[cicero36]

Hi,

Im a new member here and Im in calgary. My ac is not cold enough and I am planning to recharge it myself however the refrigerant available on auto parts shop are the replacements for 134a. Does anyone here had experience on using them? Will it harm the ac compressor or my ac system? Your help and inputs are really appreciated.

Thank you!

[eljay]

Originally Posted by cicero36

Hi,

Im a new member here and Im in calgary. My ac is not cold enough and I am planning to recharge it myself however the refrigerant available on auto parts shop are the replacements for 134a. Does anyone here had experience on using them? Will it harm the ac compressor or my ac system? Your help and inputs are really appreciated.

Thank you!

For AC work, I'd just go to a shop.
Those replacements are IMO a bandaid solution and you are just wasting time and money as there is ultimately a reason (a leak) for a weak AC. And to diagnose it properly a shop needs to do a proper leak test. When I say proper, if they say they put a vacuum on the system for 10 minutes and saw no drop, that's not proper. Get another shop to do the test correctly.

And for our Southern neighbours who may chine with just getting a set of gauges and cans of R134a... here in Canada, we aren't allowed to poison the atmosphere and those aren't sold in stores without a license to handle refrigerants. 😉

[KKevin]

Originally Posted by cicero36

Hi,

Im a new member here and Im in calgary. My ac is not cold enough and I am planning to recharge it myself however the refrigerant available on auto parts shop are the replacements for 134a. Does anyone here had experience on using them? Will it harm the ac compressor or my ac system? Your help and inputs are really appreciated.

Thank you!

From Calgary too. Like what was said above its just a bandaid fix, temperatures wont be as cold or you wont feel a difference for these small cans.

Its better to get it done right at a shop, I always take my E90 over to Monza auto they'd probably charge under $100 but they're reliable.

[e90yyc]

From Calgary too. Just thought I’d pop in to say that .

But yeah—take it to a shop. And preferably one that knows what they’re doing. The AC system in our cars can be temperamental when it comes to refrigerant fill. To properly charge the system it must first be evacuated and then filled by weight. Even if you could get the right stuff at a parts store, trying to approximate weight by using whatever shitty gauge is included with the cans is not a good method.

As others have said, if your system is losing charge then certainly get that diagnosed first.

Do you smell PAG oil in the cabin? If so, there’s a decent chance your evaporator has taken a shit. PAG oil—the lubricant inside the AC system—has a distinct odor, so if you smell something weird that might be it.

BTW, while evaporator failure is unfortunately common on these cars, I’d not assume that just because you smell some smellz (it’s only smellz), that your evaporator is to blame.

[oVeRdOsE.]

I had a 2-3 psi lost /year on my previous car.

got those r22 at canadiantire, every 4 years. lasted 9 years like this.

Sold the car, the A/c still cold.


yes internet told me Ill die because this is basically propane, yes internet told me the car will die. None of this happened, 9 years is not small, 2 fills only.
Note this was to top off, not to replace.
Also, my new car I did the proper way : leak test, empty, repair, purge, re-fill. at a shop


However, E90 tend to leak around the windshield washer fill hose on the passenger side, since the fender is open directly on the a/c line.

[e91Owner]

While you can’t get R-134 up there, if you can buy a gauge (they’re super cheap here in the US), you can at least determine if undercharging is your problem. The temperature pressure charts are available with just a quick google search.

[cicero36]

Originally Posted by eljay

For AC work, I'd just go to a shop.
Those replacements are IMO a bandaid solution and you are just wasting time and money as there is ultimately a reason (a leak) for a weak AC. And to diagnose it properly a shop needs to do a proper leak test. When I say proper, if they say they put a vacuum on the system for 10 minutes and saw no drop, that's not proper. Get another shop to do the test correctly.

And for our Southern neighbours who may chine with just getting a set of gauges and cans of R134a... here in Canada, we aren't allowed to poison the atmosphere and those aren't sold in stores without a license to handle refrigerants. 😉

thank you for your reply, this is helpful!

[cicero36]

Originally Posted by KKevin

From Calgary too. Like what was said above its just a bandaid fix, temperatures wont be as cold or you wont feel a difference for these small cans.

Its better to get it done right at a shop, I always take my E90 over to Monza auto they'd probably charge under $100 but they're reliable.

Thank you, I will check them out and will give them a call!

[cicero36]

Originally Posted by e90yyc

From Calgary too. Just thought I’d pop in to say that .

But yeah—take it to a shop. And preferably one that knows what they’re doing. The AC system in our cars can be temperamental when it comes to refrigerant fill. To properly charge the system it must first be evacuated and then filled by weight. Even if you could get the right stuff at a parts store, trying to approximate weight by using whatever shitty gauge is included with the cans is not a good method.

As others have said, if your system is losing charge then certainly get that diagnosed first.

Do you smell PAG oil in the cabin? If so, there’s a decent chance your evaporator has taken a shit. PAG oil—the lubricant inside the AC system—has a distinct odor, so if you smell something weird that might be it.

BTW, while evaporator failure is unfortunately common on these cars, I’d not assume that just because you smell some smellz (it’s only smellz), that your evaporator is to blame.

thank you, I dont smell any PAG oil in the cabin, thanks god . thanks for your advice though..

[cicero36]

Originally Posted by oVeRdOsE.

I had a 2-3 psi lost /year on my previous car.

got those r22 at canadiantire, every 4 years. lasted 9 years like this.

Sold the car, the A/c still cold.


yes internet told me Ill die because this is basically propane, yes internet told me the car will die. None of this happened, 9 years is not small, 2 fills only.
Note this was to top off, not to replace.
Also, my new car I did the proper way : leak test, empty, repair, purge, re-fill. at a shop


However, E90 tend to leak around the windshield washer fill hose on the passenger side, since the fender is open directly on the a/c line.

thanks dude! this is helpful

[cicero36]

Originally Posted by e91Owner

While you can’t get R-134 up there, if you can buy a gauge (they’re super cheap here in the US), you can at least determine if undercharging is your problem. The temperature pressure charts are available with just a quick google search.

thank you, I will google and see the charts.

[eljay]

As said above, check the line running along the passenger side frame rail. If it smells like PAG oil there, replace the line.

To confirm, you can ask a shop to refill refrigerant with a dye and check in a few days with a UV light.

[e90yyc]

oVeRdOsE. Good to know you had success with the R22. Haven’t done much reading on this but did notice no R134a a few years back and did a little googling at the time. Seemed the info was mixed so I’m happy to hear your car didn’t spontaneously combust .

OP: To be clear, going to a shop isn’t your ONLY option—it’s just a matter of whether you actually want to address the issue or just solve the symptoms. Not suggesting you throw endless amounts of money at it, but it may be worth having the system leak tested so at least you know what’s up.

Put another way, I wouldn’t reach straight for the cheapest option as your first resort—but that’s just me.

[KKevin]

Originally Posted by e90yyc

From Calgary too. Just thought I’d pop in to say that .

~

[bmwbob89]

Have a shop recharge your system or you will never get the correct amount in the system. I've used the cans to add some to all my other cars but the E90 overcharged so fast I was shocked. Then the fan was on full blast and sounded like an airplane coming in. Had it recharged and all was fine. Even if you have to do that every year or two its worth it to have AC.

[oVeRdOsE.]

Originally Posted by e90yyc

oVeRdOsE. Good to know you had success with the R22. Haven’t done much reading on this but did notice no R134a a few years back and did a little googling at the time. Seemed the info was mixed so I’m happy to hear your car didn’t spontaneously combust .

OP: To be clear, going to a shop isn’t your ONLY option—it’s just a matter of whether you actually want to address the issue or just solve the symptoms. Not suggesting you throw endless amounts of money at it, but it may be worth having the system leak tested so at least you know what’s up.

Put another way, I wouldn’t reach straight for the cheapest option as your first resort—but that’s just me.

If the car is not a POS, I wouldn't do it, but in the mean time, internet report is bad, but nobody report issued BASED on mixed refrigerant.
Only review I saw, is the r22 kit didn't worked , but that was because of a major system failure ( compressor) or major leak.

Also those system should run dry on water, so if you refill 100% with this kit, I can see why it wont work.

[marvinstockman]

Cicero, do the replacement cans say they are compatible with R134A?

Is there a 'black market' in Canada for R134A?

What do professional shops use when they recharge a system?

Other than a proportioning problem in the temperature control system, if it is cold, but not cold enough, the problem is usually low refrigerant.

Regarding leaking PAG oil, the leaky oil will usually collect 'dirt' and the area of the leak will be 'dirty'.

On a warm/hot day, and in a fully charged system, the 'cold' low-pressure return line will be cold and sweaty. If you have another vehicle with a properly working AC system, compare the high (should be hot) and low (should be cold) pressure line temps.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by bmwbob89

Have a shop recharge your system or you will never get the correct amount in the system. I've used the cans to add some to all my other cars but the E90 overcharged so fast I was shocked. Then the fan was on full blast and sounded like an airplane coming in. Had it recharged and all was fine. Even if you have to do that every year or two its worth it to have AC.

This is my plan too. Have a trusted AC shop check it every few seasons. $100 well spent to keep cool.

[mainbearing]

I think that is called "Coming to America"!

Pro shops in Canada probably just use R134a. I do not think there is a "drop-in" replacement for R134a, and a reputable shop will not mix refrigerants.

Searching Princess Auto and Canadian Tire for R134a pulled up R12a, which is highly flammable. Strange they even list it.

Originally Posted by marvinstockman

Is there a 'black market' in Canada for R134A?