AC folks........ (1 Viewer)

[TurboDennis]

We all have our own opinions, I agree r12 is better, but also very toxic for the environment. that’s why I said have it evacuated and it holds a vacuum fill and enjoy. The fact that he has r134 style adapter would lead me to believe he already has r134 in his system, And possible running a mix of POG oil and the older style oil. The op also has weird reading on his gauges. In the end we all just want everyone to be able to save some money and time by accomplishing repairs with a little guidance from the site. Nothing personal here. hopefully he gets it dialed and will let us all know how he did it and it worked out? Also good luck buying r12 you have to have a license to obtain and it is stupid expensive. You can buy r134 4 bucks for 12 ounces any where.

Look, im all for saving the planet, but the truth is that a handful of car buffs using this stuff in the their vintage cars/trucks is not going to make any difference when CFC refrigerants are still produced and used by the ton on industrial scale in countries that couldn't care less about the environment. And if we're being honest, HFC refrigerants like R134A aren't all that great for the environment either... A good, tight, R12 system is less harmful to the environment than a leaky R134A system. And an R12 system is more likely to be leak-free.

OP should do a thorough flush of the system regardless of what refrigerant he ends up charging, but staying with what the vehicle was originally designed for (R12) will result in a better, more efficient system and be cheaper in the long run as well. It's true that you technically require the proper EPA licence to buy it in US, but in reality its commonly sold on ebay and CL without any sort of verification of your credentials.

R12 is completely banned for sale in Canada, regardless of what kind of licence you possess. It's 100% illegal to charge into cars under any circumstances and doing so is punishable by EXTREME fines and jail time. Yet i still know some guys, who know guys, who go to great lengths to source the stuff and use it in their vintage cars. It's just THAT good.

 

[Vasiliy]

Maybe @Vasiliy has a EPA 609 certificate to purchase r12 and can help you out.

 

[dannyvp]

Ok I find this strange. Maybe my first reading were bad somehow.

 

[flintknapper]

Check the connections on your hoses (particularly the high side) they need only be lightly hand tight. Tighter and you risk crushing the seal(s) and blocking off the line. Also if the seals are torn, worn or misshapen they will do the same thing.

 

[dannyvp]

I loosened it a tad and the pressure came back.
Cleaning the evaporator now. It was FULL of neat.

 

[dannyvp]

 

[Fj80oregon]

View attachment 2370582

I knew he has you covered.

 

[dannyvp]

New values with clean evaporator with system running.

 

[flintknapper]

Now...we're getting somewhere.

How much refrigerant is in the system now and what was the ambient temperature when you took those readings?

 

[dannyvp]

Now...we're getting somewhere.

How much refrigerant is in the system now and what was the ambient temperature when you took those readings?

low 90’s and 1 can.

 

[flintknapper]

low 90’s and 1 can.

IF the system holds that charge for a few days you might well be able to evacuate it, add a little oil, new drier, pump it down (vacuum) and recharge. Can't say how long it will last with so many unknowns....but perhaps worth a try without incurring too much expense and output of effort.

 

[dannyvp]

IF the system holds that charge for a few days you might well be able to evacuate it, add a little oil, new drier, pump it down (vacuum) and recharge. Can't say how long it will last with so many unknowns....but perhaps worth a try without incurring too much expense and output of effort.

so I should I add a little more refrigerant it to while I have the gauges?

 

[flintknapper]

so I should I add a little more refrigerant it to while I have the gauges?

I would, I'd bring that low side up to 30-35 psi and watch that the high side doesn't go over about 225 (at 90° ambient). Then see if that pressure will hold. If it does...then you might have a shot at making the system work (at least for awhile).

You'd need to evacuate it, pull a deep vacuum on it and recharge it of course. You have air and moisture in it now....no doubt and you don't want that. But until you put full operating pressure on it...we really don't know if it is going to hold. There are a LOT of unknowns with that system.

 

[dannyvp]

I couldn’t get refrigerant into the system today. It went up some. Maybe the gauges are crap, or I just have no idea what I’m doing.

 

[flintknapper]

I couldn’t get refrigerant into the system today. It went up some. Maybe the gauges are crap, or I just have no idea what I’m doing.

You'll have to heat the can a bit.

 

[dannyvp]

Refrigerant just wouldn’t go into the system it seemed.
Low pressure side fitting on the compressor was screwed in.
Can was punched, and opened. I evacuated the line of air.
then opened (unscrewed) the gauge side low pressure valve.

 

[flintknapper]

Refrigerant just wouldn’t go into the system it seemed.
Low pressure side fitting on the compressor was screwed in.
Can was punched, and opened. I evacuated the line of air.
then opened (unscrewed) the gauge side low pressure valve.

You can 'force feed' it by heating the can with a hairdryer. Also 'quickly' tipping the can on its side (for just a second) to let a SMALL amount of liquid refrigerant enter the manifold gauge set....BUT this can be tricky if you don't know what you are doing...because you really don't want a 'liquid' going into the compressor (slug your compressor). I would continue to try to get it to go in, in its gaseous state by heating the can.

Later when/if the system holds....and you pull a vacuum on it to recharge the system (for real) you can charge the first can as a liquid into vacuum (engine off...high side) and the rest into the low side as a gas (engine and compressor running) and it should take it.

OR.....take it to a shop and let them do it.