John - you are the AC king !
So I have this old V6 with R12 - its not working, but the only fault the HVAC controller throws up is to do with lower battery voltage than it would like - no errors about low gas pressure.
Anyway - I would like to convert it to R134 (or RS24). Some questions then -
1. Do I need to change all the seals ?
>> No
2. Do I need to change the restrictor (I think not) ?
>> No
And can you confirm that I need to do the following during the conversion process ---
1. Replace the drier/reciever/reservoir
>> Strictly, no...........but if the current system has ever been empty or had a leak the receiver/drier will have no ability left to remove moisture and that's bad. Also the old one will be contaminated with mineral oil which is the R12 lubricant. Given you should be able to get one from GSF for less than £40, I'd replace it if I were you.
2. Drain / evacuate all traces of old gas and oil
>> Yes, but as @S2driveruk says, at this point it's worth paying someone to evacuate the system and recharge with R134a and as part of that they'll check you can hold a vacuum for a while which is a good leak test.
3. Charge system with PAG oil as compatible with R134 gas
>> With R134a you can use PAG or POE oil. Manufacturers use PAG but POE has it's advantages. Most likely whoever you use to recharge the system will have an automated unit that adds the correct amount of oil along with the correct weight of gas.
Finally though - the 1st thing I need to do is have the thing leak tested before I do anything - I have one of those leak test kits from interdynamics with the dye, lamp & goggles - are they OK for use on R12 and R134 systems ?
>> Yes they are, but you also need to have enough gas in the system for it to run for the dye to get round all the system to look for leaks so there's a bit of a "Catch 22" here.
Oh last question (D'oh) - Anything special I should look out for when hooking up my AC pressure guages onto this system - other than maybe funky LP port on the compressor ?
>> The big thing we haven't covered so far is that the connectors on a R12 system are different to those on a R134a one so the first thing you have to do is get a pair of R12 to R134a adaptors. They will screw onto your R12 high and low side connectors and make them the correct size for attaching R134a kit - and incidently your gauges!
I have seen them for sale in the UK - http://www.car-air-conditioning-supp...9&cat=0&page=1
This is expensive when all you need is the adaptors which you can buy in the US on their own for around $10. I or someone could get you a set from the US.
Cheers,
Paul
So I have this old V6 with R12 - its not working, but the only fault the HVAC controller throws up is to do with lower battery voltage than it would like - no errors about low gas pressure.
Anyway - I would like to convert it to R134 (or RS24). Some questions then -
1. Do I need to change all the seals ?
>> No
2. Do I need to change the restrictor (I think not) ?
>> No
And can you confirm that I need to do the following during the conversion process ---
1. Replace the drier/reciever/reservoir
>> Strictly, no...........but if the current system has ever been empty or had a leak the receiver/drier will have no ability left to remove moisture and that's bad. Also the old one will be contaminated with mineral oil which is the R12 lubricant. Given you should be able to get one from GSF for less than £40, I'd replace it if I were you.
2. Drain / evacuate all traces of old gas and oil
>> Yes, but as @S2driveruk says, at this point it's worth paying someone to evacuate the system and recharge with R134a and as part of that they'll check you can hold a vacuum for a while which is a good leak test.
3. Charge system with PAG oil as compatible with R134 gas
>> With R134a you can use PAG or POE oil. Manufacturers use PAG but POE has it's advantages. Most likely whoever you use to recharge the system will have an automated unit that adds the correct amount of oil along with the correct weight of gas.
Finally though - the 1st thing I need to do is have the thing leak tested before I do anything - I have one of those leak test kits from interdynamics with the dye, lamp & goggles - are they OK for use on R12 and R134 systems ?
>> Yes they are, but you also need to have enough gas in the system for it to run for the dye to get round all the system to look for leaks so there's a bit of a "Catch 22" here.
Oh last question (D'oh) - Anything special I should look out for when hooking up my AC pressure guages onto this system - other than maybe funky LP port on the compressor ?
>> The big thing we haven't covered so far is that the connectors on a R12 system are different to those on a R134a one so the first thing you have to do is get a pair of R12 to R134a adaptors. They will screw onto your R12 high and low side connectors and make them the correct size for attaching R134a kit - and incidently your gauges!
I have seen them for sale in the UK - http://www.car-air-conditioning-supp...9&cat=0&page=1
This is expensive when all you need is the adaptors which you can buy in the US on their own for around $10. I or someone could get you a set from the US.
Cheers,
Paul
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