What will happed if I disconnect this line?

I'm not super familiar with working on AC systems but I get the basic gist of how they work. What will happen if I disconnect the heat insulated line that runs down the right side of the engine bay by the exhaust manifold? Catastrophic explosion? Freon release? End of the world? D: I need to get it out of the way to get my oe exhaust manifold back in.:

yes you gonna lose the refrigent.

The refrigerant and some oil will spray out at high pressure. It will be very messy and you may injure your eye. You would be better off to go somewhere and get the refrigerant recovered. (That's the legal way to do it anyway.)
After you are done, you will have to go somewhere to get a good vacuum pulled on the system, replace the compressor oil, and recharge the refrigerant.

Much easier to go in through the bottom .. remove the engine mount and have a tranny jack or something on the front crossmember.

If the right person comes by, you'll go to jail.

There is absolutely no need to remove that line when reinstalling OE headers.

Originally Posted by E46Mango

If the right person comes by, you'll go to jail.

I really doubt that anyone would ever be arrested for that. Shops that do it and get caught face fines.

Originally Posted by E46Mango

If the right person comes by, you'll go to jail.

Yes it is illegal and pretty damaging to the ozone layer.

Originally Posted by joegr

I really doubt that anyone would ever be arrested for that. Shops that do it and get caught face fines.

Try it and find out for us!

Originally Posted by E46Mango

Try it and find out for us!

I don't need the threat of arrest to not do illegal/wrong things.

R-134a is not supposed to cause any ozone damage. It was R-12 that did that. R-134a has other environmental concerns.

Originally Posted by joegr

I don't need the threat of arrest to not do illegal/wrong things.

R-134a is not supposed to cause any ozone damage. It was R-12 that did that. R-134a has other environmental concerns.

"EPA is performing random inspections, responding to tips, and pursuing potential cases against violators. Under the Act, EPA is authorized to assess fines of up to $37,500 per day for any violation of these regulations. Information on selected enforcement actions is available in the enforcement section.

If you suspect or witness unlawful releases of refrigerant or other violations of the Clean Air Act regulations, you can file a report easily and anonymously by visiting EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance website."

____________________________________________________________ ___

#2) Can I vent HFC-134a refrigerant?

It is illegal under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act to knowingly vent substitute refrigerants during any service, maintenance, repair or disposal of an appliance.

-EPA.gov

You can get a BMW every single day if you find someone violating that law.

Like...if you got the money, that is.

Originally Posted by E46Mango

"EPA is performing random inspections, responding to tips, and pursuing potential cases against violators. Under the Act, EPA is authorized to assess fines of up to $37,500 per day for any violation of these regulations. Information on selected enforcement actions is available in the enforcement section.

If you suspect or witness unlawful releases of refrigerant or other violations of the Clean Air Act regulations, you can file a report easily and anonymously by visiting EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance website."

____________________________________________________________ ___

#2) Can I vent HFC-134a refrigerant?

It is illegal under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act to knowingly vent substitute refrigerants during any service, maintenance, repair or disposal of an appliance.

-EPA.gov

And your point is? That seems to support my belief that you can get fined for it, but it's very unlikely you'd get arrested for it. They mention a fine above, not a threat of arrest.

I would suspect also that they are much more interested in finding shops that are doing this, than car owners. A shop could release way more than someone with just a few cars.

Originally Posted by joegr

And your point is? That seems to support my belief that you can get fined for it, but it's very unlikely you'd get arrested for it. They mention a fine above, not a threat of arrest.

I would suspect also that they are much more interested in finding shops that are doing this, than car owners. A shop could release way more than someone with just a few cars.

My point is don't do it. You seem to be watering the act itself down as well as the possibility of being fined/arrested.

When a child (or adult for that matter) asks if he has to wear his seat belt, you say yes. You don't say.. well statistics show that walking on the street is actually more dangerous so you PROBABLY won't get hurt...

I was just wondering. I got them in without taking the line off. haha, too bad Im just going to take the manifold off and put headers back in again thursday.