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Old Car Question: Re-Charging or Re-Vamping A/C
My own self ^
| 9/20/02
| Self
Posted on 09/20/2002 5:59:39 AM PDT by MoralSense
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To: Brytani
Quick correction to my previous post. My husband just reminded me, when we bought the retro-kit we also purchased other parts for the Jeep. He says the actual cost of the kit was $125 and our labor cost was increased because my husband also had a tune-up performed at the same time.
21
posted on
09/20/2002 8:31:55 AM PDT
by
Brytani
To: Guna
Hey CTYankee! What are you doing on this thread? Aren't you and your wife having a baby on the other thread right now?
Good Luck!
Yeah, I know. :-o
Any thread that has the word car I got to check out.
To: billbears
Was at the Penske garage at K-Mart on Capital. They are gone now, but I had found several places fairly reasonable.
The radiator shops were the highest. There are a few independent garages who really do better work for much less than the auto dealers and/or radiator shops. Some prefer cash -- Gee, I wonder why?
To: epow
That kit at Walmart is a good buy, but it leaves one major problem: The R-12 must be totally evacuated from the system
and disposed of by a professional to be "legal". Hmmm...
I wonder if my neighbor could tell if I just let it out?
To: MoralSense
I've had three mid-eighties Ford full size cars (2 Crown Vics & a Grand Marquis) all retrofitted for r134a... cost about $400 apiece, I think. They work great. I'd recommend it.
25
posted on
09/20/2002 9:01:39 AM PDT
by
Sloth
To: TommyDale
There are a few independent garages who really do better work for much less than the auto dealers and/or radiator shopsYou've got Freepmail. Truer words have never been spoken. Wouldn't go to a dealership if you paid for the work and then paid me to go there (i.e. Capital)
To: yarddog
I am a little nervous after reading an earlier post regarding the new stuff attacking the hoses. It's more a case of the new refrigerant being able to seep through the older hose material than actually "attacking" it. Hoses intended for use with R-134a are referred to as "nylon barrier" type, which is a fairly self-descriptive.
Those Wal-Mart retrofit kits are a crapshoot - not only are the newer hoses different, the o-rings in the system fittings are made of a different material, too. Compressor crankshaft seals, too. Changing the service fittings and adding new oil (with "conditioner") and refrigerant might work okay, or your compressor might lock up after a week or two.
The "old" oil in the system will turn into sludge when exposed to R-134a, so most A/C technicians recommend a thorough system flush (not just pulling a vacuum) to remove as much oil as possible, before adding the new stuff.
R-134a can only be charged to 80% of the system's R-12 rating. That means you're starting out with 20% less cooling capacity - and a larger, more efficient condensor might be needed to keep the cooling capacity from dropping further.
To: MoralSense
Old car bump
To: MoralSense
you could try ordering freon through a farm co-op,
or (if it is legal in your state), using HC-12a from OZ Technologies or similar producer.
From what i understand there is no conversion necessary, nor is it corrosive to the to the system like HCF. On the down side, it is flammable at 1600 F at atmoshperic pressure. Some choice--a leaky corrosive halide; or a smelly flammable hydrocarbon ).
If you are interested the web site is
http://www.oztechnologyinc.com/
Dupont invested a lot of time and effort to secure HCF-134a as the sole successor to one of their cash cows--the patent expired freon. (No conspiracy--just good business sense.) Fortunately, HCF-134a is so ineffectual compared to freon that unlike freon, there are several alternatives out there.
Idaho has just adjusted its laws to allow HC-12a in motor vehicles.
To: freebounder; All
Thanks to everybody. You have reassured me about the conversion and given me a good idea what price to expect.
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