my a/c doesn't work anymore. my dad said my freon may need to be charged up. i've heard it's really expensive to recharge our systems are there any substitutes for freon or systems that i can put in my car relatively cheap?

justin

 

From what I know... no substitutes...
If you want A/C gas for cheaper... you could always update to a R143a gas system... which means taking your current A/C compressor out and getting a new one... how much that costs? I don't know, sorry.

But! Freon(r12) gives much better cooling effect than r134a. But r12 kills the ozone layer when it leaks.

Good luck

 

Usually when your a/c is out of freon, you have a leak somewhere. Generally, seals go bad, and need to be replaced. Often they are slow leaks, so refilling can keep you cool for a while, but it will bring you to the same point you are at now. I would probably have it checked out before you just go refill it.

 

If your ac is not working,you might have a leak.
If your freon in use is still R 12 it must change to R 234 A
For that you need to replace the dryer and the filling connectors.
Also drawn the oil from the compressor.
This you can do by your zelf .
Than go to the car airco repair shop : led them put in new oil and
freon ,also ask them to put a leakfinding liquid into the system,
because probably you have a leak.
The quantity of oil putting in the compressor should be 6.8 fl oz and
freon about 2.0-2.2 lb ,this is what the people in the ac shop
likes to know.
repairing problems on the ac system are most of the time
expensive ,in your case you don.t know yet where you might have
a leak ,if its your condensor it also has to be replaced.

 

Mistake the freon should be R 134 A instead of 234

 

dang, thanks for all they info.

 

Find a place that does R-12, it is worth the looking...

 

damn i can say you guys all suck with refrigrant info!!

there are a few R12 replacements out there that uses the same oils as R12.

Freeze 12 and Autofrost are both EPA approved R12 replacements.


no u don't have to replace the oil.
no u don't have to take apart the compressor (if it's in good running order).
no u don't have to bend over and take it from your mechanic.
no u don't have to change any valves/adapters (given stock valves are ok).
no u don't have to replace unncessary parts if you don't need to

yes you will need to find the leak and repair it.
yes you will need a license to purchase R12 and it's replacement.
yes you will need someone that knows AC systems to repair your set up....if you're asking about then i assume you don't know enough about it.

any competent shop can and will recharge with R12 or R12 substitute...if they say you NEED R134a (when everything else is working fine in your AC system) then walk away.

if your car is totally discharged then they will refill with R12 substitute. if the car had a partial charge they might use R12 to "top off"

not sure if search works but you guys should really use it, i've discussed this many times before.

 

Pull all the stops out 'eh? Looks like you guys better start learning your stuff before posting replys..... hahahaha too funny man, he must be an HVAC guy....

 

are you referring to me?

 

Are you an HVAC man? Yes, I was. It is just funny to me that if people don't know what they are talking about, they should not reply to it. Just stating that someone may slam a stupid comment!

 

Is repairing a leak in an AC system a do it yourself thing?

 

depends on where the leak and your skill.

 

Why don't you just go to Autozone? An R-134a retrofit kit is $34.99. It comes with the screw on adapters so you CAN'T put the refrigerant into the high side (and blow up the compressor). It also comes with 3lbs. of refrigerant and 1lb. of oil, so the compressor bearings don't go bad. The hoses are included with a pressure guage too. I can barely change my oil so if I can do this anybody can. They also sell a can of stuff that seals leaks and gets rid of odors. The R-134a is ice cold on my 89 Max and it only cost me $34.99 and 20 minutes.

 

Thanxs Paul ,for your post it means i was ,t so far wrong

 

While you're at it, ya might wanna thank DanNY, too... that was a heckuva lot of GOOD info he put out (not like he put it out before or anything... heh heh).