Anyone ever use "Artic Freeze" r134a -- wondering if I just ruined the A/C system...

[barrys]

Anyone ever use "Artic Freeze" r134a -- wondering if I just ruined the A/C system...

My air conditioning on my '94 has never worked. I kept seeing those display cases at the parts store and talked to the dude who recommended the "Arctic Freeze" r134a refrigerant kit. I added one 12oz can and the pressure on the guage read 35psi. The air conditioning worked great and I was thrilled.
Then (and I should have read before, duh!) I read articles here and elsewhere that said these "leak sealing" additives could actually mess up the system. I read more that I should have had a vacuum drawn, etc...

So, I'm wondering if anyone else has used Artic Freeze r134a and if they thought it was OK or if they experienced any problems.

Any advice on whether I should hurry and get that stuff out of there, etc, would be great too.

 

[Harris]

Is your A/C still working now?
In short, if your A/C, which has never worked, is working now, then I think the results you have answer your initial question.

I've used that same brand on several vehicles and have never had any issue with it, with or without a vacuum drawdown. (It's best to draw it down if you can.)

 

[177CIOfPureLove]

I attended a seminar put out by the people at Quest/ Thermodynamics about basic automotive airconditioning. The whole stop leak thing was brought up, and I was completely reassured that stop leak additives were harmless and would not clog any portions of the system, mainly because (at least their formulas, but I am sure it would be universal) that the stop leak only reacts with air, as in a refridgerent leak, and reacts with the outside air to get hard and seal the leak. They insisted that if the stopleak really clogged those components the amounts of money they would have to shell out to dissatisfied consumers to replace those parts would run them out of business.

 

[barrys]

> In short, if your A/C, which has never worked, is working now, then I think the results you have answer your initial question.

I cannot disagree with that. I take "read it on the internet" a bit too far. I was curious if this quick fix was actually a long term destructive move.

I emailed the company last night at 12:00AM P.S.T. and they emailed me back this morning -- which is amazing in itself -- and said:
> There is not a single product that we make that is harmfull to any vehicle. On the product that you have the leak sealer in there is only the amount of
.25oz.

That's kind of what I expected and what was mentioned above -- they do need to maintain a business model and killing people's A/C systems with every sale is probably not a good one.

Also, I'd be surprised if they're not making improvements in the leak sealers over time to make them more dainty and delicate.

 

[alaskan155]

i added that high mileage a/c stuff with stop leak to my empty system after i fixed the engine in feburary 2010 and it still working perfect today in my 99 f150(only had 8 oz out of 33 required when i had it evacuated to repair the engine)

 

[v8318cid]

I am a little leary of most leak sealers. Sounds too much like the snake oil salesman to me. That opinion aside, if you use it sparingly, it probably won't do anything harmful. Would I suggest using it multiple times on the same system? No. Will it fix major/mechanical leaks? No. Only fix then is to replace the failed part. Best practices is to replace the leaking component anyway, but...

 

[barrys]

I'm similarly leary... I bought the stuff with the leak sealer by mistake. However -- also by mistake -- I didn't turn the can upside down at the end so most of the oil (and I hope the leak sealer and seal 'conditioner') never made it into the system. That's based on the presumption that the r134a is the lighter of the chemicals which might be wrong.
Anyway, I poured a teaspoon of that oil into a bowl and I've got an o-ring soaking in it just to see if it turns to mush. But, it will have to soak for a while for this to be a good experiment.

In the meantime, I called my Ford only indy mechanic who I love and asked him if I f'd up my truck and he said, "Nah..."

Moreover, I'll never use that stuff again. Too many unknowns and a bad way to save $100.00 for a service from a pro. In the meantime, it hit about 100 degrees here yesterday and I used my air conditioning for the first time in the 8 years I've had the truck and I was comfy.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

It's a very normal practice to add a stopleak with leak detecting dye to AC systems when they come in for a recharge. Lots of times an AC system will pass a leak test while under vacuum, but will leak a very small amount when under pressure. The stop leak usually takes care of minute leaks and we never see the customer again for AC problems. If the leak is larger and they do comeback, now we have a dye in the system that will show the leakage.

 

[rboyer]

One thing I would not want to do to my own vehicle is just go to the parts store and right off the bat consider throwing a can of stop leak in the a/c system just to plug up an o-ring. Most entire o-ring kits are under 10 dollars (they come in universal kits that work on most vehicles). Granted not every average joe has a vacuum pump and set of gauges laying around but they are items that can be acquired used for a cheap price or borrowed from a friend who is craving a case of beer. In my opinion it's not too different than someone throwing a can of stop leak in with their oil because their valve cover gaskets are leaking. Now if you're someone who barely has any money and no access to the proper tools to do it right AND you require air conditioning for medical reasons then I say go for it.

 

[rboyer]

By the way, that UV dye is a really neat and easy way of finding a small leak where you're only leaking a little can of freon every once in a while. If you are really impatient about fixing it though then you can pump the system full of nitrogen to find it on the spot. I've used Argomix before just because it was more handy and never had any problems.

 

[barrys]

Hi Sasquatch_Ryda. I recognize that name from numerous responses to past posts. Thanks for that...
Since you're a Ford tech and you do use these types of products, do you think there's any truth to the stories about the leak stopper "taking out the condenser and turning the seals to mush?" I'm curious and skeptical. The company that makes Arctic Freeze employs over 1000 people and they would have a tough business model if every can sold destroyed the buyers A/C system. At the same time, the "mechanic in a can" remedies do also make me skeptical and I should have read the can completely before squirting it in my truck no matter what it was.

Also, to be clear, there are products sold that are many ounces of stop leak in a separate can. A 12oz can of Artic Freeze contains:
10oz r134a
2oz oil
1/4 oz "seal conditioner and leak sealer"
That's a little more than a teaspoon. Even if it was crazy glue, I'd be curious how much damage that small amount of sealer could do to the 26oz systems we have on the Rangers.

 

[4x4junkie]

I don't think I've ever heard of it making mush out of your seals... What I've heard is it can potentially plug the orifice tube, though I don't know how much truth there is in that (I seem to recall reading the stop leak was activated by oxygen or some other atmospheric constituent, which would not be present inside the system).

What I would worry about more is whether it affected lubrication of the compressor at all.

 

[rboyer]

The thing you have to remember is that any of those stop leaks that solidify when they come in contact with atmosphere also have a possibility of hardening inside of your system. You have an accumulator attached to your A/C system. It's job is to seperate liquid refrigerant from vaporized refrigerant but it ALSO has a desiccant bag which collects any moisture. Alot of those stop leaks can crystallize if they come into contact with a "wet" desiccant bag and if you do your research and read up on some of them you will find that the companies that manufacture them recommend replacing your accumulator/drier when using their product.

 

[legoms013]

I've only ever used the product you describe here and have never had a problem.

 

[Cynthia]

DO NOT USE ID Arctic Freeze

Do not use this refrigerant! We just ruined the AC system on my Honda Civic 2012 and it will cost $3500 to replace it. The mechanic said the leak sealer acts like a glue and this system needs to have moisture running in and out of it. Totally ruined!! $3500!!