So after doing a lot of reading on this forum, I'd thought I'd get involved. I've spent a lot of time on the IMA posts since my IMA has been aggressively recalibrating lately and considered installing an external grid charger to counter this with a possible DIY cell rebuild. However since summer has rolled around here in the South, I have noticed that my A/C now consistently cannot maintain adequate cooling at idle. A/C manifold gauges revealed faulty schrader valves that distracted me from a low value setting on both high and low pressure. This suggests that there may be a leak elsewhere in the system. I will cut to the chase with questions and give more details further down.

1. How to measure oil coming out without an evacuation tool?
2. If not, is there any cheap evacuation tool that measures oil?
3. Do I actually need to put oil in after evacuation with a vacuum pump or compressor vacuum pump adapter from HF?
4. I found A/C Pro Hybrid A/C oil part number HYB-1 but it doesn't say SE-10Y but it does say ND-10 and another honda hybrid A/C oil number 38899RCJA01 . I found another universal bottle from Mastercool part number 92707 that lists ND-10 AND SE-10Y. Reading from the forums, the purpose of the oil is really dielectric capabilities and electrical preservation/protection as the R134a is acting as the lubricant for the machinery. So it seems as if the A/C Pro oil would work. However I could go to the dealer and pay for their golden oil, but if my system has a leak I feel like I am wasting money.
5. What can you use to effectively find leaks if stop leak is prohibited in the system oil? I know the whole dish soap and water technique and freon detector but there needs to be something efficient like dye.

I was attempting to diagnose with a manifold guage. Both schrader valves appeared faulty. I tightened with a tool but lost some air on both sides. I was so distracted by the Schrader valve that I forgot to purge the air when adding R134a. I ended up adding a whole 12 oz. can. The pressures that were originally low became well within normal range and the compressors stays on instead of cycling on and off and appears to get cold at idle (would start getting warmer at idle and cool driving). The A/C now works up to my expectations except that a). I shouldn't need 12 oz. of R134a unless there is a leak that has been neglected for a while (A/C hasn't been touched for almost 3 years since I bought it). b). Concerned about insertion of that unpurged air and possibly leaky conditions are going to ruin my compressor. I found the compressor for $600 on RockAuto which is very pricey and the installation is a lot more technical since this is HCHII.

So I am left with considering to both hunt down the leak or do this while evacuating and recharging the system to factory specification and removing any moisture or contamination. But neglecting replacement of the oil in this system would be foolish.

Because of all of this, I am debating about taking this into a shop except I simply don't have the money. This is just so troubling because as I was reading and expecting, most shops don't even know the difference between hybrid and standard gasoline A/C compressors and are destined to contaminate the oil with conductive oil as well as improperly filling with dye and just potentially do a lot of damage to this system. I don't want to spend my day on the phone playing detective to find the right shop or dealership that can get this done without costing me another A/C system in the near future. I live in the South and cannot afford to not have a working A/C so simply neglecting this is not an option. Is there any way to DIY this?

'm actually debating selling the car because the gas mileage is far inferior to a Prius and the IMA battery has not even been serviced yet (constantly recalibrating). I'm not sure this vehicle is worth the trouble at this point.

 

I just want to update everyone. I never got any responses and had to do my own extensive research being a DIY. Unfortunately while this forum goes into great detail in a lot of hybrid areas, it did not go into full detail on A/C work on this vehicle and given it is a Honda hybrid Sanden compressor system with a system refrigerant capacity of less than a pound, the criticality of PROPER A/C service cannot be emphasized enough. I did find comparable oil to SE-10Y. It's made by Mastercool and significantly cheaper than Honda's overpriced liquid gold. I evacuated using methods done by HVAC professionals down to the micron level and discovered that the system is able to hold a decent micron less than half an hour and that is sufficient to show the system is able to hold pressure and has negligible humidity. I followed Honda's factory guide for diagnosing whether the A/C vent temperature is within range and discovered that my A/C is well within the normal range at the given temperature AND humidity and thus I may have lofty expectations for the weak, baby hybrid A/C system (it's designed for efficiency and mileage, not volume and power). I recharged to specification after realizing my rookie mistake and the previous owner's mistake of adding too much refrigerant (it could never keep up in the summer since I bought it used). Obviously this would be apparent with a RRR machine after discovering the recovered refrigerant amount which indeed did help diagnose the problem. (If you use an RRR machine, you CANNOT pull a proper vacuum. Also only hook one port on to recover and have the system pulling a vacuum when installing the coupler. This way you can use any RRR machine as the oils in the line won't go in from one active line on the vacuumed A/C system (this will happen with two installed). This may not be possible but you will need to shoulder over the tech you hire because they can quickly SCREW your system during only a simple recovery). According to HVACR professionals, R134a a/c systems are very temperamental compared to R22 and you CANNOT add by gauges or reliably make any ACTIONABLE decisions by gauges other than seeing if the compressor is engaging and making ballpark diagnostic decisions for major system components. All refrigerant must be completely evacuated and recharged BY WEIGHT ONLY. Gauges can give only a ballpark estimate as to the current refrigerant amount and only that. I found a guide in the repair manual for ballpark quantities of oil and added accordingly based off the circumstances of my situation. My A/C is fixed, my rough idle changed to smooth when the compressor is on and the pressures are not constantly moving, the clutch engages, the vent temperature is within specification, and my A/C is ice cold in the southwest scorching summer. I credit this with a careful, methodical approach from the HVACR technician's perspective. This will require some NEW specialty equipment but it is far cheaper than any dealership job or potential damage to an AC system that is done when evacuating without a micron gauge (unfortunately this makes auto repair shops a lot of $$$). Few shops take on hybrids in my area and the ones that do can't service this because they don't have a dedicated machine for honda hybrid A/C systems. Every reason I needed to DIY.

Please use brand new, uncontaminated manifold gauges that can hold vacuum along (YOU HAVE TO TEST PRIOR TO USE) with professional HVACR vacuum equipment to ensure your system has been properly evacuated. These systems are extremely temperamental to any air, any contamination, any foreign oils, dyes, moisture, or any abnormalities! I do not even trust the dealership's equipment at this point because I am certain they are not recording microns during evacuation and certainly do not care. I don't think their RRR machines even have any micron displays from what I've seen during evacuation which is NEGLIGENCE committed against any A/C system. HINT- you cannot rely on any rubber for evacuation. Rubber leaks! Copper fittings that are vacuum rated are the only reliable source of piping to pull a proper vacuum and ensure system integrity. The evacuation process took several hours to reach the target micron level, the dealership or any auto repair shop does not have this time, please do not let them lie to you. They will gladly diagnose your probable A/C failure in the coming months or years it takes for the moisture to break down your system and bill the thousands of dollars it will take to fix. Only HVACR professionals understand this concept and are evacuating an A/C system as should be done. If you know of an HVAC technician with a reasonable offer to diagnose/fix your system, I would not hesitate to pay them for this job but you will need to supply them with your factory manual and specifications to ensure they do everything right for your car along with dedicated equipment to prevent cross-contamination. You need purge valves on any refrigerant adding equipment and NOTHING should be attached that has been exposed to atmosphere after the vacuum process. Yellow Jacket, Appion, and CPS are reliable manufactures with vacuum-rated equipment directly for or compatible with R134a. DO NOT trust any auto-only manufacturers. Your system dryer is simply not enough to undo the moisture and damage an improper evacuation and charging can do.