[ThomasGuy]

Hey guys i was trying to take the rad off on my 2012 ody and i disconnected a hose connected to a black pannel infront of the rad. Im not sure what it is or called and some fluid in a comprssed form shot out onto my face and all over me. A little worried because I dont know what this is.
Thanks

 

[GOSS3488]

That is your ac line to the condenser !!!!

 

[ThomasGuy]

Is it bad if it shot out onto my face? lol

 

[CroMath]

Yup - the AC condensor is in front of the radiator. You probably got sprayed with the lubricant.

 

[ThomasGuy]

Okay thans, do you know if it is harmful?

 

[CroMath]

No more harmful than any other automotive lubricant sprayed into your face, I suppose. I certainly wouldn't encourage doing it again.

Edit: Here's an MSDS I found for A/C PAG oil.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61IF6Gq4u8L.pdf

 

[ThomasGuy]

Great thanks

 

[oldskewel]

And the actual refrigerant is R-134a = Tetrafluoroethane. You should be able to google that and see how bad it is. Short answer is that if you did not purposely inhale it all, or try to drink it (without freezing your mouth), you should be OK.

Nice pics - made it very clear what the answer is. Hope you're OK.

BTW, when you get that fixed, you'll need to get the AC system vacuumed down to get all the air out. You can't just put it back together and re-charge with more R-134a and PAG oil.

 

[CroMath]

And the actual refrigerant is R-134a = Tetrafluoroethane. You should be able to google that and see how bad it is. Short answer is that if you did not purposely inhale it all, or try to drink it (without freezing your mouth), you should be OK.

Nice pics - made it very clear what the answer is. Hope you're OK.

BTW, when you get that fixed, you'll need to get the AC system vacuumed down to get all the air out. You can't just put it back together and re-charge with more R-134a and PAG oil.

This is absolutely true. Whatever repair the OP was doing just got more expensive by disconnecting that line. One step forward, two steps back?

 

[ThomasGuy]

And the actual refrigerant is R-134a = Tetrafluoroethane. You should be able to google that and see how bad it is. Short answer is that if you did not purposely inhale it all, or try to drink it (without freezing your mouth), you should be OK.

Nice pics - made it very clear what the answer is. Hope you're OK.

BTW, when you get that fixed, you'll need to get the AC system vacuumed down to get all the air out. You can't just put it back together and re-charge with more R-134a and PAG oil.

Thanks!

 

[phattyduck]

And don't go self reporting to the EPA (or whatever the Canada equivalent is!) - it is technically quite illegal to do what you did... though, practically it isn't a big deal.

Close that fitting back up ASAP to avoid getting moisture in the system. Let the AC shop that refills the system know how it was released so they can add back the correct amount of oil that escaped (most is still in the system).

-Charlie

 

[2011.2017.odyssey]

And don't go self reporting to the EPA (or whatever the Canada equivalent is!) - it is technically quite illegal to do what you did... though, practically it isn't a big deal.

Close that fitting back up ASAP to avoid getting moisture in the system. Let the AC shop that refills the system know how it was released so they can add back the correct amount of oil that escaped (most is still in the system).

-Charlie

accident...

+1 on closing up that system.
The shop that recharges it should put a vacuum on it first, to check for leaks and get the moisture out of the system.

wouldn't be a bad idea to put a new drier element in, along with replenishing the compressor oil, and replacing that seal on the line you disconnected.

 

[John Clark]

You're really lucky. That refrigerant comes out extremely cold when released like that (that's exactly how it gets cold in the evaporator.) You can easily get frostbitten by doing that. Additionally, you don't want it or the pag oil in your eyes. Wash your clothes, take a shower, and if you didn't get it in your eyes and didn't get any frostbite consider yourself extremely lucky.

Make sure the o-ring isn't damaged and then put the fitting back on. You don't want to leave it open to the air. Take it in to a shop and tell them exactly what happened--just as you did here. They will need to vacuum the system and recharge with a full load of refrigerant along with a bit of pag oil to make up for what was released.

Now you know why you never mess with an AC line. When shops work with AC systems they always wear safety glasses for this very reason.

 

[phattyduck]

Now you know why you never mess with an AC line. When shops work with AC systems they always wear safety glasses for this very reason.

Busted AC lines are somewhere between annoying and scary. I've also leaked a bit of refrigerant on bare skin once. Luckily only minor burns - it could have been a lot worse.

-Charlie

 

[highvoltage]

Since the boiling point of R134a is -15.34° F, frostbite can occur rapidly, depending on how much gets on the skin.

 

[MrRangerZr1]

You really shouldn't remove things which you don't know about its functions and precautions needed for that particular item. What happened to you was very dangerous and also hella illegal lol

Better watch out for captain planet.

 

[egads]

I want to know why you were taking the radiator out.

 

[ThomasGuy]

I want to know why you were taking the radiator out.

I was trying to get the front CAT out and couldn't get the erg pipe nuts off. So, I thought I could remove the radiator and whatever that was in front of it (compressor) to get a better view and angle at getting the nut off.

 

[robertjmjrs]

Yup - the AC condensor is in front of the radiator. You probably got sprayed with the lubricant.

Ac lines contain R 134 which is under pressure. Whenever possible I try to not open these lines. If you do, you have to reconnect then vaccum the system with a vaccum pump to get any moisture out, checking for leaks, then add the right amount of the right oil then refrigerant. There is actually a $20k fine for deliberately venting R134 to the atmosphere. You obviously didn’t know you were doing that. Don’t run the system very long without getting it serviced.

 

[egads]

Don't run the system at all. Wrap plastic bags around any open lines.

Please try to keep all inquires about the same issue in one thread. You have at least three, all dealing with the same issue.