R129 new evaporator DIY how to refill refrigerant

[R129mine]

My R129 requires a new evaporator

I will have some time at end of August and started to plan out what is requireecc

As and FYI local merc indie quoted £1500 2 years ago.

I read the detailed instructions of several people who have done this in the past and given I have already done some of the work already (remove blower motor, central console and steering wheel) in the past I think I will give this a go.

The only issue I can foresee right now is that I don’t think I can just purchase the refrigerant myself and refill it but this needs to be done by an authorised company / technician.

I guess I could call out a company that does road side refills but the one I used to use is no longer responsive and cannot find anyone reliable at the moment.

And I cannot drive the car to a local aircon place to have it refilled either and don’t want to pay to put it on the back of a trailer either.

Any suggestions how to solve this issue?


Given it will cost me probably between £300 to £500 in parts and tools and a lot of time perhaps I should see if the £1500 quote still stands and bite the bullet but really want to save some money on this as the soft top needs replacing too.

Thanks






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[IanW]

At the risk of sounding less than entirely encouraging, I think this is a non-starter.
1. You will struggle to remove the air from your a/c system before re-filling it with refrigerant (and lubricating oil).
2. You'll need to hold the vacuum for a few minutes to boil off any remaining water/condensation in the system.
3. You'll need to refill the system with a weighted quantity under pressure, to stop the refrigerant evaporating away into the atmosphere.
4. IIRC you need to be licensed to acquire the refrigerant in the first place.
5. Even using the large aerosol refill things won't remove the air/water from the system.

Ian.

 

[Gbrowncls55]

just go to kwikfit £50 pressure test and refill done properly.

 

[Doodle]

What's the obstruction to driving it to the local aircon place?

 

[R129mine]

What's the obstruction to driving it to the local aircon place?

Perhaps there is none. I never really thought properly about putting the steering wheel and airbag back on and drive the car to the aircon place. But that is perfectly doable. Good point.

I contacted the mobile aircon company last night and he has just responded and can help me out so that is good news and my preferred option.

Some options now. Thanks


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[ivan1983]

I'm going to do 1/2 the job on the S and SL.
Bought a vacuum manifold and will be getting a vacuum pump.
I can then dry the system and when I'm happy it can hold a vacuum I will replace the drier and get it re grassed by a professional.

What I haven't figured out is how to get the old pag oil out, apparently it turns acidic when exposed to moisture