Where to have a/c charged?

[Redlyne_mr2]

So my car is running an r12 system, im pretty sure there isnt anyone out there who will charge an r12 system however instead of converting to r134 Ive heard there is a fluid out there called es-12. Im hoping shops out here have heard of the product so that I can have that put into the system instead.

[Zero102]

Some shops will still charge with R12, but for the price there are much better refrigerants out there. Duracool or Red Tek are 2 very good examples, both are hydrocarbon R12 substitutes.

I run red tek in my 951 and it is absolutely ice cold all the time, never had better working A/C in any car new or old.

When switching from R12 to a substitute it is recommended that you change the receiver/dryer if applicable and remove as much of the old oil from the system as possible.
MasterTune in the N.E. will charge with RedTek for ~$130-$150 including evacuating the old refrigerant and oil.

Strange time of year to be fixing the A/C though...?

[mo_money2supe]

You can purchase a DIY RedTek recharge kit at any PartSource/Canadian Tire for ~$70-80. It comes with everything to discharge your old system and to recharge it with the new r12a fluid. They're basically pressurized cans containing the said fluid. It's also recommended to purchase, separately, new o-rings that are intended for an r134a system and change them all up.

I bought the kit for my recharge, but haven't had a chance to do it yet. Ryan, if you go through with this DIY kit option, let me know how it goes. Good luck!

[infected]

You're the last person I'd expect to cheap out on stuff like this. Just do it right and convert it.
But seriously, December in Calgary too hot for you? :D

[Redlyne_mr2]

lol i dont want to cheap out on anything.. Ive heard mixed reviews though about changing to r134 on an old r12 system. Great info so far.. what does the dryer generally look like? Edit do I really need to replace the dryer or are new o rings sufficient?

[Zero102]

Who is talking about cheaping out?
Hydrocarbon replacements work BETTER than R12 or R134A. R12 compressors running R134A generally provide very poor performance as well, since the system pressures for peak efficiency are different between the 2 refrigerants.

The dryer (if equipped, orifice tube systems don't have one, expansion valve systems typically do) is a large-ish metal canister, usually ~2" in diameter and 6-10" long, should have a fitting on each side of it at the top and a sight glass on the top of it. If it's original you should probably change it anyways. New ones typically come with O-rings or whatever sealing methods are required for installation and they are usually $20-$40 to change.

The Red Tek kits you can get in stores are usually 2 cans of red tek, a charging hose, adapter fittings and 1 can of stop leak. If you use that kit you are asking for trouble. FIND the leak, REPAIR the leak then charge with JUST redtek, no stop leak. RedTek itself runs ~$15-$20/can and you will almost never need more than 2 cans. My 951 took about 1.2 cans when the system was at atmospheric pressure (full of air).

The people at Red Tek say you can charge the system with air in it, so you do not need to evacuate the system. The dessicant in the receiver/dryer is usually sufficient to take the moisture out of the system if it is brand new, and will prevent freeze-up problems. None the less I would recommend that you have the system fully evacuated (of air and all old oil and such) then charged to prevent possible issues of ice crystals jamming expansion valves or other unforseen difficulties. I didn't and mine works fine, but I was kind of in the middle of troubleshooting and didn't expect this one fix to resolve the problem, given the chance I would have evacuated the system and re-charged it. If you charge yours yourself and leave the air in the system, make absolutely sure you use a charging hose that has a pressure gauge on it, and that you connect to the LOW pressure fitting. On a 20*C day you want to charge to ~30psi on the low side, you will still have a small amount of bubbles going by in the sight glass (if equipped).


On the up side, RedTek has a chemical added to it so that conventional (R12/R134A, halogenated gas?) detectors will pick it up, duracool does not so it is harder to find the leak with a sniffer, you need to use UV detection kits with it. I have a sniffer I bought just for fixing my A/C. I doubt you're anywhere near me right now and I don't come back to Calgary until next year, but I'll offer up use of it to help find any leaks in your system.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Thanks Chris, so youre coming back? Nice man.. need some more garaging nights haha this time no more 944 though.. Its on my mr2, there are no leaks but I did take apart the ac system when I had the car painted. I bought new front lines as well since the old ones werent very nice looking. For fear of screwing things up would a shop recharge my system for me with redtek?

[Zero102]

Yeah Master Tune does A/C recharges with redtek, but this is kind of an odd time of year to worry about having A/C charged... you're not moving away are you?


Normally I would suggest having it done in the spring/summer, so you can have it charged and use it for a bit, then if any leaks develop most shops will work with you on recharging the system and repairing the leaks. If you have it charged now it may be more work later if there are any issues.


I come back next september, I have 13 half courses left at the U of C, so I'll be around for 1 1/2-2 years finishing up, then we gotta decide where to go from there. We are keeping our house here and renting it out to pay off the bills, might as well continue to accumulate equity as long as possible :)