This is actually directed toward those who have 1994 Maximas.

There are 2 different systems for 1994 Maximas. Those Maxes made in the beginning of 1994 are still running R-12 and would need the retrofit kit to run R-134. Those Maxes made after the middle of 1994(and were termed 1994.5s) would already be running R-134.

According to the service manager at the dealership I have work done at, 1994 is the cutoff year for the Max to start getting R-134 refrigerant.

In my case, it's a 1994.5 which is already running R-134.

 

Mine is a (late) 93 SE and it has the R-134.

When I was shopping the car (used) that was the determining factor for staying away from the 92s. They were R-12, and there was the uncertainty of the availability of R-12 in the future, and I knew I did not want to go through a conversion. This was, of course, before I discovered hydrocarbon based refrigerants.

All the 93s I test drove were R-134a

John

 

yup , i got a blue sticker sayin r-134..my ac feels little weak ,but it works

 

they switched over to r-134a in late '92, not late '94.

 

The R123 put out less cool air than a similar sized R12 unit, but Nissan Maxima with R123 put out plenty of cold air. Lot better than even 1980's benz's 300TD with R12. If your Max. AC isn't putting enough cold air you're either Mr. Freeze or your AC needs work.

 

Agree with Matt....you're mechanic got the year wrong. The switchover was in '92 not 94.

A good way to tell on 92s is there is a sticker under the 3rd brake light that says "CFC-free Air Conditioning" or something like. I'm not sure if they used that sticker in 93s but I've seen them on 92s....

 

on the bottom of my back window theres a sticker saying "ozone safe air conditioning "

 

Yeah, that's the sticker.....good to know they used it on the 93s as well.....

 

Mine has Hot Shot, It's a direct replacement for R12 and cools better than R134a. The only problem is it's hard to find and you can't buy it at the local parts store like R134a. And it's more expensive. I want to retofit to R134a. How hard is it to do yourself? Has anyone here done it before?

 

To do it right, you would have to take the whole system apart and super flush out all the old oil, as the new oil and the R-12 mineral oil are absolutely incompatible.

R134a is less efficient, and the system pressures are much higher. Look into the numerous r-12 alternatives before you go the r134a route. I went the other way around: from 134a to envirosafe (hydrocarbon based) to utilize the higher efficiency of the refrigerant, It lowered my high side pressure from 320 to 190-200 psi. Less pressure, less hp drain, less wear and tear.

Good luck,

John

 

I thought the same thing since Federal law mandated that the manufacturers change to R-134 in 1992. Thanks for the clarification.

 

Not all compressors can handle the new R134A alot of people have ruined/seized their comprssor. Also some of the hoses can bleed out the coolant/oil, you can see it sweating out.

I got some cash from a car accident and gave my dad a grand which he then purchased a professional vacum pump and the guage set and other stuff. We converted two of our cars to the new system. they both sweat out the a little through one of the hoses but its not really a big deal b/c it's only like one can or less thats needed each year to keep it running cool.

If you ever change your system over, make sure you replace the reciever dryer