R12/R134a replacement

[Earthworm]

I've been using this stuff in my car for over a year now and it works great.

I've finally had the opportunity to take a pic of the can for your eyes to see:

[kuoh]

So where do we get it? You get me a few cans of R12, and I'll install your remote start.

KuoH

[Mr. Pockets]

I've seen cans of R134a in Meijer, Target, AutoZone, etc. I even see whole recharge kits with pressure gauges and everything.

I was going to try one of these kits on the SVX, but hosing out the radiator seemed to do the trick. My AC works faultlessly now.

[svxcess]

MIke Wirt (rufus) also retrofitted his A/C to R134 and is very happy with the results.

[Beav]

I'll give anyone $5 for each genuine, untapped can of R-12 they can find. Around here a 30# bottle is about $900.

Not to rain on anyone's parade but a number of 'replacement' refrigerants don't mix well with the oil in the a/c system (it's highly specialized) and cause expensive problems down the road.

What I would suggest for those that want to do their own a/c work is find a shop that will evacuate what you have in the system beforehand, you go home, do the work and come back to have the system evacuated and refilled correctly.

For those that convert to R-134, the correct method is to replace the oil in the system with PAG, Estercool, etc., that is rated for use with R-134. The a/c will work without changing the oil, but for how long is anyone's guess. We're not seeing too many problems at our shop with genuine R-134, but we have seen problems stemming from 'alternative' refrigerants. Our normal suppliers here won't even offer alternatives, as they cause warranty problems for the parts they sell along with the refrigerant.

Just some food for thought....

[rufus]

John, check out the thread in the tech section for an update. My enthusiasm has waned a bit since I talked to you last... however, I do not yet lay the blame on the refrigerant and hopefully I will get everything worked out here shortly.