Tonight was judgment night. I didnt know what to do about. Over the winter the R12 gas had leaked partially, and when I came to use the AC this easter weekend, it wasn't very cold. Compressor was cycling very quickly and the air was not very cold.
After a bit of research i decided to convert to the later style gas R134a, this is a non oxone depleting gas and is readily avaliable. As I seem to be forever taking the car apart and having to get an outside company to de-gas/re-gas the car each time i need to work on it.
The only problems I could find listed in AC books is that the gas molecules of R134a are a lot smaller than R12, thus it is prone to leak, through seals and also the walls of the rubber hoses.
The first thing to do is, if the system has gas in it, is to have it removed professionally, the refrigerant is not toxic, but it is highly illegal to vent it off to the atmosphere.
Secondly remove the slam panel and the aux rad (if fitted) the allows greater access to the top of the compressor where the hoses are attatched. You will need some large spanners, 27mm and 32mm.
Then remove the drive belt and the 4x 13mm headed bolts that hold the compressor to the mounting block. The compressor is heavy so be warned.
Next thing is to drain out the old oil that is in the compressor. This is then replaced with an Ester based oil which is compatible with R12 and R134a. This is due to the fact that the original oil wont mix with the newer gas.
Once drained, refill with the correct amount of fresh oil. (cant remember this off hand, but will look it up and post here at a later date). Then refit the compressor in reverse order. You will also need to fit service port adapters that allow the re-charging equipment to to used.
Once this has all been done have the system vacuumed and re-filled using 85% of the original charge.
DONT use the old refrigerant quantity, as this is too much and the system wont perform at its best. I used 850g of R134a and have found this to be about right, judging by the gauges, but 900g would be fine.
After a bit of research i decided to convert to the later style gas R134a, this is a non oxone depleting gas and is readily avaliable. As I seem to be forever taking the car apart and having to get an outside company to de-gas/re-gas the car each time i need to work on it.
The only problems I could find listed in AC books is that the gas molecules of R134a are a lot smaller than R12, thus it is prone to leak, through seals and also the walls of the rubber hoses.
The first thing to do is, if the system has gas in it, is to have it removed professionally, the refrigerant is not toxic, but it is highly illegal to vent it off to the atmosphere.
Secondly remove the slam panel and the aux rad (if fitted) the allows greater access to the top of the compressor where the hoses are attatched. You will need some large spanners, 27mm and 32mm.
Then remove the drive belt and the 4x 13mm headed bolts that hold the compressor to the mounting block. The compressor is heavy so be warned.
Next thing is to drain out the old oil that is in the compressor. This is then replaced with an Ester based oil which is compatible with R12 and R134a. This is due to the fact that the original oil wont mix with the newer gas.
Once drained, refill with the correct amount of fresh oil. (cant remember this off hand, but will look it up and post here at a later date). Then refit the compressor in reverse order. You will also need to fit service port adapters that allow the re-charging equipment to to used.
Once this has all been done have the system vacuumed and re-filled using 85% of the original charge.
DONT use the old refrigerant quantity, as this is too much and the system wont perform at its best. I used 850g of R134a and have found this to be about right, judging by the gauges, but 900g would be fine.
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