I am about to replace the heater core in my '96 XJ (with AC). I have the heater core and am ready to begin, but have 3 questions before I dig in.

1) How to I safely discharge the refrigerant in my AC system? Do I just go to a local repair shop and pay what they charge are are there cheaper and ethical options (I'm in WA).

2) Are there seals in the AC system that I will need to repalce before putting it back together?

3) What else should I replace while I'm in there? Blower motor? Evaporator?

 

1. Cheaper is to let it out yourself, but might not be very "ethical". R134A was advertised as not being harmful to the ozone layer. But now they are not so sure, so it is on its way out.

2. Replace any O-rings you see while you have it apart.

3. Many people go ahead and replace the evaporator while they are in there, since it is such a pain to get to.

 

Oh well next time I'll take it to a recycler to have the job done

^and what he said^

 

Haven't we had this conversation before? R134A is not harmful. In fact, it's used in a number of other applications, such as medical applications and freeze sprays, where it has to be vented into the atmosphere to work.

The reason you're told not to vent R134a into the atmosphere is because EPA 608 says it's illegal to vent any substance classed as a refrigerant into the atmosphere. When that regulation was written, all the refrigerants on the market were harmful to the ozone layer. R134a was developed as an environmentally friendly alternative, but the law was never updated to give it an exception. It's still classed as a refrigerant, and EPA 608 still says refrigerants have to be captured and disposed of properly.

However, if you have a product containing R134a that is not classed as a refrigerant (for example, medical inhalants), there's no prohibition on venting it into the atmosphere. You can spray that stuff into the air all you want. Why would they allow that if it hurt the ozone layer?

So it's really just a case of the regulatory environment not catching up with science. Let me be clear that it is still actually technically illegal to vent your A/C system into the atmosphere. You're supposed to capture the refrigerant in a catch bottle. But I have never heard of a backyard mechanic getting busted by the EPA for violating this nonsense law.

 

R123a has an ODP of 0, but it still considered a Greenhouse gas by the EPA. (I'm in the commercial HVAC/R biz during the day.)

Do it the right way and have the refrigerant recovered properly.