Converting Legacy AC from R12 to R134

[KavanX]

Hello All,
The car is a 92 Legacy L with 101K miles and it is located in Florida.
I am told that I need to either recharge the AC system with R12 or
convert the system to use R134. I would like to convert the system to
R134, but I am not too sure of the end result.

Has anybody converted a Legacy to R134? Is the AC system effective
afterwards? Any special problems? I would greatly appreciate any
replies ... Thanks!

-- K

 

[Bob's Backfire Burrito]

Hello All,
The car is a 92 Legacy L with 101K miles and it is located in Florida.
I am told that I need to either recharge the AC system with R12 or
convert the system to use R134. I would like to convert the system to
R134, but I am not too sure of the end result.

Has anybody converted a Legacy to R134? Is the AC system effective
afterwards? Any special problems? I would greatly appreciate any
replies ... Thanks!

-- K

ANY system converted from R-12 to R-134 will be less effective.It will work,
the same compressor, coils can be used.The system must be completely flushed
as the oild used with R-12 is not compatible with R-134.
R-134 sure is a lot cheaper to deal with, R-12 is impossible to get in a lot
of states.

 

[AS]

Where in FL are you? I am in broward county and I can help you if you
are close.

The following is from a recent previous thread.

If you have an A/C technician certified to buy the R-12, you can get
the refrigerant from legal sources on ebay.com, you will need the epa
certification id. The cost for one 12oz can of R-12 ranges from $17 to $22

To find a leak you can look for the oil traces left by the leak.

The reasons to use R-12:
- Cools better
- Conversions have many problems due to incompatibility of the oil in
the system with the r-134. Replacing the compressor oil will not work
too well because the oil is in the whole system. You would need to
flush the system with nitrogen, thus improving your chances but not
guaranteeing much. I remember reading, while studying for the EPA
certification, that R-12 substitute refrigerants are not the solution
either. The conversion will work but is not the right thing to do.

Reasons to use r-134:
- Easily available for now.
- Cost

If you are into stuyding a lil, you can get certified online, an open
book examination for $19.95, http://www.epatest.com/e_609cert.html.

There are two certifications:
- 609 for automotive "Section 609 Certification allows the purchase of
any refrigerant in any size container from an auto supply house for use
in cooling the passenger compartment of vehicles!"
- 608 "With 608 certification, you can purchase ANY refrigerant in
containers greater that 20 pounds."

Please note that 609 is only for refrigerants used in cars.
and that 608 is for any refrigerants in containers larger than 20 lbs.

I hope this information helps.

 

[KavanX]

Thanks a lot for the info. Unfortunately, I am in Tampa.

This is great. I think I will either try to find a mechanic with the
EPA certification or get the cert myself - it doesn't look tough. From
your reply and others it looks like converting to R134 does not work
well, so I will stick to recharging with R12. Is it normal for a AC
system to lose coolant over the years, or must there be a leak in the
system?

Thanks!

-- K

 

[AS]

It is normal for systems to lose their charge over the years, but there
could also be a leak in the system. Before you put the refrigerant in,
have it pumped to a vacuum (unless you can pressurize it with Nitrogen).
The system should keep the vacuum or the pressure for at least 20
minutes or so.

Remember the exam is an open book exam and you will find sample
questions in the reading material

About R12 prices:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2-ca...tegoryZ34197QQihZ013QQitemZ230130584014QQrdZ1
http://www.refrigerantsales.com/