave all components installed and use a recovery system, that blows brake clean or refrigerant through system and then blows it all back out with a sudden large volume of compressed air.
No.1 is moar efficient.

Here is a PDF with all the info you will ever need for AC systems....
http://www.ariazone.com/manuals/Automot ... Manual.pdf

Here is a PDF R134a Refrigerant Capacity Guide....
http://www.ariazone.com/brochures/Refri ... 0Guide.pdf

Flush gun kit...
http://www.toolworks.com.au/ac20001-air ... h-kit.html

AC20001_Air_Conditioning_System_Flush_Kit.jpg (22.62 KiB) Viewed 5102 times

I can see a small leak at the high side valve with the cap off is this normal?

No, it's not normal. Clean and recheck, if problem persists replace the valve. The cap "can" hold the leak depending on the condition of the cap and it's O-Ring, but I wouldn't rely on it.
My high valve was leaking when I done my service and I replaced both valves.