Caution: Refer to Breathing R-134a Caution in the Preface section.
Always wear goggles and wrap a clean cloth around the fittings, the valves, and the connections when performing work that involves opening the refrigerant system. Do not weld or steam clean on or near any vehicle-installed air conditioning lines or components.
All refrigerant drums are shipped with a heavy metal screw cap. The purpose of the cap is to protect the valve and the safety plug from damage. It is good practice to replace the cap after each use of the drum.
If it is necessary to transport or carry any container of refrigerant in a vehicle, do not carry it in the passenger compartment.
Notice: Refer to Component Fastener Tightening Notice in the Preface section.
| • | Keep all metal tubing lines free of dents or kinks. Any line restrictions will cause the loss of system capacity. |
| • | Never bend a flexible hose line to a radius of less than 4 times the diameter of the hose. |
| • | Never allow a flexible hose line to come within 63.5 mm (2.5 in) of the exhaust manifold. |
| • | Inspect flexible hose lines regularly for leaks or brittleness. |
| • | Replace flexible hose lines with new lines if you find signs of deterioration or leaking. |
| • | Discharge the refrigeration system of all refrigerant before disconnecting any fitting in the refrigeration system. |
| • | Proceed very cautiously regardless of the gage readings. |
| • | Open the fittings very slowly. |
| • | Keep your face and your hands away from the fitting so that you will not be injured if there happens to be liquid refrigerant in the line. |
| • | If you notice pressure when you loosen a fitting, allow the pressure to bleed off. |
| • | Cap or tape any refrigerant line immediately after it is opened. This will prevent the entrance of moisture and dirt, which can cause internal compressor wear or plugged lines in the condenser, the evaporator core, the expansion valve, or the compressor
inlet screens. |
| | Important: Use 2 proper wrenches to connect the O-ring fittings.
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| • | Back up the opposing fitting to prevent distortion of the connecting lines or the components. |
| • | Back up both the swaged fitting on the flexible hose connections and the coupling to which it is attached with 2 wrenches to prevent turning the fitting and damaging the ground seat. |
| • | Keep the O-rings and the seats in perfect condition. A burr or a piece of dirt may cause a refrigerant leak. |
| • | Dip new O-rings in clean polyalkaline glycol (PAG) refrigerant oil before installation. |
