Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting How to purge the A/C system at home

So I am taking out the enigne cause i have to put new main bearings in and boy what fun that will be. I have the Factory manual- from FORD and I am following the steps but before I can go any further i must discharge the A/C system.

How can I discharge this safely or somewhat safely at home?

Thanks

you hafta take it to a shop, where they drain the A/C into special tanks because the Refridgarant is hazardous to the O-zone, You could empty it at home by sticking a paperclip into the lines, but I'd highly recommend against it and find a shop that will drain the system for you.

The newer refrigerant 134a is much less harmfull to ozone.
It can be discharged slowly through the low side valve. You can poke something in the valve or better yet get a refill hose with the proper adapter for the fill valve.
Be careful, wear goggles and long sleeves. Discharge slowly to avoid liquid splatter and oil loss.

Once the system is discharged take apart the line disconnects with the proper tool and cap the line ends to avoid contamination.

The system must be vacuumed down before refilling or it will not work correctly.