$40 for a can of Freon? I think /not/.

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Sully1190

Sully1190

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So. I bought freon yesterday to try to get my AC up and running in my car. Then, I snapped out of my dream world and realized "Oh. This car is still set up for R12."

So, since I am not paying that much dang money to charge my AC, what all does it take to convert over to the 134? I've done some Google searches, and some people are saying that for the old Chryslers, all you need to do is change the dryer and the reciever. Then, there are people saying "No way! That's a complicated and delicate system and you have to replace everything!"

So. Some light, please, gentlemen?
 
My son is a a/c teck and all he did is change the dryer and put a vac on it and charged it up with 134-a and works great i think you can stell get the kit you need at like a autozone type store to make it fit the new type hoses but you dont need them unless you go to a shop to get it worked on Paul
 
Awesome. Thanks guys. Good to know that's all I needed. I was stressing out thinking I had stumbled into another high cost.
 
There is converting it and then there is making it cold. Last vehicle I converted did not get cold until I replaced the condenser with a more 134 friendly one, the tubes in it were larger if I remember correctly. Also used a Spal fan on the condenser and had a high pressure cut out switch put in the new hoses that I had made. Might want to get new hoses made as well as the 134 tends to leak in the hoses meant for 12. When I first put it together, with no high pressure switch, the oe condenser, oe hoses and no fan was lucky to see 42* vent temps. After one of the hoses blew out and I replace it all 30* vent temps at idle in the Phoenix heat were achieved. Might want to read here for some info.....
 
You'll need the adapters that screw on the ports as the r12. are different in size than r134 . Converted my dads 67 coronet. Evacuated it and serviced with r134. Maybe got lucky but that was two years ago and the vent temp is still about 40 degrees below condenser air temp. Has about 10000 miles since done. As a side note that system was an ad on from Sears and roebuck. and not factory installed.
 
Dads looking into doing the same and I spoke to a shop and they said about a couple hundred to have it done....I will be paying attn to this thread

Thanks guys!
 
There is a product called DURACOOL which is sold in Canada. You can buy it for $8 a can shipped to the US.
http://www.duracool.com/
The down side is that it's PROPANE (yeah, like you heat the house with) and JUST a bit flammable! Other than that, it's a direct replacement for R12 and every system i've used it in (old uncoverted r-12s without even vacuuming them) it will freeze you out in minutes. VERY good cooling!
 
I am really liking the sound of the Duracool. I also found out my father might have a new dryer lying around. So I have some options now. Thanks guys.
 
I have used Duracool in several cars for years. It works slightly better than R-12. R-134A will run at higher pressure, which isn't good for your compressor. There are several other butane mixtures. I bought a can for ~$8 at a local show. The guy said he must endure all the uneducated comments from naysayers, and some will surely chime in here. No need to flush the oil or freon, but you will need to add R-134A type adapters.

Yes, butane is flammable. R-134A is flammable and forms poisonous phosgene gas. R-134A is being replaced by butane since R-134A is a potent greenhouse gas. Home refrigerators in Europe and Japan already use butane, and will soon in the U.S. I don't see houses burning down. They put mercaptin in the mixture so you can smell a leak, plus I have never read of a car fire from using it. Pick up a 6 oz can and you will swear it is empty, so hard to imagine the threat. The EPA made fools of themselves by fighting it for years, so now they will insist on calling it something other than butane.
 
The 134a conversion is pretty simple, and blow's cool enough for government work, the process as follows:



A: Grab new nipples for the 134a conversion from auto part's house, install them.

B. Take note of the charge amount in Oz. sticker should be on core support, fender, or hood.

C. Get some nice thick leather gloves, and a few cans of r134a from big lots (enter your discount housewares store here) should be $6-12 a can.

D. Turn a/c on full blast, let it warm up, wait for the compressor to cycle on. Then quickly...

*E: Evacuate the R12 while recharging it simultaneously with 134a and refill until 75-80% with a gauge, or until your canister dryer is cool on both top and bottom without a gauge...


The instructions are on the back of the 134a nipple conversion package if you get lost...


Your done, easy.


* The evacuation should be pretty close to free whether you do it redneck style and just let it fly, or take it to a shop and have them do it the 'green' way. They get paid handsomely for recovered R12, so don't let them fool you... Also gotta love the fact 134a is way more toxic than R12. Ahh, politics.



As a bonus, You could have some one put a sniffer on it to make sure there aren't any leaks that could be trouble later on before you do the conversion... And you could also install a new drier, hoses, o-ring's and get fancy, but if it's kept r-12 this long, you don't have to replace anything, run it.
 
I like to say that anyone who complains about the danger of 24 ounces of flammable air conditioning fluid should remember that they are sitting on 20 GALLONS of ultra-explosive high octane GASOLINE!
 
Put the Duracool in without changing anything. At $6 a can you can afford to gamble the $12 to charge the system just like it is. I'm telling you it will work. If it DOESNT, you're out $12 and then you can convert over :)
 
I could be wrong, but I think you need to replace the rubber parts with barrier style hoses and all of the o-rings need replaced as well. A good flush is always in order too.
 
1990 Dodge pickup. Drained out the R12 slowly as not to lose any oil, changed the fittings and refilled it with Envrioseal and it blows at 38º. Thats plenty cold for me.
Once the air temp reaches 32º, the evaporator will freeze up, and it won't cool anymore until the ice melts. I didn't change anything else in the system, and didn't pull a vacuum either. It's been 10 years now.

I have 4 fresh cans of DuPont R12 freon sitting in my garage, but can't find anyone with a gauge set or a can tap to put it in for me locally.
Someday I'll switch it back to R12.

George
 
The directions make it sound a lot harder than it is. You can convert it and fill it yourself in about 20 minutes. In California the price of R134a freon has doubled over the past year so instead of $8 a can its $19 a can + $10 core.
 
This what I used. The car is long gone but it was cold the whole time I owned it. Got it at Advance Auto

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q0sMQJre60"]How to convert your old R-12 to R-134a AC setup - YouTube[/ame]
 
Yes. All are hydrocarbon mixtures (mostly butane). They will work in a freon system, without needing to change the oil or seals. They work slightly better than freon.
 
OMG. what a bunch of wrong information. Converting is not rocket science, and actually almost anyone can do it. But you need the correct info, which is not in this thread.

My qualifications: I am certified HVAC tech in both automotive and non automotive (section 608 and 609). Have been doing A/c work for over 45 years. Everything from small refrigerators to multiple hundred ton industrial chillers, plus auto and transport refrigeration.
 
Charrlie_S said:
OMG. what a bunch of wrong information. Converting is not rocket science, and actually almost anyone can do it. But you need the correct info, which is not in this thread.

My qualifications: I am certified HVAC tech in both automotive and non automotive (section 608 and 609). Have been doing A/c work for over 45 years. Everything from small refrigerators to multiple hundred ton industrial chillers, plus auto and transport refrigeration.
Click to expand...

Well I guess I will step up (or put my foot in my mouth) and ask what is wrong with using the kit?

Interdynamics EZ Chill R-12 to R-134a Recharge and Retrofit Kit

If that was wrong information then I would like to know so I will not recommend it.
 
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