Draining the A/C

[lostcreek21]

I'am going to convert my A/C compressor to an air compressor for on board air. I need to know if I can drain the coolant from the A/C system my self or what?

 

[PaulJ]

This topic was worked over pretty well on the OEM forum last week. You can take it to a shop and they should be more than happy to discharge it if it has R12 in it. R12 is valuable and was no longer used in new vehicles beginning sometime in the 90s. It is illegal to simply vent it into the atmosphere; however, you can do it legally yourself if you wish. The homebrew method is to draw a vacuum on a propane bottle then connect the bottle to you A/C. Chill the bottle with dry ice to draw the refridgerant into the bottle. Most folks would probably take it to a shop.