1989 K1500 oe R12 fill back in the day- hasn't worked for years, rebuilding from firewall to and including condenser- will also be pulling evap to clean this weekend. No longer a fan of ACD seems this brand are as junky as everything else now, GM Genuine list the hoses I've looked at as suitable for R12- I believe this to be an error. But the question I have is- normally RA is my go to for parts, which name brand is decent quality for barrier hose and what a decent brand for condenser, looking at Summit or........?
AC hoses and misc parts...
- Thread starter dfarr67
- Start date
Why do you think the hoses being suitable for R12 is an error?
As far as components being better than another, I have found that as cars age you start to get limited in what is available. I haven't had any issues with stuff from Four Seasons, but anything I can still get from Denso is usually my first choice.
You can also get hose assemblies repaired at a hose shop if you can find one. There used to be several in the Milwaukee metropolitan area but most have gone out of business. The remaining one I have used in the past was pretty expensive.
As far as components being better than another, I have found that as cars age you start to get limited in what is available. I haven't had any issues with stuff from Four Seasons, but anything I can still get from Denso is usually my first choice.
You can also get hose assemblies repaired at a hose shop if you can find one. There used to be several in the Milwaukee metropolitan area but most have gone out of business. The remaining one I have used in the past was pretty expensive.
JHZR2
Staff member
I’m under the impression that the 134a hoses are better than r-12 hoses, due to the barrier layer. No reliance on oil coating to prevent diffusion and loss. Plus r-134a runs at higher pressures.
As for brands, no idea. It’s probably all the same Chinese bulk hose anymore.
As for brands, no idea. It’s probably all the same Chinese bulk hose anymore.
It may be listing it as R12 because of the service port on low pressure side.
GM started switching to R134a hose during the 1984 model year. The hoses that have "Goodyear Galaxy" on them were the improved hoses and fittings.
GM started switching to R134a hose during the 1984 model year. The hoses that have "Goodyear Galaxy" on them were the improved hoses and fittings.
There is a fella on here that could make custom hoses, however the aftermarket compressor looks like it will take the standard R4 manifold pattern. I believe I did see some aftermarket hoses with Goodyear barrier hose. This truck will be using R134, I don't know alot about AC as honestly this is more about retuning functionality than using it alot. But I am learning why it never held a charge after the R12 went away- the hoses. I will have a second look at the GM hoses, I thought R12 was not available and these may be NOS...
Held my nose and ordered these- by the stock photo the hoses are Goodyear Galaxy (ACD on fleabay were $170usd), going with a Ford red tube vs the variable I installed years ago when they were THE thing to install. Sytem looks clean by the looks of the old screen. Found some dribbles of antifreeze under the dash, interestingly enough the heater core has o-rings and retainers and the tubes can swivil- never seen that before, always fully brazed. The core looked as new so took apart cleaned it up added some sealant to the o-ring seat and silicone grease to the tube side. Good acces so if it leaks I will through a new core in- these days any replacment to oe seems to be a downgrade, except the condenser- I think the new one will be better tech. Took 2 cups of pine needles out of the evaporator duct, dry so just blew the finns out with air.
Decided to acetone flush the evap while on the bench- yellow colour coming out and doesn't seem to want to flush clear, should I be concerned?