I know this is a little old, but how much were all the parts to convert from 12 to 134a?
My AC just went and it’s time for a refill and upgrade.
Thanks,
Steve
have you considered an r-12 alternative? no retrofitting required.
What are my options? I know I have a leak (at least I’m pretty sure I do). I’m ok with a different route as long as it’s fairly inexpensive and will last.
Steve
A new receiver/drier was about $40, fittings are about $10-$20, and I got a set of o-rings with my new compressor. As long as your compressor is functioning normally, you will not need a new one to convert. All that needs to be done is to drain the old mineral oil out of the compressor and replace it with PAG or ester oil. The compressor takes about 6 oz of oil.
I flushed the system and installed all the new o-rings myself. After that, all I needed was a standard evacuation and recharge, and 2 oz. of oil to replace what I flushed from the condenser and evaporator. That cost me $150.
So my total was about $210 Canadian, not including the o-rings. Not too bad, considering it’s done right and not half-assed.
The “budget” refrigerant kits (Red-Tek, a hydrocarbon refrigerant) run about $90 here, but I’m not a believer in those. The leak sealer included in the kit is a band-aid fix, imo. Also, when I picked up my car at the shop, another customer there was inquiring about an evac and recharge, and was refused service because he had added a leak sealer to his system before bringing it in. The owner of the shop didn’t want the leak sealer contaminating his expensive recycling equipment.
one option is to have a place run a leak test by putting dye in the system. Replace necessary parts and just refill with r-12 alternative. That stuff is easy to find on ebay and is eco friendly.
should my a/c need fixing again i would do this. I had the same problem as the OP, it ended up being my low side valve leaking and maybe my compressor. Got the valve fixed and filled up on (the shop said it was real r-12) some freon and its been blowing cold for a year.