My 18 Caravan is 134A.
R1234yf problems?
- Thread starter Chris142
- Start date
The pressures are very similar which is why there are a lot of backyard mechanics making the change to R134a. There's no problem with the oil in the R1234yf system with the change to R134a either. My bet is in a few more years R1234yf will be priced in line with what R134a is going for now.
As a side note a lot of people converted R12 to R152a which is used in dust blaster cans with good results. IIRC it is also a substitute refrigerant for R12 that has the EPA's blessings.
Actually at the federal level hydrocarbon refrigerants are legal to retrofit into R134a systems. (Local and state laws may still restrict them.)
As a practical matter the restrictions in place for servicing AC systems are only enforceable against shops. If you work on your own car what happens in the privacy of your own garage tends to stay there.
They do not convert those R12 systems, they get a side tap thing and thread the hose with the bicycle valve style thread on and fill it up from the dust blaster can.
It depends, convert or change from R12 to R152a I guess, I think most people got my point. How does this sound? They run them on the R152a, instead of R12, and they work fine. Everything remains the same, no parts changed. Charge based on pressures and vent temps, not weight.
If I ever use up the remaining 10 pounds of R12 I have I'll might run my van on it. Regarding the can tap, the one I have fits perfectly onto the charge hose on my R12 manifold gauge set.
I like your clarification, I was referring to the side taps from companies like Robinair when if an R12 system ever needs a recharge you just need to then find the yellow FJC hose and it would enable one to get the refrigerant out of a Dust-Off or similar can (they tend to be an odd, skinny size) and refill their pre-1994 (?) system that way.
It's on Amazon
Thanks! I have a side tap from Mastercool that fits the charge hose from the old set of R12 gauges I have. IIRC its 1/4" fitting, the type of fitting is slipping my mind at the time.
Drifting OT a bit, the R152a is a much cheaper and better choice than trying to "convert" an R12 system to R134a. I have a feeling someone in cyber world is going to post about converting an R1234yf system to R152a.
That's interesting, is R152a compatible with the old-school mineral oil used in R12 systems?
I played with r152a a couple years ago. It leaked from everywhere and I had to top it it off often.
All of them.
Mercedes wanted to go with CO2, called R-744 in the HVACR trade. Problem is that the parts are bulky, the concern of aftermarket support for equipment and only Denso seemed to want to make the parts for it.
Thermo King has a R-744 system out for reefer trucks.
That can happen. Leak testing the system first is always a good idea. I had a "so called pro" fix the AC in my E-150 and after losing the full charge of R12 twice within a week I started learning how to fix it myself.
From what I've read, yes. There's quite a bit of info floating around about it. If you're considering doing it I would suggest reading up on it first. People are using propane as well, I'd pass on that.
Yes, that is what I was appearantly thinking of.
So why is the new refrigerant systems seemingly so unreliable now?
That is my question too
It's almost better than "R12."
Been awhile since I did that but I was on a system with a small leak. Got it stopped.. somewhat. It eventually leaked again. The cans on EBay of R12 I see look rusty.
I still have about 12 cans of Dust-Off in my house. Now I have a car with a perfectly working and nicely charged R134a system ..
My first guess is some kind of industry lobbying bill, designed to encourage the DIYer from working on their car.
Second thought is the patent on trade names expiring every 25 years, and R134a was introduced on 1994... 26 years ago. So now this is the new one.
totally agree, in the UK I LOVED TWIN SU carbs, even triples on an E- TYPE jag. i had a ' color tone' plug and you could actually see into the combustion chamber, blue was Stoichiometric Ratio but slight rich gave better performance . just an example of newer but not better. xk150 jag predated the e-type and 150 was the top speed !!
i agree a 'trade names' and patents, i take a medication referred to by most docs as trileptal not me its oxcarbazepane that's the generic and cost me nothing at all ever. btw some docs gave people trileptal for 'free' but suddenly stopped when the generic became available
Our Stelvio AC stopped working, had to take it in...they said over 50% of the volume had leaked out, and they drained and re-filled under warranty...claimed no leak could be found.
