System Description: Notes

The air conditioning system removes heat from the passenger compartment by transferring heat from the ambient air to the evaporator. The evaporator cools the air with the refrigerant that is circulating through the evaporator. The refrigerant expands in the evaporator, and the evaporator becomes very cold and absorbs the heat from the ambient air. The blower fan pushes air across the evaporator where the heat is absorbed, and then it blows the. cool air into the passenger compartment.

Fig 1: Air Conditioning System Diagram

Courtesy of AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC.

This vehicle uses HFC-134a (R-134a) refrigerant which does not contain chlorofluorocarbons. Pay attention to the following service items:

• Do not mix refrigerants CFC-12 (R-12) and HFC-134a (R-134a). They are not compatible.
• Use only the recommended polyalkyleneglycol (PAG) refrigerant oil (DENSO ND-OIL 8) designed for the R-134a A/C compressor. Intermixing the recommended (PAG) refrigerant oil with any other refrigerant oil will result in A/C compressor failure.
• All A/C system parts (compressor, discharge line, suction line, evaporator, A/C condenser, receiver/dryer, expansion valve, O-rings for joints) are designed for refrigerant R-134a. Do not exchange with R-12 parts.
• Use a halogen gas leak detector designed for refrigerant R-134a.
• R-12 and R-134a refrigerant servicing equipment are not interchangeable. Use only a recovery/recycling/charging station that is U.L.-listed and is certified to, meet the requirements of SAE J2210 to service R-134a air conditioning system.
• Always recover the refrigerant R-134a with an approved recovery/recycling/charging station before disconnecting any A/C fitting.