ksultz

The A/C on my 87 Max still works fine but is low on r12...I have looked into some type of drop in replacement for r12 and have found a product called Duracool 12a. The company that makes the product says that it will not cause problem with any A/C components. Has anyone used this product? And if so...what’s your take on it?

maximumrideus

I haven't heard of the brand you are talking about but these days there are R-12 replacements coming out all the time. The direct replacements Ive delt with, all you had to do was remove the old refrigerant, pull a vaccum, and charge with the new stuff. No need to change any parts. Ive used a brand called Hot Shot. It runs about $50-60 dollars for a 30lb drum. Although I havent tried it in a car, I have used it on commercial air conditioners with no problems. If it didnt screw up a $80,000 air conditioner, I'm sure its safe on a car. If you are still thinkin about things, try talking to a local A/C guy and he could maybe provide you with more info. I do heating and air conditioning for a living but its just my opinion. Hope it helps.

jose

MaxWgn

iTrader: (1)

I've tried calling around the local shops here that work on A/C systems, and none will do anything other than 134a...they won;'t even try and get R12 for you. I even found some that was prasied for compatibility, etc.. on the internet, with no bad effects. When I called around to ask about it, it was so new, no one here had ever heard of it, but likened it to some of the earlier compounds, saying they had nothing but bad luck with it, and refused to work with it.

The whole 134a issue seems to be a conspiracy, and I'm not one to fall prey to these theories...but there is way too much evidence pointing in that direction.

Niku-Sama

iTrader: (1)

i went in to have me compressor checked to make sure it was really fried and not an electrical problem and they said they still had some R12...and my ac system still has a good charge of r12 too so they were just gonna pump the old stuff aout (about 3 Lbs) and pump the same ammount back in..they were gonna sell it off for about $28 a lb but my uncle...the mechanic said if they are just sucking 3 lbs and replacing 3 lbs no goverment deal is gonna really know...the thing id r12 is expencive and 134a is a whole lot cheeper....the thing is 134a will make your components work a little bit harder which if you have a good a/c system is no prob...its also probally suggested that you replace your dryer...but thats only about $40-$80...

i've been ontop of this AC stuff to because my compressor is dead and its gonna cost a bumdle and a half to fix/replace

ksultz

Well...I put duracool 12a in my system...seems to be working fine. Only time will tell. I'll try and remember to update this at the end of the summer so anyone else interested in this product will know how well it worked.

GundamWZero

I can tell you this much..... I got a r-12 to 134 conversion kit last year. It was adapter fittings to accept the 134 refrigerant, but you have to purge the old R12 out of the dryer before you can put in the 134 refrigerant. After that, all I do is use the small can and hose that came with the kit and fill it when it is needed.

rcy

I topped up my R12 system with Duracool, and have had very good results. My head pressure (hi side of compressor) is lower, and the car blows as cold as it did with a full charge of R12 only. I also notice that when I turn the air conditioning on, there is less of a drain on the engine than when I had pure R12 in. Apparently HC refrigerants are more efficient, needing less power to compress and, hence, using less engine power.

mikelly

rcy,

Did you have to purged all the R12 out of the system and replaced
it with Duracool or did you just add to it?

Mike

I topped up my R12 system with Duracool, and have had very good results. My head pressure (hi side of compressor) is lower, and the car blows as cold as it did with a full charge of R12 only. I also notice that when I turn the air conditioning on, there is less of a drain on the engine than when I had pure R12 in. Apparently HC refrigerants are more efficient, needing less power to compress and, hence, using less engine power. [/B][/QUOTE]

ksultz

Duracool says that you can top off you system without purging the system and reclaiming the old refrigerant. And I’ve heard that it’s been done without any problems. But Duracool recommends reclaiming the old refrigerant and total replacement with 12a. The Duracool is more efficient that way. Also it’s against the law to mix refrigerants and most shops will not repair A/C systems that have a mix. They don’t want to contaminate their refrigerant when they recover the old refrigerant (which they have to do by law). So if your going to do it...You might not want to come out and say you did it.