I drained my radiator, then I accidentally let out all of the R-134a (refrigerant) from the condenser in front of the rad. I have to bring it to an AC shop to get it filled but I need to fill the rad back up first to drive it there. I know that I need to burp the radiator by squeezing the hose. Also, I learned that I am supposed to turn the ac heat on high in the front and rear to also get the air out. But I can't do this because I lost all of the rifgerant! What am I supposed to do? Is it safe to drive with some air in the coolant system because I cant use the HVAC to get the air out? Is it a must to do this AC method to bleed air out?
*2012 honda odyssey*
Thanks
Just put the temperature control all the way to the hot setting so that coolant will enter the heater core. It is not necessary to turn your A/C on.
Okay great, thanks
Park the vehicle facing uphill and turn the heater control on high. Let it run for a while to get all the air out of the system. Shut it down, let cool and check the coolant level. Top up if necessary. This all has nothing to do with the AC system.
Thanks
You don't need to worry about the A/C not being filled, however you do need to bleed the air out of the cooling system. You just need to take the cap off the radiator while cool and fill the coolant if it isn't already, then jack the front of the car up and let it idle until its at normal temperature to burp the air bubbles out (with the cap still off) and fill it if the coolant level goes down. Turning the heat on high while letting it burp will circulate the coolant through the rest of the system as well.
