Conversion to R134?
 

What do I need to buy? I've talked to people that say get the conversion kit and some just say evacuate the system and put in the oil and new refridgerant. Does anyone know exactly what I NEED to get?

Thanks, James

To get the most out of the conversion, you should vacuum the system first. Then get the complete kit, which will include 2 cans of R134A, and the Oil Charge, which is absolutely necessary. The oil charge is a seal conditioner and system lubricant. If you don't add it, you'll probably destroy your compressor in short order.

You may want to pick up another can of R134A as well. I've seen the full kit as cheap as $34.99 at Wal Mart a year or two ago.

You need the kit just for the adapters that come with it. They allow the r-134 can to fit on your r-12 fittings. The cans use different servicing hoses and style connectors.

You dont need the oil additive, and I would even say dont use it, as this tends to clog up the screen in one of the lines (cant remember off the top of my head, but its the line going from the condenser to the reciever/drier I think. it has a screen in it, and likes to clog up when shooting that oil shot in there, so I say skip the oil charge. (seen it clog up in 3 out of the 4 conversions I did)

All you really need is the adapter fittings, servicing hose, and the cans of 134. 2 cans is normally enough, but you might need three.

If the screen clogs up in the line, your a/c will not blow cold at all, and then you have to change the line also.

Getting it vacuumed down is also a good idea for optimal performance, but not required.

I've always been told that the compressor would destroy itself if it wasn't lubricated. If it's been done without the charge, then maybe it's overrated.

I've done 3 conversions and used the oil charge every time. Always blew very cold air. By cold I mean driving across the New Mexico desert in August I had to turn the A/C down, LOL.

The compressor is lubricated. There is still oil in the system. Unless you drain the oil charge and all the residual oil throughout the lines and components, it should have sufficient oil in it already. That shot they give you with the kit is like a "top off" refresher shot I guess.

you should also change all o-rings in the system, with the new ones supplied in the retrofit kit you buy

Hmm, I thought you have to replace the oil since the oil they use for R12 is not compatible with R134a and will deteriorate. R134a isn't as stable as R12 is.

You may also want to consider switching to DuraCool as an option. This is a HC based refrigerant instead of an HFC based refrigerant . It should be as simple as charging the system. It should also cool better than both R12 and R134a.

http://www.duracool.com/

I haven't tried it yet, but I think I'm going to.

I'm fixin' to change mine over. It's getting all new R-134 compatable seals, new drier, flush out all old oil and R-12 junk from compressor and lines, evacuate to remove any moisture, install R-134 oil, and recharge.

Well, im not an expert on the subject, but I believe that to be hype. Maybe PKRWUD would know, since he owns a shop?

When the 134A was first released they were saying the ester oil that this refrigerant takes would eat up all the seals in the old 12 systems. So what Jimberg said is what I have always believed to be true.

After hearing from several people that the switchover is as simple as dumping the old and putting in the new, I would have to believe it works.

andy

leaning toward the wal-mart kit
 

I guess I'll go with the wal mart kit since it has the fittings I need and already comes with the oil. I'll pick up an extra bottle of freon also. I hope I don't need to change out the O- rings. If I do, I guess I'll do it after they deteriorate which hopefully won't be too soon:rolleyes: I also thought you had to use the new oil with the new refridgerant. What's the deal with that? Thanks for the input.

Later, James

We're still working on that. I will say that using the new oil is also meant to coat the o-rings so that they don't deteriorate.

Jimberg: How much is that Duracool? Looks to be the future in Refridgerant from all I've read about it. Sounds good but anything that sounds that good has to cost more than what I can pay.

Thanks for your help, James

You can buy the stuff from www.duracoolusa.com. The quick fix kit is only $47.45 including shipping. It includes 3 6oz cans and the tool to charge the system.

Pffftttt... Don't listen to jimberg I see he's from Minnesota. They don't even need air conditioning there. I live way south of him and until a few days ago I hadn't hardly seen 70*.

Seriously, nice to see you posting, man!

Hey, Unit. Yeah, I guess I tend to post more during the summer. Probably because it's time to do work on the car. The American Ford 4th Annual Mustang Show is on June 9th. Are you going to attend this year?

This is the info I got from a guy named Glenn, who posts a lot on the corral and works in the A/C field for a living.
He recommends flushing the condenser and the compresser and replacing the liquid line. Replace all the o-rings (It's not difficult, maybe will take an hour or two), have the system vacuumed out and then charge it up using the combination oil that is designed for the retrofit kit. R12 uses a mineral oil and r134 uses an ester oil. These two are not compatible with each other and this is why you should flush the system and use the retrofit oil. The r134 will be able to escape right past the r12 o-rings and oil so unless you want to add a can of r134 a month, change the o-rings and use the right oil.

Also, if your A/C hasn't been working for a while, you'll want to replace the dryer or else the moisture will cause compressor failure within a couple of weeks.

As jimberg stated, there are drop in R12 replacements that work better than R12 and much better than R134. If I didn't live in Canada, I'd probably be using one of these but since they're hard to come by up here I'm stuck with R134.

Thanks for all the info red82gt. That really helps out alot and explains what I've been wondering about the oil and all. My system has zero freon in it right now. Is it considered evacuated? Also, the oil in the compressor, what do I need to do to drain it, take it off and empty it? I imagine the O-ring kit is available at any auto zone or discount auto parts stores.

James

Evacuation means you put a vacuum pump on the system to remove all the moisture.

I knew it was probably a stupid question but I had to ask:confused:

Thanks, James