The service bays of dealerships are beginning to work on vehicles equipped with the new R1234yf refrigerant that will eventually replace R134a. The new refrigerant is environmentally friendly with the intent of reducing the impact of global warming.
According to Eric Shultz, engineering manager for MAHLE Service Solutions, the most recent statistics show that an increasing number of new U.S. and European vehicles are leaving the assembly line factory equipped with R1234yf. Shultz says there are few Asian vehicles currently with R1234yf, but the number will increase soon.
Shultz says there are several things technicians should be aware of when working with this new refrigerant.
“To prevent cross-contamination with different refrigerants, vehicles with R1234yf have different service fittings,” said Shultz. “R1234yf refrigerant is mildly flammable, so safety in handling is very important. In addition, technicians will note the procedure for servicing vehicles with R1234yf is going to take longer than with R134a vehicles.”
Shultz notes that there are more leak and purity check capabilities built into MAHLE Service Solutions machines to comply with SAE standards. He says regardless of what machine a technician uses, SAE-certified productivity ensures the machine will operate with specific equipment performance, purity and safety guidelines for the recovery and recycling of motor vehicle refrigerant.
“Refer to the SAE J2788 guideline for R134a refrigerant and the SAE J2843 guideline for R1234yf refrigerant before purchasing a manufacturer’s product,” added Shultz.
