DIY R1234yf Conversion To R134a How To Recharge AC Refrigerant On 10th Gen Honda Civic AC Fix Part 2 

Hey! Thanks for commenting. Wishing you luck and glad you found these videos to save money during these hard times. Let me know if you have any questions during the process.

@@Sals_Garage will do. Thanks again.

@@Yore0 anytime! Good luck 👍

@@Yore0 did you end up doing it? I'm having the same issue and debating what to do.

Hearing this makes me so happy. Thanks for sharing and glad you have cold air for the summer 🙌

Did u have the 2.0L engine and if so where did u get ur compressor all the ones I can find online have bad reviews and I don't want to end up with no ac again any response is appreciated thank you

@@-tht1guy999 I bought an R&Y brand reman compressor but I did put 1234yf back in mine.

@@johnathancooper6303 I was gonna go with them I looked them up but they had nothing but bad reviews lmk how it is plz thanks u so much for ur response

Can i have your whatsapp number i have big issue i need to know i can use 1234a or no

Thank you so much. Love you lots.

❤❤❤❤❤

Thanks! We are very happy so far.

Awesome job! Thank you for sharing your tips and experience. I didn't know the SI was so different.

For the Si, You didn't by chance take any video of this or happen to know what all needs to come off to gain access do you? I'm looking to replace my full AC System this fall (when it's cooler to work on the car outside) and would love to know what I'm getting into..

@@joserivera1054 any time. Happy to help good luck 👍

So grateful for your help on this project wifey.

Anytime! Thanks for the comment!

Thanks man! Very satisfied so far with the results.

Thanks so much for the comment and advice 🙏

@@Sals_Garage You're welcome! I also wanted to comment that you were WAY out of your comfort zone and it was visible. Great on you to try and share your project with us. This shows guts and tenacity buddy! Keep the videos coming!!

Thanks for noticing. Glad me and the wife were able to fix our AC just in time for summer. Almost a year later and its still running strong

Thanks Henry! I like to fix things but I dislike detailing. I’ll need your help for that 😂

@@Sals_Garage haha I do like washing cars

@@henrylen me too! I used to wash my car almost everyday! Liquid Soap---Snow Foam---Rinse---Wax---Rinse again then hand dry the car with wheel cleaner and tire dressing.

@@henrylen glad I met someone that does 😆

@@CarlsGarage1 Nice work Carl. That sounds like a long process to me. I get bored quick when washing my car lol.

It had oil in it already so I drained it out and used oil compatible with R134a.

Anytime. Thank you for the comment!

Yea they tend to be prone to leaking issues more than R134a

Thanks! I found it on a Civic forum a long time ago so difficult to find the information now. Good luck 👍

Yes, 3 years later and still blowing cold. I only replaced the compressor since it was leaking again.

I have all the things you need to buy in the description in this video and in my compressor replacement video

The blue line was already under vacuum for a few hours and that line was closed when the yellow line was disconnected.

Good tips! Thanks 👍

@ryantaylor4116 Thanks so much for your tip about adding refrigerant to the high side first. I couldn't get my system to charge till I did that!

Thanks three years later, and it is still blowing cold. Very happy with it considering the cost.

Thanks for sharing!

You’re welcome!

Thanks so much for the comment! Here is the temperature pressure chart I used, but there are many found on the internet: www.acprocold.com/faq/r-134a-system-pressure-chart/

Yes 👍

Nice. Just to be safe I drained out the old oil and added the right amount for peace of mind. Good luck 👍

Hi Ride on - were you able to fix it on your own? I'm having the same issue and literally have zero knowledge to start with

Still works great to this day, more reliable than the stock setup. Good luck 👍

Yes, worked for me as well.

Ideally you don’t want to mix the two, have a shop discharge the old Freon then you can vacuum the rest out with a vacuum pump.

I used Pag 46 compressor oil. The OEM honda compressor oil for 1234yf is only available from honda dealership.

Here you go: amzn.to/3UqnVcU

Compressor can be used but change the oil to pag46 for compatibility

Just change out the desiccant dryer filter and use the proper compressor oil for 134 (pag46)

@@Sals_Garage would that be considered the same oil you used to put into the compressor?

No issues after three years still blowing cold.

1 filter, amzn.to/3Qeaiwp 2 cans of refrigerant: amzn.to/4b4uDvY

Still blowing cold and very reliable

Yea, I just did that off camera. Thanks for the comment and advice.

@@Sals_Garage I am new to this stuff and have a question. When attaching the hoses to the gauges and fittings does it matter which way? Each hose is different on each end when looking inside. One end is open the other has a little metal tab in the middle. Thank you

I believe the one with the metal tab in the middle goes to the gauges. That’s what I did.

@@Sals_Garage thanks Sal

Anytime. Good luck 👍

I changed the desiccant filter but not the expansion valve which is hard to access.

Map Rey I don’t have a definitive answer. I suggest replacing all the oil with compatible 134a oil. I used pag 46 as seen on my compressor change video. Good luck 👍

Thank you so much!

In part 1 the Freon was evacuated at a shop.

Thanks for the tip!

It still needs to be evacuated since there is a lot of pressure still in there. I paid a friend $30 for evacuating the lines.

I didn’t change the expansion valve three years later it still blowing cold

Hi Kay - curious to know what you end up doing? I'm having the same issue(first time) and don't really know what to do and the dealership wants to charge $1600 for it

@@vamshikalva1594 just follow the two videos and buy the items linked in the description. Good luck 👍

Hi. there is a Schrader valve in the center of the gauge faces for purging air out until refrigerant starts to blow out. Only needs a split second of air released. Good luck 👍

Regardless, could I leave the vacuum line disconnected (before adding dye or compressor oil) & open the low side in order to vent any air in the system & then close the vacuum line, add dye/compressor oil & move along? I bought the exact same vacuum set you mention & I'm not seeing what you could have been doing with your flat head screwdriver at the manifold.

@@Sals_Garage Thanks, I'll take another look at it.

When you release the cap you will see a little pin. I pushed that with the screw driver and air was released.

@@Sals_Garage Again, thank you Sal. I assume that you removed the gold "knob" from the vacuum line on the manifold & used your screw driver to push down on the Schrader valve?

Hi! Put some drops in through the low pressure port when you recharge the Freon 👍

@@Sals_Garage Thank you brother! What time dye drops do you recommend from amazon? Not really familiar with haha. I really don’t want to waste on either it being the AC compressor or Condenser. Salamat!

Anytime! I used this dye drop: amzn.to/3giByr4 Also bought these: amzn.to/3om46V3

@@Sals_Garage Definitely will check it out. Thank you once again 💪🏽

@@ALASBEATZ you’re welcome! Good luck 👍

Just the oil.

My concern was that Honda uses POE oil, instead of PAG oil. I don’t want to mess something up by mixing the 2 oils in the compressor / system.

@@Josh-yf9dw you’ll need to vacuum out all the old oil and refrigerant to start fresh without mixing.

I wanted to do it because it has been more reliable. No issues so far.

You didnt replace the ac condensor? Any problems to date with the switch back to R1234a?@@Sals_Garage

@@andyyepez7893 dealership replaced the condenser before. This is my third compressor and so far it’s been reliable ever since switching to R134a

Thanks, 3 months later and still blowing cold! So grateful during this hot summer.

Still blowing cold 2 years later. Best decision I made for our Civic.

Do you have to replace ac condenser to do conversion to 134a or you need to replace it because of leak? I wonder if original one can be used as well.

@@Tahoe0512He said he had his system evacuated and the only thing required for the conversion is the oil and the refrigerant itself. The original condenser might leak because of defects though.

Thanks for sharing!

We did not. Still going strong over a yea later 💪

No, you’ll need compatible oil

@@mayasergio13 no issues 3 years later. More reliable than original setup

@@Sals_Garage I bet it was, had so many components on my a/c replaced because of the oem refrigerant. Wondering if a shop would be willing to do this for me 🤔. Good to hear you found a solution though 🙏🏻

@@mayasergio13 good luck! You got this

It’s compatible with both. Haven’t heard that yet, hope it works for you. Good luck 👍

@@Sals_Garage did you put the same amount of refrigerant 134a in your car that the car requires for 1234yf? I heard you need less because 134a is more dense?

@@garnetvertican8179 we put a little less to be safe, used the recommended ambient temp chart in the video.

3 years later still blowing cold and more reliable than ever.

No just change the compressor oil. 👍

@@Sals_Garage oh . . . just oil. . .

Hope you can get your issue fixed soon.

Our 2017 civic is also having cooling issues. Seems to be a common problem.

Ended up in the same situation today. Honda replaced the condenser for free but quoted me $1700 for the compressor and the local mechanic $800. Looks like there still isn't any guarantee that it would get fixed. What did you finally end up doing? I'm curious to know

3 years later and still blowing cold. Much more reliable than I ever experienced with OEM headaches.

@@Sals_Garage I’m at the shop right now to evac my system. I will be doing the same thing with filling with r134a.

@@d0mochi good luck 👍

Anytime!

Replacement is recommended

@@Sals_Garage thanks.

@@danielcruzcordova3177 anytime 👍

Sorry to hear. Most shops won’t do the conversion because legality concerns so you’ll have to do it yourself.

@@Sals_Garage I see ok. Would you still recommend doing it? Cuz it looks like people are running into the same issues again and having to get their compressor replaced 2-3 times. How's yours running so far?

@@vamshikalva1594 I recommended doing it because it is more reliable. 3 years later and AC still blows cold without leaks.

@@Sals_Garage thank you. Are you for sure blaming the refrigerant to be the culprit behind all the condenser and compressor issues? Secondly, I'm almost inclined to do all the stuff on my own. I literally have zero experience in cars. Could you tell where you ordered the parts and all that I would need and the best place to get them?

Yes I’m sure. Parts needed are in the description.

After installing a new one. System was empty.

@@Sals_Garage thank you.

@@money58610 anytime good luck 👍

Still going strong over a year later. Very happy with the results.

Awesome!

Yes, the oil is different though

Awesome tips! Thanks for the feedback 👍

Do not usesubcool or superheat on mvac. The idle changes too much to be accurate. Weigh in the charge.

I changed the compressor because it was leaking. Good luck 👍

@@Sals_Garage I found a TSB from Honda last night that the condenser is covered for 10 years now, going to try and get it serviced, if that's not the cause then we will still have to give this a try!

@@triptheroad good idea. You will need to pay a diagnostic fee for Honda to check still. Here in the Bay Area, Honda wanted $495 to diagnose the issue. If it’s the condenser then you get refunded, but anything else then you won’t get the money back.

@@Sals_Garage damn I know mechanics get screwed on diagnostics, but that's a high fee to put some dye and pressure in the system

@@Sals_Garage luckily our local dealership here in Fredericksburg VA didn't charge the diagnostic at all, they said they've seen so many come through with the issue that they aren't even asking questions 😂

Very satisfied so far. 3 months without issue, blowing ice cold in the hot Cali weather. Good luck 👍

What in the he'll is the reason to take a better colder refrigerant and replace it with one that is not as good.? Makes totally no sense other then the massive price difference... why not just use air duster? (R152a) which is just as cold or colder then R12 and is like 8 bucks for a 4 pack of air duster at Walmart

@@jamesduffey4442 cheaper, more reliable, cools just as good as factory. Months later no issues. Can’t say the same about 1234yf on the civic, which always leaks for me (3 times).

Yes still going strong almost 3 years now. Very happy with reliability vs stock.

@@Sals_Garage that is good to hear. I just noticed that my salvage 2019 mustang that I am rebuilding had the r1234yf. It look me a minute to realize why my a/c manifold connectors were not working.

@@sonofahyderite6855 It’s not only more reliable but cheaper to buy as well (r134a) good luck 👍

I hope you figure it out soon. Good luck 👍

Hola, soy de mexicali baja california mexico, se carga de entre 35 a 45 psig lado de baja presion. Saludos

Awesome to hear! Glad my video helped someone out! My AC is still running strong!

Yes still the same 1 year later. Can’t say the stock AC system was as reliable.

So this is possible to fully vacuum all of the oil and Freon from r1234y from the a/c components and fill new pag oil and R134a? I have a 2016 civic and this new A/c Freon just doesn’t last :(

That new Freon is expensive!!

@@ariesr4883 so far it has been going well. I recommend it but do at your own risk.

@@ariesr4883 yes, $500 for recharge of Freon is expensive!

10x cheaper and more reliable than the newer refrigerant. 1234yf always leaks for some reason.

@@Sals_Garage My 2018 JL uses 1234yf and it doesn't blow COLD, even on 70s humid days. It blows cool, but it sucks in the summer since you have to basically blast it. The refrigerant is still expensive too.

@@DriftHyena yea Honda’s new refrigerant is so expensive and unreliable

I know right! It is HOT today.

Still going strong 💪

@@Sals_Garage nice, our 17 civic AC system is not working again, honda dealer replaced the AC condenser a few years ago, it fail this past August, took the vehicle to a mechanic in September, they said it had no freon. Had them recharge the AC system, they added dye but found no leaks. Now it's not working again. Wife wants to sell it now☹️

@@12345nope12345 try refilling with 134a for better reliability

@@Sals_Garage gonna try that

@@12345nope12345 good luck 👍

Depends on the ambient temperatures. I put 35 psi on the low side at 65 degrees Fahrenheit ambient temp.

@@Sals_Garage Thnx bro!

@@farhansami926 anytime! Good luck 👍

Honda really should address the entire AC system. I even heard of some others with evaporator core leaks which is a pain to diagnosis and repair. For your case I would really try and fight with Honda to get them to fix the issue. Good luck 👍

Ended up in the same situation today. Honda replaced the condenser for free but quoted me $1700 for the compressor and the local mechanic $800. Looks like there still isn't any guarantee that it would get fixed. What did you finally end up doing? I'm curious to know

Still blowing cold, much more reliable than stock.

30 min.

Thanks for the tip 🙏

@@Sals_Garage You are welcome. Charging of high side pressures are usually done by taking ambient temperature( surrounding temperature) in degrees F, adding 32 to it and converting that temperature to corresponding gas pressure for the type of refrigerant used. That will now become your discharge or high side pressure. Charging is done while running engine to 1500 rpm and charging is stopped at that time, cool air temperature is taken to ensure Thermostatic expansion valve on the cooling side is working ok, temp will be close to 0 degrees C. The real cooling is experienced while car is moving as you have ram air also passing through the condenser located in front of the radiator. On idling only the fan may run if engine is hot but the test run will confirm everything for you. Good luck and I hope the above helps, years of experience. Go over all disturbed joints using leak detection fluid ( soapy solution) but formulated to prevent corrosion on pipes and there you have it.

@@Sals_Garage Dyes, a word of caution, a lot of manufacturers don't recommend it, if you have fitted a new compressor, confirmed no leaks then why use it? Dyes are flourocent, requires a UV light to identify due presence for leaks. If it's a profession then fine but otherwise leave matters simple.Fittings need cleaning after injection or it will be confusing for you or the next person and there are sniffers that sense leakage but suitable only if you do it as a profession, vacuum is ok on gauges but there is a torr gauge measuring minute vacuum, again out of scope for DIY.

Charging refrigerant R134a it's preferable to charge as vapour instead of liquid, though blends have to be charged as liquid in order to get the correct cocktail or mix of components.

@@pankajmakwana2300 Good tips for the avg DIYer. Thanks!

Yes 👍

@@Sals_Garage thank you!! I will try it, i just bought a new AC compressor and want to do the conversion

@@AlanL28 awesome! Good luck!

This was part two. Part one was changing the compressor and the oil

I went back and watched it. Was that aftermarket compressor specifically a 134 compressor cause it didn't mention anything about yf to 134. Or did you just replace the compressor cause it was bad and just charged it with 134?

@@jarredallen2016 I replaced the original broken compressor with a new one and converted the refrigerant. No issues so far.

@@Sals_Garage ok. I'm just trying to see exactly what a "conversion" is. To I'd think that conversion means replacing certain yf OE parts with 134 aftermarket parts. But in reality, a "conversion" is just removing all the yf and charging with 134?

@@jarredallen2016 correct 👍

Thanks Sauce.

Thanks, it helps offset my boring voice. 👍

Yea I don’t understand why Honda doesn’t acknowledge that other parts besides the condenser are problematic as well. The evaporator, compressor, condenser, and various lines can leak and it’s been attributed to the poor sealing quality with 1234yf. Hope you can get your issue fixed soon. I switched to 134-a for better reliability. So far so good. You can also use compressed air to fill up as refrigerant I heard.

@@Sals_Garage I just bought the car from Carmax March of this year. Luckily I did pay extra for their extended warranty and accordingly to Carmax all I have to pay is 50$ for repairs. I have 100,000 miles to get this ac issue figured out. I wonder if consumers are able to push lemon law on the New Car Dealerships for this issue. I know it will suck but as far as I know in Virginia if the same problem is repaired 3 time within 2 years the Dealership is responsible. Maybe it won't matter because Honda is a big enough of a corporation and this problem isn't affecting enough of the 'little man'.

@@miked8156 it’s been so hot this summer that we just wanted to fix it and not have to wait so long for Honda to do something about it if ever. I’m glad you have the extended warranty from car max. Good decision for AC at least it will pay for itself. The rest of the car has been very reliable.

1234yf sucks, my GF has a 2017 civic and we are having the same exact issue now. Of course the car is probably out of warranty now so we are looking at options as the refrigerant is expensive and not as good as 134 in performance. No wonder the used car market is insane, nobody wants to deal with all these new mandated inconveniences.

@@triptheroad If it were me I would research and buy an extended warranty. The Honda warranty has run out on my car but since I bought mine through carmax I went ahead and purchased their extended warranty. I think I paid $1700 for the warranty and in less than a year I have had $1900 worth of warranty work done through carmax.

Still blowing cold 1 year later. Very satisfied

@@Sals_Garage my civic is rebuilt title so it isn't covered on any warranty, this may be my best bet.

@@ohsnapzitzmeng yea go for it! Nothing to lose really.

None yet 👍

Thanks for the tip. As a beginner I appreciate it.

All good, just drain it out and try again. Good luck 👍

Sad reality. In California, gasoline cars will be banned by 2035

@@Sals_Garage phasing out something should be done slowly over the course of decades, so that it makes it a lot easier for the market to build upon a new infrastructure for it and allow people to become adapted to it. EV technology is great and all, but I don't think we are there just yet for it to become mainstream. If I can fill up an EV as fast as I could my gas car on empty to full, and if I was guaranteed a 400+ mile range. Ontop of the battery lasting 15+ years, then I'm sold on EV, but who knows when that will ever be accomplished. I'm a fan of hydrogen, it just makes more sense. Especially from an environmental standpoint where the cost of making energy for a bunch of EV vehicles has to come from somewhere. And that somewhere is at the expense of power plants to produce all that energy for 100's millions of EVs, that will be on the road in the future. Most of out power plants in the USA run off fossil fuel. So, I don't see how EVs are going to be better for the environment, when you're going to have all of these fossil fuel power plants having to produce more energy to power EV stations and EV cars in the future.

It’s been a year so far since I have done this fix and the AC is still blowing cold and more reliable than the stock refrigerant which would have leaked out by now.

@@Sals_Garage that gives me hope and says screw what others say

@@ct0760 happy to help 😊

@@Sals_Garage although I have to say my compressor failed again 18 months after the replacement so that may be another milestone 🤷‍♂️

@@ct0760 mine did too that’s why I did it myself this time.

Thanks for the tip!

Eric the car guy says you turn until you see the needle move. Schrader valves can get damaged on some cars if you turn all the way down.

@@69ztang Thanks man.

Yes, unfortunately this only covers the condenser, not the compressor. Honda denied my warranty so I fixed it myself.

@Joel Loeffler The a/c system in these cars are faulty from top to bottom. Next time you need it repaired, and there WILL be a next time, they'll likely tell you the compressor is gone as well and will charge you $1700...

Not only does it only cover the condenser, they will find any reason under the sun to not do it. In my case it was because despite it having a hole in the condenser they didn't believe it was my primary issue

It’s a 1.5L turchocharged petrol engine.

Yea Honda is being very greedy about fixing this problem.

Got it

The government forcing this new AC system under the name of "climate change" is the real crime.

Thank you for posting this. I pinned this comment so everyone else can see it. Another thing I did was removed the 1234yf sticker on the hood and wrote down 134a so that anyone in the future who needs to service the AC is aware.

@@Sals_Garage It does not matter that you took off the sticker and wrote down R134 Refrigerant is now covered under the federal clean air act with a federal government it is considered a emissions gas just like the exhaust emissions from your tail pipe of your engine. Just like tampering with your EGR or your catalytic converter is now considered a federal offense tampering with a mission systems refrigerant gas is now covered under the same loss you are not allowed to reverse retrofit refrigerant anymore. It’s a $44,000 fine in any and every shop should and will turn down any retrofitted system for service. And it’s not just the aspect of a warranty the oils are different the refrigerant charge quantities are different in the operating properties of the different refrigerants are a little different so any failure to a compressor that burns them out is very expensive to repair on today’s cars Let’s take for example a Prius prime with a heat pump AC system or a volts wagon or a Audi or a Mercedes Benz with a heat pump air conditioning system If you burn out those AC compressors and litter the system with burnt oil and metal flakes from retrofitting it backwards to R1234 To R 134 The component replacement that is necessary condenser expansion valve flush all system accumulators all still annoyed valves lines and actuators three-way valves and electronica expansion valves would all be required to be replace the bill greatly exceeds $8000 to fix such a problem caused by somebody reverse retrofitting refrigerant gas. Compared to saving a couple hundred dollars on the initial cost of the refrigerant gas in the first place

@@coldfinger459sub0 thanks for the detailed explanation. At this point there is no going back so I’ll just update you all if any problems arise.

@@Sals_Garage there’s a little education it’s only a tiny bit but it gives you some insight of the bigger picture ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MOfqkDFANSA.html This is from MACS mobile air-conditioning society this is there a webinar on taking your 609 refrigerant certification test I give you an insight on just some of the little laws rules and regulations when dealing with refrigerant. I think the one thing they leave out because right now it’s only Kalifornia specific any shop doing any kind of refrigeration in Automotive from the Bureau of Automotive repair in California the shop must have a refrigerant identifier and must identify first the refrigerant in the vehicle to make sure it is pure and clean and the correct refrigerant and this report is to be copied and go with the invoice or service order for the EPA rules laws and regulations and the Bureau of Automotive repair in California A good refrigerant identifier will run you somewhere around $3000

@@coldfinger459sub0 Thanks for the knowledge. I will check out that video once I get off work. Take care.

The older refrigerant is still going strong. More reliable than the new one.

@@Sals_Garage sounds good but it is illegal to replace r1234yf. 🤷🏻‍♂️

@@Stockbadger correct 👍

It may be illegal but they ain’t payin to fix our cars everytime it shits out so fuck em just got quoted $4000 this is the second time this has gone out I’m doin this switching back to 134a

@@flipposgarage I agree with ya. Old refrigerant is so much more reliable

Thanks for the advice. We switched back to 1234yf at this time thanks to your recommendation. 👍

It’s not a crime if no one knows. 😅🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@@Sals_Garage did you switch it back? I thought you said you kept the r134a and is still running strong?!

@@vamshikalva1594 I was just telling them that to make them happy. I didn’t switch it back.

I did what I had to do since Honda doesn’t want to address the problem