Aircon re-gassing

[TRAGIC]

Hi guys!
Had my Surf for about a month now, and I am well chuffed with it. The only bad point that I can find on it is the air conditioning. My car is a 1992 model and uses the old, now unavailable R12 refrigerant.This works perfectly, but is not as cold as it should be and simply needs re-gassing.
Has anybody converted their system to R134a refrigerant? Do I just need to replace the dryer unit and flush the system, or is it more involved/expensive?

[lizardinc]

Hi guys!
Had my Surf for about a month now, and I am well chuffed with it. The only bad point that I can find on it is the air conditioning. My car is a 1992 model and uses the old, now unavailable R12 refrigerant.This works perfectly, but is not as cold as it should be and simply needs re-gassing.
Has anybody converted their system to R134a refrigerant? Do I just need to replace the dryer unit and flush the system, or is it more involved/expensive?

r12 isnt obsolete at all it can be used ,but expensive though some garages havnt got licences to use it , however i made a point a few times that i bought a diy kit using the r413 replacement for r12 ( not r314a ) it goes straight in and ice cold ,,, nothing to change try ebay for the gas .. good luck

[aaron]

You need to remove the compressor and drain it of all the old oil, the oil in R12 is not compatible with R134a. Then add a small amount of oil suitable for R134a, refitt compressor change the fittings to allow 134a gauges to fit on to the system add gas and your away. If you havnt done this before or have the proper equiptment get a garage to do it.

[Simon.O.]

You need to remove the compressor and drain it of all the old oil, the oil in R12 is not compatible with R134a. Then add a small amount of oil suitable for R134a, refitt compressor change the fittings to allow 134a gauges to fit on to the system add gas and your away. If you havnt done this before or have the proper equiptment get a garage to do it.

aaron
Yippee another K1W1
I am keen to do this as no one is interested in putting R12 in mine.
I am very capable with tools and bits too, so where would I get the new fittings and what sort of oil should I be asking for and what exactly is a "small amount"

where in NZ are ya ??

[johnnyrod]

R12 is now illegal. R413B or R414B should be fine as a drop-in replacement but check the details first. If you want to convert to R134a then you need to change the oil type in the AC system as R134a won't tolerate more than 5% mineral oil in its POE type oil. Also you need to be very careful to dry the system before charging as POE oil is hygroscopic and breaks down fairly easily with moisture. Also when converting from CFCs to HFCs you might have soem trouble with flexible seals leaking, I don't know about the Surf in particular though.