Am I about to do something stupid (possible explosion content)

So, I'm being paid to strip and paint a self-contained A/C system. I'm thinking of powder coating it because it's just soo much better.
This system was charged, but is not now, nor will it ever be again. If I I put these components ( compressor, evap, cond) in an oven at 375 will the residual oul ignite? Will the solder joints melt? I think the system was charged with 134A.

I looked up an MSDS sheet for compressor oil, and the flash point was 428 degrees F. However, I can't say for sure that's correct for the specific oil that was used in your a/c system.

Assuming the joints were silver soldered, the melting point is 840 degrees F. Other kinds of solders have lower melting points, down to around 250 degrees F.

One of the "features" of Freon is that it is not explosive. Propane makes a great refrigerant BTW. (not really what you want pressurized in you engine compartment though). The systems are designed to take pressure, so that should not be an issue.

Common solder melts at 361 degrees... so...

aircooled wrote: Common solder melts at 361 degrees... so...

Hmmm. I might be abke to cure the powder at 300 F, but that would mean a pre-bake at 350. Not good. Thanks

aircooled wrote: One of the "features" of Freon is that it is not explosive. Propane makes a great refrigerant BTW. (not really what you want pressurized in you engine compartment though).

Yeah...not at all like gasoline in a direct injection FI system at a thousand or so psi, cause like, THATS much safer.

Did I not hear a rumor that R12 became bad for the environment at the same time that the patent ran out on it?

Just a rumor. The patent had expired long before. But it would behoove them for a new refrigerant be mandated. Dupont has already stopped making r134a. Moving on to the next thing.

NOHOME wrote:

aircooled wrote: One of the "features" of Freon is that it is not explosive. Propane makes a great refrigerant BTW. (not really what you want pressurized in you engine compartment though).

Yeah...not at all like gasoline in a direct injection FI system at a thousand or so psi, cause like, THATS much safer. Did I not hear a rumor that R12 became bad for the environment at the same time that the patent ran out on it?

i think most DI systems are at 2000+ psi, with "only" 50 or so psi feeding from the tank to the pump on the engine...

but, yeah, a few pounds of propane coolant that will flash and then go out in the event of a series of very limited and rare circumstances were to happen is soooooo much more dangerous than a couple hundred pounds of gasoline that takes a few less unlikely things to happen to cause it to light up..

Have you ever seen the high pressure valve release on a AC system? I would NOT want that happening with propane in the system on a running engine. All it takes to make the valve open is a non functional electric fan or fan clutch, and you will insta-dump about a pound of whatever refrigerant you are using. On second thought your engine might pick up quite a bit of power for a few seconds while its scavenging all that propane out of the engine bay.

DrBoost wrote: This system was charged, but is not now, nor will it ever be again.

So, all the responses about Freon don't really matter.

Yes, but you came hear for an argument.

Or was it abuse, YOU SNOTTY-FACED HEAP OF PARROT DROPPINGS! YOUR TYPE MAKES ME PUKE! YOU VACUOUS TOFFEE-NOSED MALODOROUS PERVERT!!!

Why are you putting energy into an ac unit that won't ever be used?

Probably PAG oil in a 134a system, 375 will probably hurt it, but not light it, flash point in the mid to high 400s (Fahrenheit), auto ignition over 700.

I'm curious what this is going to be used for

aircooled wrote: Yes, but you came hear for an argument. Or was it abuse, YOU SNOTTY-FACED HEAP OF PARROT DROPPINGS! YOUR TYPE MAKES ME PUKE! YOU VACUOUS TOFFEE-NOSED MALODOROUS PERVERT!!!

Mom? Is that you?

RE: gearheadmb and Fiesta. This is a marketing display. They need it to look pretty. I figure if I powder coat it, it wont get scratched and need a touch-up later.

DrBoost wrote: I figure if I powder coat it, it wont get scratched and need a touch-up later.

Powder coating isn't a magical panacea against scratching. Especially if done on the cheap. Tonka and kiddie wagons are powder coated for example. They scratch nicely.

I know brass tubes held together with silver solder (higher melt point) can be powder coated because a lot of people have had custom paintball markers built that way. In my personal experience, it wasn't so much scratching that was an issue with powder coating, it was chipping.