So I believe I know what this is for since my wife's blew up and sent the little pieces of packing into her condenser and compressor which basically wrecked her whole A/C system; I'm assuming the packing in the drier absorbs moisture in the freon so that it does not corrode the internals of your A/C system or degrade the freon?

The mechanic said that the drier should be replaced every 30k miles or something. Is this true? Should I be replacing this on my S?

I would assume I would have to evacuate and recharge the freon to do this though?


Thanks.

 

I have an Acura RSX Type S (2005, 6 speed trans, 123,000 daily driven miles) have never serviced the a/c (other than the cabin filter.
No problems, I don't think that the drier needs replacing...
My 2003 S2000 with close to 30,000 miles (garage queen) never a problem with the a/c or anything else, ice cold a/c everytime.
I would not worry, just follow the maintenance schedule and if it ain't broken, leave it alone...

 

I would do it when i have free time, that way it can never go wrong unexpectedly.

 

no need to regularly service the drier. very very rare that it would come apart like that. what usually happens is the compressor breaks internally and sends chunks into the drier which then results in even more debris throughout the rest of the system.

 

^^^ This. They dryer does NOT need regular replacing. It should be replaced when opening the A/C system to do other work.

 

Yea this makes sense to me. Essentially the freon system should be leak-free, so moisture shouldn't be able to get in at all. And if it doee have a leak, well it's going to keep leaking and leaking until the drier is saturated anyways because you probably won't even realize it's leaking. The initial install of the drier when charging the system is probably to get whatever moisture was pulled into the system when evacuating the freon or puting any of the components in the system since it will have air in it. So after you first run the car for a few minutes it would just slurp up the water and then be done doing its job.

That's my theory anyways lol.

 

Is the Dryer the canister that hangs out in front of the A/C or is it something else?
I had my system open for a week and didn't realize i need to replace it too. Can't find any part called a dryer/drier.

 

Yes, that's it. Looks like Honda calls it a Receiver.

 

The A/C system is not a 100% sealed system. Depending on where you live, sooner or later you'll have to replace it. It's a cheap part, the most expensive part is getting the system evacuated and re-filled. If you live in a place with low humidity like Southern California or the desert you'll likely never have to replace it. If you live somewhere with a lot of humidity, then I'd say once every 6-7 years 80,000 miles it's probably a good idea. You'll know it needs replacing because you'll start seeing mist come out of the vents regularly.

 

Plus it depends on the quality of components. My 1994 Thunderbird has an intact system (145K miles) but once, maybe twice a year, I add a can of R-134(occasionally + oi)l and it works great. Other Fords I have had required complete replacements of compressors, driers, and other components several times. (I am totally done with Fords). Honda is so far bullet proof. 1994 MDX, 2004 TL, 2006 Accord, and 2009 S have intact and never serviced systems. Also the same for my 92 Tacoma with only 85K miles. Humidity here is 10-15%. No rust (I mean NO rust) ever forms on auto parts. Good old California.

Mist or condensed fog does not indicate the drier is bad. The drier is internal to the ac system. The mist or visible water condensing in the air is from humid air contacting the cold evaporator inside the pax compartment (dash). See it all the time on non-refrigerant cooled systems like aircraft "pack' systems.