r12freon questions

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My 92 chevy truck has r12 and boy o boy does she get ice cold. My problem is the ac clutch cycles every 20 seconds or so. I assume it needs freon. Now I really dont want to convert it:( 134 sucks. Isn't there a can of freon made that can be bought by a regular Joe and is compatible with r12?
 
Craigslist normally has a few. The price has really come down now that most cars on the road take R134a.

-Rouphis
 
R12 hasnt been manufactured for over 10 years now.You need a licence to buy it.They dont want you purging it into the atmosphere,you need the reclaiming equipment and licence to deal with it properly.
 
Leave it alone! Overpressure can make the clutch cycle just like under pressure. You say it's cold. Don't touch it!

A gauge set might be useful, but every time you connect one you vent a smidgen of that precious R12.
 
If it is ice cold, leave it alone. You do not need a recharge IMO. The clutch is designed to cycle. You are lucky your '92 Chev is still tight. These systems were designed for R12 and to convert it when it is still working is a waste on money. FWIW--Oldtommy
 
Don't mess with it. If it's cold leave well enough alone. As was said, when you connect to the system you lose some refrigerant. Not a lot, but since auto A/Cs contains little to begin with it makes a difference.
 
Wait until it is a hot humid day and run it for a while. If it is cold, and the suction line is real cold then it is full charged, and you do not want to mess with it. On cold days like not the clutch should not say in. The clutch should stay in on hot days.
 
Last I heard, you don't need a license to buy it anymore.

Even if you do, the online test takes like 5-10 minutes and you instantly are "licensed". Did it myself some years ago.
 
Its about 60 degrees outside and it cycles about every 10 seconds. It seemed like longer. Its very cold colder than my Saturn and I know it works correctly
 
The last time I bought R12 was this summer from a fellow forum member on one of the sites I go to. It was a 54 lb bottle with about 50lbs left. I also bought a r12 can off of craigslist awhile back.

I got my 609 certificate about five years ago which enables me to buy R12 and I had to use it when I bought some R12 on Ebay to recharge my 92 Cavalier.

Check your system by pressures to see if it is low. Continuous cycling usually does mean the system is low but you need to check pressures to be sure.

If possible I would also keep your truck R12 if at all possible if it does need to be recharged or repaired because you won't get the same performance with R134a.

Wayne
 
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
Isn't there a can of freon made that can be bought by a regular Joe and is compatible with r12?
No! Theres no refrigerant that can be added to a system that already contains R12.

The low pressure cycling switch cuts the compressor off @ around 25psi to prevent the evaporator from freezing up. On a cool day it may cycle quite often, on a hot day it may never cycle off.

Also the fan speed has much to do with cycling. Low fan = more cycling and high fan speed = less cycling.

Originally Posted By: eagle23
Last I heard, you don't need a license to buy it anymore.

You heard wrong. Nothing has changed and you still need a cert to buy it (legally).
 
Leave it alone until it is not COLD. Then worry about it.
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