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Hello guys,
I have a '93 4 cyl. The AC uses R12. It has lost the gas and I am thinking about changing it to R134. The mechanic told me that all he would have to do is install the R134 adapters, flush the system and then recharge with the R134. The R12 costs $75, but the R134 with the conversion costs $125. Sounds worth it because it is difficult to find R12.
What do you think? Is it going to work fine?

you can buy the do-it-yourself kit now for 50$ at canadian tire..havent used it myself but i hear it works great, im sure its also available in the US

the A/C recharge kit things only cost like 35 bucks at Wally World (Wal-Mart) and about 30 at Autozone.

Yeah, but r12 cools much better, but you are right when it comes to finding the stuff. Some guy was selling 1lb bottles in the newspaper for 10 bucks, maybe you can find a deal like that.

i dunno, i got mine retroed over from R12 to R134 and the whole thing cost me $85.
it would be worth it though, because the R12 is becoming increasingly harder to find since all new cars use R134, i would say go for it

i just did it for my roommate it cost 25 bucks total from autozone, its beyond easy no reason to pay someone to do this, hell this is easier than changing your oil. Though if you get caught venting your going to get a pretty hefty fine

whats this "venting" you speek of
j/w cus my a/c also needs a DIY refill

venting either r12 or 13 into the atmosphere is illegal and had a pretty heft fine if you get caught doing it, enough that you could probably build 3 or 4 bad a-- mx3s

interesting, well ive had enough hefty fines to last me a life time.
but if the system is not working, as in blowing cold air, then is there really anything left in the system to vent,,if so maybe its possible to rather than release it right into the atmoshphere you could capture it and dispose of properly..maybe just blow up some balloons? lol
sorry if this seems dumb ive always steered clear from working on things like air conditioners, but the diy kit seems quite simple

Ya the stuff from the auto stores works pretty good. Nice to hear people are worried about the environment. I'm a licenced CFC Instructor in Ontario. Just means I have a number so I can but Freon. Any garage that refills your R12 system would lose their licence so garages don't usually keep R12 on hand because of that.

Thanks for your responses guys!
I am going for it. It'll make my life easier in the future.

tmac4t4 wrote:interesting, well ive had enough hefty fines to last me a life time.
but if the system is not working, as in blowing cold air, then is there really anything left in the system to vent,,if so maybe its possible to rather than release it right into the atmoshphere you could capture it and dispose of properly..maybe just blow up some balloons? lol
sorry if this seems dumb ive always steered clear from working on things like air conditioners, but the diy kit seems quite simple

Bring your car to a reputable A/C repair shop and have the R12 evacuated. They usually do it for free. Then you can use the R134 kits that everyone is talking about, they work quite well. Just do not overfill and make sure it is a conversion kit with built in lubricant.

I would suggest also taking it to a shop and have them evacuate the remaining r12.

The oils in the R12, when mixed with R134, will congeal and lock up your compressor.

When I retrofitted my old truck, this is what happened. I thought I had it all out but there was still oil left.

by the way, R12 is quite expensive still, so a shop will be more than willing to take what's left from your car.

SuperK wrote:I would suggest also taking it to a shop and have them evacuate the remaining r12.

The oils in the R12, when mixed with R134, will congeal and lock up your compressor.

When I retrofitted my old truck, this is what happened. I thought I had it all out but there was still oil left.

That is why it's important to use the R134 conversion kit. The oil in this kit will not react with any traces of the old R12 oil.