Honda Jazz - Baffled by DIY AC connectors - advice appreciated

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Wed 2 Sep 2020 11:49
Honda Jazz - Baffled by DIY AC connectors - advice appreciated - PaddyODawes

After I'd paid £50 to get my AC topped up, and seen how easy it was - basically easier than pumping up a bike tyre, I thought, ho ho - I decided to get the necessary gas & hose and do it myself next time. Which looked to be going fine, until I discovered that the (male) thread on the can doesn't engage with the thread on the hose. It's *really* close - both look to be 1/2", and to look at them you'd swear they're a perfect match...but they won't connect.

The can's a bog standard R134a can, as far as I can see (about the size of a coke can, with a threaded stub in the top) and the hose is just one of a gazillion listed on ebay/amazon, with a pressure gauge and a fitting on one end that *does* fit the connector on the car, and one on the other that looks like it should fit the can - but doesn't. Thanks if you can offer any ideas/suggestions/enlightenment.

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Wed 2 Sep 2020 12:29
Honda Jazz - Baffled by DIY AC connectors - advice appreciated - Gibbo_Wirral

There's more to an aircon regas than just filling it up. Most places do a pressure check first to make sure the system is working OK and can actually safely take a regas.

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Wed 2 Sep 2020 13:18
Honda Jazz - Baffled by DIY AC connectors - advice appreciated - elekie&a/c doctor
These gas-me-quick canisters are not the way to recharge an ac system . The threaded hose and fittings could be anything , there’s no standard. Also, are you sure the gas can is r134a, ? Because a lot of aren’t . In addition, for the ac to work efficiently, the System needs evacuating and charging with the correct amount of oil and gas . None of which can be done with a quick fill can .
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Wed 2 Sep 2020 17:46
Honda Jazz - Baffled by DIY AC connectors - advice appreciated - Galaxy

Death Cans!

If you connect one to the wrong side of the aircon it could cause your death!

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Wed 2 Sep 2020 22:20
Honda Jazz - Baffled by DIY AC connectors - advice appreciated - Railroad.

The system will not work correctly if it's overcharged or undercharged, and damage can occur to the components. Also the system must by properly vacuumed to remove moisture if you want it to have any chance of working efficiently. It may have looked easy to you, but correctly recharging an air conditioning system is definitely not a DIY job. Do yourself and your car a favour and have it done by someone who's qualified and knows what he's doing.

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Thu 3 Sep 2020 10:50
Honda Jazz - Baffled by DIY AC connectors - advice appreciated - PaddyODawes

Wow - no-one's terribly keen on DIY, are they!

First, well, yes, I'm sure it's the right stuff - says so on the can. I know which is the right connection, so I won't kill myself. As for vacuuming and the like, I don't need that. I'm only proposing to do exactly what the guy from Halfords did - connect a can, gas till the needle goes into the green zone, disconnect.

I really can't see why this should cause so much brow-furrowing. Maybe doing the full monte is a big deal, but topping up from a hi-pressure can definitely isn't. I watched the entire process, from start to finish, and it was simple. It was like watching someone pump up a bicycle tyre, except a bit less physical effort. And then handing over £50, for two minutes & a squirt of gas. Still baffled....but ever hopeful.

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Thu 3 Sep 2020 11:33
Honda Jazz - Baffled by DIY AC connectors - advice appreciated - elekie&a/c doctor
Please don’t get me wrong, I’m all for diy , on some jobs . I’ve spent over 10 k on tools equipment and training to obtain my F gas certificate for gas handling to do the job properly. I feel totally gutted now . I could have gone out and bought a can of easy puff for £50 or less and done the job that way . So please tell me how much gas is now in the system ??

Edited by elekie&a/c doctor on 03/09/2020 at 11:34

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Thu 3 Sep 2020 18:31
Honda Jazz - Baffled by DIY AC connectors - advice appreciated - Railroad.
Please don’t get me wrong, I’m all for diy , on some jobs . I’ve spent over 10 k on tools equipment and training to obtain my F gas certificate for gas handling to do the job properly. I feel totally gutted now . I could have gone out and bought a can of easy puff for £50 or less and done the job that way . So please tell me how much gas is now in the system ??

Exactly. I'm also qualified in the safe handling of refrigerant gas and the evacuation and recharging of automotive air conditioning systems. Makes me wonder why I bothered.

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Thu 3 Sep 2020 14:41
Honda Jazz - Baffled by DIY AC connectors - advice appreciated - RT

Wow - no-one's terribly keen on DIY, are they!

First, well, yes, I'm sure it's the right stuff - says so on the can. I know which is the right connection, so I won't kill myself. As for vacuuming and the like, I don't need that. I'm only proposing to do exactly what the guy from Halfords did - connect a can, gas till the needle goes into the green zone, disconnect.

I really can't see why this should cause so much brow-furrowing. Maybe doing the full monte is a big deal, but topping up from a hi-pressure can definitely isn't. I watched the entire process, from start to finish, and it was simple. It was like watching someone pump up a bicycle tyre, except a bit less physical effort. And then handing over £50, for two minutes & a squirt of gas. Still baffled....but ever hopeful.

In practice you can't legally DIY air con - the gas in the system has to be recovered and disposed of commercially, there's no DIY equipment to do that.

The idea that you can ignore leaks just by pumping more gas in is a nonsense.

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