Hello, I have a 1999 Honda CR-V, it’s getting quite warm up here in Ontario and I’m thinking about refilling my ac with refrigerant. I know my system runs on 134a and can be substituted for r12a, what would happen if i refill it without sucking out all the 134a out. I bought the car used so I’m not sure if it’s running on 134a or r12a. I’m a cheapskate and don’t want to pay too much on a 22 year old car.
Mixing those refrigerants will result in inefficient cooling, up to and including the complete destruction of your A/C system.
Would it be okay as a temporary way to provide better ac for the summer? I assume a large sum of regular non car people use the quick ac refill kits on their old cars.
A lot of people damage their AC systems and make matters worse by not knowing what they're doing and doing the wrong things. If you want to try topping up with R134a a little at a time that would be OK, assuming that's the refrigerant your car came with. You are taking a chance though if not checking system pressures while you do it that you'll overcharge and something will blow due to excess pressure. (Compressors have an over-pressure relief valve which may or may not prevent something else from breaking.)
Also avoid any refrigerant that has sealers in it, a lot of people have found out the hard way the damage those can cause both to your car and any shop equipment if you take the car to a mechanic in the future. (Who do you think is responsible for the cost of recovery equipment - thousands of dollars - damaged due to sealer or other foreign junk in your AC system?)
Always wear eye protection when working with refrigerant.
In the U.S. a 1999 model would have come with R134a from the factory. Not sure about Canada but it's probably the same. There should be a sticker under the hood stating what the car came with. There's no reason anyone would have changed it to R12a and fittings are different to prevent the wrong refrigerant from being charged in accidentally.
You don't want to mix refrigerants, stick with the R134a assuming that it is what it came with. The only way you can be certain the correct amount of is in the system is to evacuate it and charge in the factory-specified amount by weight. However it's frequently possible to get away with topping up a little R134a at a time to improve cooling. You should monitor system pressures with a gauge set while doing it.
