North American Turbocoupe Organization



R12 to R134a conversion
aerobird88 Offline
Junior Member
#1
Hello all,

I see these kits at Wal-Mart for 39.99 to convert R12 systems to R134a. Is this as simple is it looks or is there more to it? Basically the Wal-Mart deal comes with some O-ring conditioner and new fittings, and two cans of R134a. Can I just use this and be up to speed or do I have to actually change out some of the A/C system to make it work with the new stuff?

Thanks,
Michael
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shiftless Offline
Member
#2
those "quick swap" kits are one of the biggest killers of good A/C systems. to properly convert over to R-134a you will need a complete new set of seals, you will need to change to an oil (refrigerant system oil) that is R-134a compatible, i think you will need a new accumulator, and to make it work as efficiently as before, you will need a new compressor (an R-134a system needs higher pressures to work as good as R-12). i may be wrong on some of this or may have left something out.
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TCx2 Offline
Senior Member
#3
I've had 4 vehicles converted.. 3 of them TCs...

I can't recall if it was the accumlator or the dryer.. (the cylindrical object located right near the firewall into which the hipressure switch goes) but that had to be changed...

O rings replaced.

System totally evac'd and then new oil/refridgerant installed.

Never had to change the compressor and the system works fine. System is more prone to leaking past the O rings if they become weak but other than that, no complaints.



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Kevin
TCx2
88 White TC, 5spd, Loaded
01 Zinc Yellow Cobra
67 Green Ford Fairlane 390 4spd
Kevin
TCx2
67 Green Ford Fairlane 428CJ 5spd
89 Fiji Blue Chrysler Conquest
03 Mercury Marauder "Supercharged"
03 Ford Excursion(King of the SUVs)
04 Mustang Cobra - Screaming Yellow
10 Challenger R/T "Supercharged"
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TCx2 Offline
Senior Member
#4
Oh.. also...

The cost for a mechanic to convert the sytem was marginally ($50) or so more expensive than to have them replace O-rings etc and recharge with R-12.

If you do the conversion yourself.. you are supposed to go to someone to have them evac the system. Big no-no to vent freon into the atmosphere.



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Kevin
TCx2
88 White TC, 5spd, Loaded
01 Zinc Yellow Cobra
67 Green Ford Fairlane 390 4spd
Kevin
TCx2
67 Green Ford Fairlane 428CJ 5spd
89 Fiji Blue Chrysler Conquest
03 Mercury Marauder "Supercharged"
03 Ford Excursion(King of the SUVs)
04 Mustang Cobra - Screaming Yellow
10 Challenger R/T "Supercharged"
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segfaultxr7 Offline
Posting Freak
#5
Quote:Originally posted by TCx2:
If you do the conversion yourself.. you are supposed to go to someone to have them evac the system. Big no-no to vent freon into the atmosphere.

Haha..I remember my dad working on one of his car's a/c years ago.. "Son, make sure you don't tell anyone about this!" PSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH... [Image: biggrin.gif]

[This message has been edited by segfaultxr7 (edited 05-27-2002).]
88 TC 5-speed
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Turbocruiser88 Offline
Senior Member
#6
The conversion kit at Advance auto is only $34.99 and comes with the new fittings, oil, and 3 cans of refrigerant. Our stop leak detector is only $5 extra too. Much better deal if you do it yourself. But, you do still need the old stuff evacuated by a shop.

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Les T.
88 TC - Light Sandalwood/Black 5sp.
Light Blue Granite dash trim, 140MPH Speedo, 43k motor with Intercooled T3
**Steady Project**

87 TC - Dark Red 5sp.
Nice red interior, seized motor
**Project A**

83 TC - Red/Black 5sp.
Motor/W.C. T5 going in SOON!!
**Project B**
Les T.
88 TC - Light Sandalwood/Black 5sp. *RIP* Precision SC-50, A237, Stage 3 clutch, Ported E6/Intakes, 54k motor
94 BMW 540i
92 Saab 900s Vert
82 Stang GT - T-Top, Soon to be 2.3T - that engine shown above!
80 MB 300SD - Turbo Diesel
96 Explorer - 5.0 GT40 AWD, Soon to be turbo'd
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Walsted Offline
Posting Freak
#7
I've done one car with the kit, and bought the fittings and did the other car the same way. Prior to doing the conversion, I asked a professional AC guy his recommendations, and he said that the kit would be okay.

I haven't had any real problems, and the car I bought from a non-smoker gets real cold. The car which was previously owned by a slob has a real bad evaporator, and doesn't work real well because of that.

So, to answer your question, as long as a professional evacuates your system of the R12, the 39.99 kits are worth the price. A full conversion of seals will prevent leakage and last longer, and dryer replacement is recommended. But if you are short on funds, the kit will get your AC working again.

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Mike Walsted - NATO member
1986 5-speed TurboCoupe and 1985 5-speed XR7
Mike Walsted - Sold my 1986 5-speed TurboCoupe
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[email protected] Offline
Banned
#8
Those kits work good, personally i think the R12 is colder from converting several cars, and im lucky enough to have a dad that had a few big jugs of that [Image: smile.gif] so im just gonna re fill with r12

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~ITaliano~
88 Whtie turbocoupe on Raven,All opitons minus leather, and keyless, 5 speed, K&n frount mounted, boosted to 18psi, new paint, clutch,White faced gagues, Custom painted interior trim pieces (change from blue to charcol to blackish purple kinda color)Premier dep730R headunit, 2 12" jbl Comp' intercooled subs in box, 3 amps, Lowered 1 inch, AM lunar boost, air fuel, tach, mustang pod, Countless other mods.. look ok Tim Jones Smile hehe
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Hybridbird Offline
Posting Freak
#9
ANYWAY>.........back to reality....you know who this for. [Image: biggrin.gif]

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Too much fun, what's that mean?That's like too much boost,there's no such thing.
"Finch....get the f*ck away from that Ficus......that's a jizz-free Ficus!"
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Noname
Unregistered
#10
Actually I JUST did this yesterday. I bought a new accumulator from Ford for about $100 (E8SZ-19C836-FA). Then I bought a new orifice kit (E5VY-19D695-B) (this is a kit because you have to cut the old line with the orifice in it and install this new orifice which is inside a screw on metal line). Then I bought a kit that has new O-rings / springs, new oil, and 2 connectors for the shrader valve on the accumulator and one of the A/C lines. I just pulled off the lines, flushed them, flushed the condenser, flushed the evaporator, and installed the new lines with all new O-rings (the kit I bought didn't even have enough O-rings for everything.) I didn't even worry about flushing the compressor. I added new oil (I used maybe 6 ounces, because the compressor still has some in it.) After everything was done it took about 3-4 cans of R134. Everything seems to be allright. With the A/c set at 60, it blows air at about 50 degrees so I'm OK with that. I never tested what it used to blow at, but who cares anyway, at least it works!

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1988 TurboCoupe - 5 Speed
5"x8" K&N / Cold Air Intake, Gillis Valve @ 18 psi, 3" DP, 3" Cat, Dual 2.5" UltraFlos, Centerforce Dual Friction Clutch, Pro 5.0 Shifter, Autometer Boost/Vac & Air/Fuel Gauges
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