Actually, the best replacement for R12 is R12. It is still readily
available and it is not very hard to get certified to buy and handle it. A
couple of years ago my son and I both got certified so that we could work
on his RX7. We did that job and since that time I have done several others
for my dad and other folks. The price of R12 rises ever year (by law), but
it is still available. My favorite source is ebay. If you are not in a
hurry you can still get it for a good price. At least good compared to a
couple of hundred to do the conversion.
You still need a vacuum pump and if there is any R12 still in the system
you need a recovery system (please don't just vent it to the atmosphere),
but you need all this if you do a conversion anyway.
By the way, for some strange reason, it is NOT illegal to keep filling an
R12 system that has a leak, even if you know that it is leaking. This is
always one of the questions on the test.
Sam
At 07:27 PM 8/31/2003 -0400, Johnmowog@aol.com wrote:
>Re: the R134 discussion...
>
>Having had a couple of cars including an XJ6 converted I can offer the
>following .02 worth... Yes, a good flush out and change of fittings is a
>start, but
>for longevity sake changing hoses is recommended as they are permeable
>enough
>that R12 and oil residue wll stay in the system forever. (Also, hose leaks
>are the 90th+ percentile cause of AC failure anyway!) A new evaporator is
>useful
>as well, R134 models tend towards larger than original to try to overcome the
>lack of efficiancy. An upgrade in the size of the accumulator valve which
>controls flow (I'm no expert but I think that's what the guy said it
>did...) made
>a very noticable difference. None of these parts were expensive, a couple
>hundred bucks and a couple hours labor and he was done.
>
>The aftermarket R12 subsitute is in one of my vehicles, it's not as good as
>the original but my non-scientific feel is that it's still colder than
>it's be
>if it was R134, based on the changes in the XJ6.
>
>As for EVER running it at less than full capacity.. trips through
>California's central valley in the summer make one wish for the famous
>guitar volume
>control which went past "10" to "11" .
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