Has anyone converted their air conditioning to avoid Freon? if so, how much cooling is lost and would you do it again?
Thank you
John

 

I converted mine, and I didn't notice any appreciable loss in coolant.

 

"appreciable loss"?

 

I converted mine to Envirosafe Hydrocarbon refrigerant (HC). It is propane and butane based. (mine was R-134a). The result is actually much colder, and the head pressure is 220 psi in stead of 450 (less wear and tear and less HP drain). At the same time, though, I flushed the system to get rid of all the PAG (worst thing ever to bestowed on the car buying public), replaced my txv and drier, all the o-rings. The oil I used is called Poly-Alpha+. It is a synthetic refrigerant oil that is compatible with all refrigerants, but is particularly well suited to HC.

There are several alternatives available. Some are a mixture of r-22 and other non- or less ozone depleting refrigerants. The all work well IF PROPERLY CHARGED. For instance, if HC are overcharged, cooling capacity drops dramatically, so you kind of need to know what you are doing to get the expected results.

There is a board on this (no longer active) but with a lot of rich archives at http://aircondition.com/wwwboard/alternative/

Check it out to learn more.

Good luck,
John

 

how much did doing all of that cost you?

 

A fair amount because I bought a vacuum pump for $300.
The refirgerant was around $100 for a 20Lb cylinder. That has more propane in it that the stuff they sell in 1 lbs equivalent cans, so it gets colder
The drier was $75 or so, the txv 30 something, the o-rings 20 something for all. The oil was 10 or so for a quart (I used a fair amount to flush the comperssor. You should not flush the compressor with solvent. 20 some odd for a gallon of AC flush (many use laquer thinner or even paint thinner), and a little compressed air contaption called a flush gun to spray the lines through with the solvent at pressure. I also used a substance called Nylog to lubricate the o-rings. It's like a sticky snot, but it keeps the o-rings soft for a long time and enhances teh seals. That was like 5 buck for a little bottle. I don't remember all the exact prices as it was last spring when I did all this but these numbers are close

In all it cost less than a professional overhaul would have cost me, and by taking the time and doing it myself I know the repair and the flush were done with no shortcuts taken.

John

John

 

thanks. i'm considering doing this sometime if it gets some colder air out. i hate heat