im doing an ls1 swap and don't want to tow my car to a shop nor do i want sombody other then me working on my car, so i need to learn how to depressurize the a/c myself. can anyone help?

 

I'm going to list the non-legal way to let you know that it is NOT LEGAL . Upon me listing this, I have no responsibilty for the way that you do it.

Take of the shrader valves and push in the valves. Don't let it get into your eyes, that stuff is blinding. Anyway, once it is empty, that should be it. Don't let anyone see you doing this, it is a big fine.

The legal way, but cost a little bit, would be to find an a/c shop and have the empty the system for you. I wouldn't think that it could cost that much, but I haven't done it.



YOU DON'T KNOW ME.

 

Oh no, you'll destroy the ozone layer. ROFLMAO.

I'm sure some hippie might try to whine, but just think of all the millions of cars that have vented into the atmosphere over the years when wrecked or just through leakage. They don't even make the good stuff anymore anyway. A few more cars venting to the atmospehere isn't going to change the world.

But of course i've never done anything like that. Just saying....

 

Yeah, when I totalled my '86, that nice cool freon charge just shot into the air... what a shame. That's why I didn't bother putting the a/c back in, or even recharging the parts from the parts car. The parts car had no charge left in it at all... a/c was hot, so I depressed the valve with a screwdriver just to see- nothing. Not even a puff of dust. But then again if you saw the mud that was in that car's radiator, you'd understand what kinda shape the motor was in. Good body panels and frame, though.

You can actually lift your entire a/c system out in one piece without opening a hose or fitting, though. Unbolt the compressor, remove the radiator to get to the condensor, unbolt the bottom of the accumulator can, remove the top of the heater/evaporator box, undo all electrical, and lift it out. You'll need a second person to balance a few parts as you lift it out.

Wasn't till my dad and I put it on the ground until I saw the cracked line.

 

I did my own depressurization as Maroon-IROC-Z mentioned except I just loosened up one of the AC lines. I'll probably get flamed for saying this but oh well...it's not illegal till you get caught. Seriously though, I agree with what Ed said. But I'm sure the hypocrites driving around with the gutted cats will tell you not to do it and say it's bad for the environment.

 

If anything, shops should be paying US for the honor of letting them take the freon out. You can't buy new R12 anymore, it's all recycled.

 

thanks for the info, once its disconnected can i save the r12 or if not what to do with it?

 

OK. I do HVAC work (residential) for a living. Unless I'm mistaken, you, as the owner can do anything you want with the refrigerant, including venting it to the atmosphere. **DISCLAIMER: This may not apply to automotive A/C.** However, the residential A/C laws say the homeowner can do whatever the heck they wanna with the refrigerant.

To answer the question, yes, it can be saved for later use. Should you, FU-Q, try to save it? No. It must be evacuated into a container under controlled conditions where it can be stored as a liquid under pressure. Once the lines are disconnected, the refrigerant is gone in short order. It boils off into a gas immediately upon being exposed to the atmosphere.

I can't see the reason for wanting to keep the R-12 anyway. Retrofitting to R-134a is easy enough now and virgin R-12 is as scarce as hen's teeth. I did it on my '87 about 5 years ago and it still works perfectly.

 

It's only illegal if your 609 certified.
How in the hell would you know such a law if your not certified...right
Let it rip.
However like 'Maroon-IROC-Z' you don't know me, I am 609 certified, and again you don't know me - right

Oh yea, make sure you open the garage before you do it, cause unlike the liberal media or EPA likes to tell you, the **** is heavy then hell compared to the atmosphere, and sinks like a rock. Cause of that you don't want to suffocate if you happen to crawl under the car for any reason after letting it vent.

BTW: If your planing on refilling it after the swap, take it and get it recycled! you should be able to reclaim it after your done with your swap.

Ron

 

Even if you could (and maybe you can, I don't know), I still don't see the point in re-using the R-12. R-134a is plentiful and works just fine as a retrofit. Also, its gonna be available for a long time.

If he's gonna take the lines and all off anyway he could just flush them and put the new o-rings in when he pus it back together. The LS1 compressor, if he uses it, will already have the proper oil in it, so he won't have to worry.

Just be sure to plug the lines and compressor ports with duct tape to keep moisture out while they are in storage.

LET IT BLOW BABY!!!!

 

I agree 100%

Now is the time to upgrade (or downgrade - however you see it) to 134a, or a blend. It's going to save you money in the long run.

R134a isn't that bad, in fact I have it in my refrigerator. Now having it in my Vette on a 90°+ day, in stop & go traffic. hmmmmm It sucks.


Ron

 

I wouldn't worry about the law...Jeremy Clarkson (Top Gear) de-pressurizes James May's air con from an old Merc live on air! If you get caught...just reference that and they won't have a leg to stand on

 

...just realised this thread ended 9 years ago....LMAO

 

Digging up bones. He probably fixed it by now.