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Removing A/C plumbing
The Black Flash - 15/9/08 at 09:56 PM

Hi all,

I'm removing the engine from a donor car (alfa 164 v6), and there's rather a lot of air con plumbing in the way.

Anyone know anything about draining an a/c system? Am I going to poison myself horribly, or is it just an "open the plug, stand well back and don't breath the fumes" job?

Thought I'd ask before I do anything stupid

theconrodkid - 15/9/08 at 10:10 PM

my A/C bloke used to push a screwdriver into the schrader valve and let it all flood out,bets to wear goggles me thinks

omega 24 v6 - 15/9/08 at 10:12 PM

Well as usual there are rules and regs about colecting the old refrigerant before dismantling the system. Also you need to be aware that in liquid form the stuff will freeze your skin instantly (V dangerous) so if you are gonna tackle it yourself then thick gloves and mucho ventilation are the order of the day. Do it ouside as the gas displaces air and will cause asphixiation in an enclosed space. Or get a specialist firm to reclaim it for you to be totally safe.
The fact that you need to ask about it would make me recommend the later to be safe actually. Shouldn't cost too much.

blakep82 - 15/9/08 at 10:25 PM

or leave it there and work around it should the angle grinder accidentally slip through a A/C hose.... lol

nooooo, get it depressuised properly. i cut the hoses on my old car when i took the engine out, but the car hadn't turned a wheel in about 5 years by that time, and the a/c hadn't worked for about 5 years before that. there wasn't any gas left in it anyway

Avoneer - 15/9/08 at 11:01 PM

And it's very illegal if you get caught!

If it is old though, all the gas may have leaked out already ;-)

Pat...

Mr Whippy - 16/9/08 at 07:11 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Avoneer
And it's very illegal if you get caught!

If it is old though, all the gas may have leaked out already ;-)

Pat...


I'd guess there'd be a slight lack of evidence, hell I'd burst it just to see what happens!

andyharding - 16/9/08 at 08:10 AM

Can't be that bad as it all comes out in a crash if the radiator gets burst...

The Black Flash - 16/9/08 at 08:15 AM

Cheers all, I'll see what it costs to get it disposed of properly I guess.

dinosaurjuice - 7/10/08 at 06:13 PM

quote:
Originally posted by andyharding
Can't be that bad as it all comes out in a crash if the radiator gets burst...


because of this new-ish cars use different gas (from what ive heard), its still illegal to PURPOSEFULLY vent it off...unfortunately i slipped with a hacksaw when stripping my donor. (2004 c-max)

NS Dev - 14/10/08 at 06:01 PM

hacksaw slip is the answer, just keep your hands away from it to avoid any freeze burns (have gloves on! ) and don't breathe too much of it, but it won't kill you or anything.

mr henderson - 14/10/08 at 06:28 PM

Should be possible to remove the engine without touching the AC. Just undo the pump from the engine and tie it out of the way

John

aerosam - 2/11/08 at 01:14 PM

I just cracked open the unions on the refilling valves to check if there was any gas left in mine, I forgot to do them back up and left the garage to go make a cuppa. By the time I realised my mistake the gas had all leaked away! Bugger!