I accidently removed my A/C lines to take out my radiator and I didn't know about Freon since it was my first job on a radiator. Anyways, Freon came out of the car and I use R-1234yf refrigerant and I don't know if I can just vacuum out my system and add new refrigerant. Or if I to go to the dealership to pay a lot to get it evacuated and the new refrigerant is expensive and told me it would be $500 to recharge it. I have watched your video on how to recharge a system and have found the tools I need. Any help would be nice thanks!
If you're not real familiar with working on AC it would be best to have a shop recharge it, but try a good independent air conditioning specialist rather than a dealer. (The R-1234yf refrigerant is very expensive, something like 10X more than R134a.)
dealership to pay a lot to get it evacuated and the new refrigerant is expensive and told me it would be $500 to recharge it.
Then don't go to the dealership. $500 is ridiculous. There are multiple places around me that will recharge A/C for under $100.
I see signs like this every day on my commute:
And that's Canadian pesos, which translates to 70 USD
That's probably for R134a AC systems. I don't think you can even buy the refrigerant alone for that price when R-1234yf is involved. Still it should not cost more than a couple of hundred dollars to have it refilled.
@chucktobias
What year did manufacturers start putting this 1234 stuff in cars?
If you currently have 134, can you recharge with it too, or is 1234 the only option now?
If you currently have 1234, can you switch to 134?
@mmj, in Europe R1234yf became mandated in 2017. In the U.S. it was mandated in 2020 but some manufacturers switched earlier. It was done as a part of "fighting" ManBearPig.
R134a is still readily available for now, but I expect at some point it will be taxed and regulated out of existence as was done with R12a. Stock up while it's still cheap.
I have read that the thermal characteristics of R1234yf and R134a are so close that they are essentially interchangeable but I don't know anyone personally who has tried it. (I have not dealt with the newer refrigerant at all.)
I know Ford made the change in the Mustangs between 2017 and 2018. My mom's 2018 uses the 1234YF and my and my girlfriend's 2017 Mustangs still use R-134a. I've heard that the new stuff is slightly flammable, but not under normal operating conditions. Spraying it on a hot engine block along with oil can cause fires.