Adding A/C to a non A/C VX?!

[smccall]

Originally Posted by 78si

I did my 92 civic SI.. Honda makes it plug and play. Make sure you have all the parts!

How long did it take you to do it?? I found an entire factory air kit for $560 plus shipping. Do you have any instructions on doing this?

[78si]

It took an good afternoon. I dont have any "written" instructions, but I can answer your questions.

[smccall]

ok, I'll keep that in mine when the time comes, thx

[jadziasman]

Gary,

You need a really powerful air compressor to make the"air vac" work. You are better off to get a real vacuum pump to do the job.

[garyhgaryh]

Originally Posted by jadziasman

Gary,

You need a really powerful air compressor to make the"air vac" work. You are better off to get a real vacuum pump to do the job.

How many PSIs? I did research on this and in order for me to pull a decent vacuum, I need to do it when it's HOT.. like over 100deg. I forget the reasoning....

To the canadians: can you guys still get R12?
Gary

[jadziasman]

At least 90 psi with at least 6 cubic feet per minute capacity. The air compressor will need to be fairly big (5 gallon or larger) to deliver a sustained blast of 90 psi.

Heed the advice of someone who has been where you're going. Forget the Air-Vac and get a small rotary vane vacuum pump.

The one I bought was a FJC model 6908. It is a single stage pump with 1.5 cubic feet per minute "suction". It does the job and only cost $99 plus shipping.

As to the ambient outside temperature "needed" to draw a deep vacuum. A strong vacuum can evaporate and pull out the water in the A/C lines regardless of the outside temp since the volume of air in the Civic system is relatively small (PV=nRT). Higher outside temperatures make it easier to draw a vacuum with a less powerful vacuum source (like that Venturi air vac you want to use). My FJC vacuum pump worked fine and it was only 50?F outside when I originally worked on mine in April 2006.

As I mentioned earlier, get the proper tool for the job and make it easier on yourself - especially since you have not done the job before. But as many have said YMMV.

[garyhgaryh]

I have a 20gallon tank. Yeah, I will look into the rotary vacuum pump.
Where can I get one at that price?

Thanks,
Gary

Originally Posted by jadziasman

At least 90 psi with at least 6 cubic feet per minute capacity. The air compressor will need to be fairly big (5 gallon or larger) to deliver a sustained blast of 90 psi.

Heed the advice of someone who has been where you're going. Forget the Air-Vac and get a small rotary vane vacuum pump.

The one I bought was a FJC model 6908. It is a single stage pump with 1.5 cubic feet per minute "suction". It does the job and only cost $99 plus shipping.

As to the ambient outside temperature "needed" to draw a deep vacuum. A strong vacuum can evaporate and pull out the water in the A/C lines regardless of the outside temp since the volume of air in the Civic system is relatively small (PV=nRT). Higher outside temperatures make it easier to draw a vacuum with a less powerful vacuum source (like that Venturi air vac you want to use). My FJC vacuum pump worked fine and it was only 50?F outside when I originally worked on mine in April 2006.

As I mentioned earlier, get the proper tool for the job and make it easier on yourself - especially since you have not done the job before. But as many have said YMMV.

[jadziasman]

Just take the mfg & model # FJC 6908 and do a search on Google or yahoo. I bought this pump from an internet seller - not ebay as I recall anyway. You should be able to get one for no more than $125 still. Not many rental places carry these but you might get lucky find one to rent.

[StorminMatt]

Originally Posted by Gary Palmer

You can use R134 in an R12 system, but you would be better served if you got the parts off of a car that has R134 on it.

Excellent point. You CAN use R134a in system designed for R12. But you will inevitably end up with a poorly performing A/C if you do. So if you DON'T want to deal with trying to obtain R12, it is best to find a system that was designed to use R134a.

As for retrofitting a Civic without A/C, I have found this to be quite an easy affair. From my experience, everything is pretty much plug-and-play when it comes to installing a FACTORY A/C on a car that did not come with A/C wen new. The same probably cannot be said about aftermarket units.

[mrmad]

Originally Posted by StorminMatt

Excellent point. You CAN use R134a in system designed for R12. But you will inevitably end up with a poorly performing A/C if you do. So if you DON'T want to deal with trying to obtain R12, it is best to find a system that was designed to use R134a.

As for retrofitting a Civic without A/C, I have found this to be quite an easy affair. From my experience, everything is pretty much plug-and-play when it comes to installing a FACTORY A/C on a car that did not come with A/C wen new. The same probably cannot be said about aftermarket units.

I converted the Nissan I had and it was working fine when I sold it 2 years later. I converted the wife's 4runner at the same time and 4 years later the AC is still cold. Neither produced cold air as well as they were with R12, but they are cold enough.