Death Kit

curtie94 on Mon April 02, 2012 10:27 PM

what exactly is a death kit. I put in a retorfit kit that came with 2 fittings a charge hose, pag oil. Is that a death kit? The freon only lasted 3 days before it leaked out. I found out that the condenser is bad, so this time I was thinking about changing o rings drier and condenser. Pull a vacuum and then recharge. Would the system still be good? I also added some of the o ring sealer, it was a sweller style stop leak.

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1991 Honda Accord 173,000 Miles

HECAT on Tue April 03, 2012 1:57 PM

Death Kit - A 134a charge kit that contains copious amounts of various and unnecessary additives such a lubricant enhancers, high mileage boosters, seal swellers, stop leaks, etc.

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buickwagon on Tue April 03, 2012 4:03 PM

That's a question that will generate 5 different definitions from 5 different people.

To some, a death kit is any do-it-yourself kit that encourages untrained people to think they are adequately servicing their AC system. Even the relatively innocuous ones with cans of pure refrigerant, a charge hose and LP gauge with a pretty little green zone on the face could be considered a death kit (encourages the ignorant backyard mechanic to charge the system with an unknown quantity without evacuating the moisture or replenishing the oil).

At the other end of the spectrum, some would restrict the definition to those kits that contain a hardening sealant, which can directly cause "black death", plug orifices, etc.

HECAT's definition falls somewhere in between. See? We're already up to three...

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I've saved hundreds on service by spending thousands on tools.

mk378 on Tue April 03, 2012 7:51 PM

Traditionally it is the "closed system conversion" kit by Interdynamics (also re-badged with various store brands) which is a cardboard box containing:

Aluminum service fitting converters which are prone to leak.
Small can of "conversion oil" of unknown composition.
3x 12 oz cans of R-134a. The old version was plain R-134a. The new version of the kit contains o-ring swelling "sealer".
Cheap plastic charge hose.

HECAT on Wed April 04, 2012 9:50 PM

Maybe it lasts longer than three days and you charge it again with the kit, and again with another kit, and again with another kit; until it completely quits. Remember only the refrigerant leaks out, all the other stuff remains. Then you take it to a pro, who takes a look, closes the hood, and asks you to come inside and sit down... What exactly is a "death kit"?

I would do the new condenser and dryer, remove the compressor and drain (maybe oil flush with fresh oil), remove and clean or replace the orifice, flush and dry the remainder of the system components being reused, fill with fresh oil, button it up with fresh o-rings; then pull a vacuum and hold, and recharge to spec.

Think about it... all the other stuff remains.

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