Mazda Rotary Club

Cars by Model Type => 3rd generation RX-7's => Topic started by: SupraZed on March 17, 2008, 05:52:04 PM

Title: DIY Aircon RE-Gas advice
Post by: SupraZed on March 17, 2008, 05:52:04 PM
Has anyone used the aerosols, like you can by from Halfrauds, to re-gas their air con, RX-7 or any other car.

My FD is a \'96 and therefore uses the newer R134a gas as opposed to thre R12, this is also confirmed by  a sticker under the bonnet that says R134a in larger letters.

When the aircon is switched on you can clearly hear the compressor kick in so hopefully all the bits are working ok.

I\'m thinking about regassing it myself, from previous research I believe the system on the FD holds 600g of refrigerant and I can see the ports under the bonnet where the system would be re-filled from.

Just wanted to know if there are any specific gotchas that I should be aware of or any other advice that anyone may have.

Thanks.
Title: DIY Aircon RE-Gas advice
Post by: RemarkLima on March 17, 2008, 06:03:29 PM
How much are they? The reason I ask is that I think mine was ~£40 to get regassed by a dude with all the kit who even turned up at my house! Can\'t say fairer than that :D
Title: DIY Aircon RE-Gas advice
Post by: SupraZed on March 17, 2008, 06:32:24 PM
That\'s a really good price, most places ask closer to £70 and you have to go to them.

To be honest, I think there may be a leak in the system and if there is I don\'t want to pay £60-£70 only for the gas to be lost.

Cheers.
Title: DIY Aircon RE-Gas advice
Post by: Timmy on March 17, 2008, 09:17:31 PM
I\'ve found a full aircon service is about £60-70 this means de fungisiving (don\'t know the real term so i thought i\'d make one up) the system and regassing this will get ris of smells ect.. I would imagine £40 is just to regas. Anyway the point is for that kind of money you may aswell get it done by a professional.
Title: DIY Aircon RE-Gas advice
Post by: chrno on March 17, 2008, 11:10:03 PM
Hehe, I guess you lads are happy to not live in Sweden. A legal regass is somewhere in the vincinity of  Â£500  If you do it sneaky it\'s around  Â£200
Title: DIY Aircon RE-Gas advice
Post by: Nik da Greek on March 17, 2008, 11:40:36 PM
If you think there\'s a leak in the system, put a vaccum into the system and see if it holds. If it does, there\'s a fair chance it\'d also hold under pressure, and you\'re more likely to be able to get hold of a vacc pump cheap than an aircon gasser (a brake bleed pump, maybe?). The older gas was a lot better because even when it ran down to very low levels, it kept the system lubricated, just very nasty environmentally. The newer gas doesn\'t leave such useful residue, so if yours hasn\'t been working for a long time, chances are the gas is gone, taking the lube with it and the system is fubar. Old, out-of-sorts aircons are a nightmare, you spend loads of time and money chasing faults around, fixing them, only for the next thing in line to blow up. Get a professional assessment, it may save a fortune in the long run
Title: DIY Aircon RE-Gas advice
Post by: SupraZed on March 18, 2008, 12:21:40 AM
Quote from: chrnoHehe, I guess you lads are happy to not live in Sweden. A legal regass is somewhere in the vincinity of  Â£500  If you do it sneaky it\'s around  Â£200

Unbeleivable, it would be cheaper to drive to the uk to get it done, and you\'d probably still have money left over!
Title: DIY Aircon RE-Gas advice
Post by: batman on March 18, 2008, 08:32:03 AM
there are some companies that regas for cheap these days to do it properly your supose to have the old stuff removed safely then new put in ...
and im not sure halfruads cans have the right end caps to fit the rx7s my amimeya s air con had the wrong sized connections ???