Has anyone heard of the type of A/C refill kits Wally World and other retail outlets & auto parts stores sells referred to as "Death Kits"? I was surfing different websites after googling different terms relating to automotive A/C systems and I stumbled upon the definition of those kits. Seems like a lot of opinions are floating around about those kits ruining the A/C system.
Now I don't really know if it's because of improper usage or what, but can those refill kits do any harm to the system? Maybe air in the 10" of hose when it connects to the low pressure port then gets sucked into system with the refrigerant? A scapegoat for something called "Black Death" to the system?
Questions.........I have questions............

 

Black Death is a term affectionately used for the crap that goes everywhere in the system when the compressor suffers a serious internal failure. It clogs the orifice, condenser, evaporator, and is a general pain in the *** to flush out of the system completely.

I dunno what a "Death Kit" is compromised of; I'd hope it's some kinda flushing solution. In general, avoid A/C recharger kits that mention anything about a sealer or additives that'll supposedly increase the performance of the system. Either one contaminates refrigerant, meaning that if you ever take your truck to an A/C shop after using a sealer or additive, they either won't touch your truck at all or they're gonna start charging you a lot more, since they can't recover the refrigerant out of your truck; it'll contaminate their supply of fresh refrigerant. Then that'll spread throughout every car they hook their machine up to afterwards...it wouldn't be pretty.

 

What they were calling the "Death Kits" were the A/C recharge kits like the one I picked up a few months ago at Wal-Mart made by Interdynamics with the gage on the hose. Unfortunately it does state on the can it contains "system safe leak sealer". What did I do to my truck?
Geez........I thought I was doing the right thing..........

 

Leak sealers react with the moisture in the system and turn into a gel. A gel that contaminates fresh refrigerant. Not good.

 

So I guess now I just use it and not think about using the small cans ever again? Other people said to just get a recharge kit at wally world and recharge it myself. I didn't know that leak sealer was in the can much less what it can damage. Is refrigerant without leak sealer sold in the small cans? I guess now I need to think about drain, check for leaks, evac, & recharge at a dealer.
It just never ends...............

 

Yes, you can buy cans with just R134a in them. Although at this point, run it and see what happens.