[RESOLVED] Is my A/C system R134a or R12?

[wangboy925]

I was told that to check to see if your system was R134a or R12, that would have to check the valves where you put the freon in. Does anyone have a pic of what a R134a system looks like and a R12 system looks like. BTW I have a 1993 year talon.

 

[andy4g63]

When my car had an AC back in the day/1992 TSI/, it was on R-12.

 

[jimmythesaint]

Your car came with R-12. Its not hard to convert it to R-134 though. You just need the adaptors. Most any NAPA, Autozone, etc has the parts in stock.

There are two valves on your A/C system. A low side and a high side. The high side is on the drivers side of the engine bay right at the top edge. The low valve is just on the compressor and is a little hard to get to but nothing out of the way just follow your A/C line from the high side valve. They have plastic caps that screw on, unscrew the caps and you can see the valves. They look just like the ones on your tires, cept bigger.

*edit* you will have to remove the valves to screw on the adaptors.

 

[robbo185]

I believe the r-12 valve is screw on while the r-134 is an adapter like an air compressor where it snaps on

 

[wangboy925]

I know for a car being as old as a 93 has had R12 but Im trying to figure out if it was retro fitted for R134a. Thats why I dont know if my car still has the stock R12 or the retro fitted R134a from the last owner.

 

[Bud92gsx]

My 92 has 134-A from the factory..There is no retrofit sticker for 134-A..That might only be on the awd versions..

So it may be possible to have either or..There should be a yellow sticker somewhere in the engine bay that tells you R-12 or 134-A..


Edit- R-12 was banned in 94, making it illeagal to not outfit any vehicle with retrofit sticker..

 

[wangboy925]

Well I took bud92gsx's advice to see if there was a stick for what refrigerant was in the car. There was a sticker under the hood that said this car was converted to R134a. Thanks for all that replied but I have one more question: Does the A/C drier have to be replaced? I really dont want to take off the bumper, FMIC, front brace, etc. This would take hours to do.

 

[Bud92gsx]

I think you mean the AC condenser..What are you doing again, trying to convert to R134-A.. It looks like you need the new oil, along with the high and low side couplers..

Heres a thread about converting.. http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/299070-converting-c-over-r134.html

 

[wangboy925]

Not the condenser I mean the A/C drier. It's the thing that looks like a soda can in front of the A/C condenser. Found one at advanced discount for around 30 bucks. Putting it on will be a pain. So that's why Im asking if its really neccessary to put it in or not.

 

[Bud92gsx]

I have a license to do this stuff and I'm drawing a blank at the moment bro.. So I googled it..

You can read for yourself in the link..But it looks like you need to replace the seals in the drier and remove all mineral oil from system, and introduce pag oil to the system...So it's not nessesary to replace everything.

Now like it says, you can do the hard way, replacing condenser,evap,drier etc..

Or just do the seals and the pag oil...But r-12 does cool better than r 134-A, so just replacing the seals and oil along with r134, might not cool as well as the r12 did...

Also please don't red rag the r12 out of the sysyem..That's a big no no, and if the EPA finds out, you will get a 5k fine..

Heres the link..

A/C Update: R134A Refrigerant Retrofit

 

[jimmythesaint]

He said it was already converted to 134. When I converted mine I didn't replace anything as my system was already out of coolant due to bad valves. I just yanked the valves put on the adapters and added the 134. Granted it wasn't vacuum bled so it didn't hold that much coolant but it works good enough to cool my car.

P.S. R-12 was banned in 94. Just because someone didn't put a sticker in your car doesn't mean it came stock with 134. Besides its easy to tell. If its an original R-12 system it has the valves and if it has the adapters screwed on to retrofit it then its 134.

 

[96eclipzGsT]

I know a/c systems like the back of my hand.

What are the gauge readouts?

If it has some freon in it, but is low just charge it up.

If there is no freon in it, there is a leak somewhere. Get a can with dye in it and a UV or black light to find the leak.

If there is a leak or no freon at all, I would evacuate the system or replace the drier if you don't have a pump to do this. You do not have to do either with r134a, it just makes your a/c run a few degrees cooler. Also if the system has been open for a while you might get moisture blowing out the vents if not evac, or replaced.

 

[bomper04]

easy easy way of indentifying CFC-12 from HFC134-A. R-12 had screw on fittings while the R-134 has quick release fittings..just like your air tool's fittings. like it was stated before, if there is no refrigerant in the system, you're more than likely to have a leak. not using your a/c over the span of years can slowly deteriorate the rubber seals inside the system because refrigerant contains oil that's circulated through to lubricate the compressor and rubber components. if i were you i would go ahead and change out the receiver/drier as it contains dessicant....the stuff we're not supposed to eat when you open up a bag of beef jerky . change that, if necessary, the lines as well. retrofitted a/c systems are supposed to be lubricated by ESTHER oil, not pag. however pag oil is acceptable in a small quantity..cause that's what i did in my blazer and it works fine with pag. i think we use a thermal expansion valve..well if not then replace your orifice tube. it would be wise to install inline filters too, one before the compressor, and one after. good luck! don't vent to atmosphere!

 

[wangboy925]

Ok here's the story. I found a leak on the A/C condenser due to it being old. Well soon after I bought Punishment racing's FMIC kit. I found out that the A/C lines got in the way of the piping so I removed the 1-2 ft. line on the driver side of the condenser. I left the lines open for a couple of months till then the summer heat got to me. I rerouted the A/C lines around the intercooler piping (though some parts of the line are pinched but I believe there is still a good flow when I put R134a back in). The lines are all connected now and I just replaced the A/C drier with the new O-rings from Advanced Auto Parts. I will be getting the lines EVACed and recharged on Monday.