Dave1980

I have a problem, the air con in MY93 wrx has ran out of gas. As its a pre 1993 system it use R12 gas which is now no longer used in new cars due to cfc's.

last year i took it to my mate who worked for Sanden a compressor company to get it filled for free. sadly couldnt do this due to it not being an R34 system which we only discovered then. I know it can be done using R34 if you retro fit new O-rings etc, but that will no doubt be very costly.

What i want to know is, is there an R12 alternative available?. Or can you still get R12 anywhere?. With summer soon to be looming i am going to be over the moon if i can have air con this year in the scooby. That way i can leave the diesel at home on a hot day.

And if anyone knows anywhere that does it in the bristol area that would be even better.

Thanks

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

To convert R12 to R134a, all that is needed is to flush out the old oil in the system and replace the existing refridgerent oil and replace it with R134a compatible oil. And change the filling valves for 134a types. Oh, and a sticker stating the conversion has been carried out.

You can also get conversion and replacement gases that negate teh need to flush and change the oil (R49 is one alternative IIRC as well as other specialist direct replacements marketed to directly replace R12)

No need for new seals/compressors etc (excepting very old systems from 20+years back).

Most experienced "good" a/c specialists can perform this.


The only alternatives is to hunt round a/c gas stockists and see if you can fins a bottle of r12 that is gathering dust on a shelf somewhere (highly doubtful,as most people in your shoes have already tried it several years back - inlcuding me ). Or you swap your system for one out of a newer scoob, but it'll probably work out more expensive and you'll still incur costs for recharging it with fresh gas.

Might need a new dryer as well, if moisture has entered and contaminated the system. If it has lost gas, then ideally, you'll need to do a leak test to check the soundness of the system.

Dave1980

i got told that you had to retro fit the system with new o rings, this was told to me by an engineer of sanden when i went down there.

it was all going to be done for nothing as my mate worked there so had no reason to think he was trying to pull a fast one. maybe he was just trying to play things very safe.

in that case will see if i can locate an air con service place and get it done.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Not all systems needed new seals it depends on the type of material the seals are made of. Also there is an issue that the replacement gases are thinner, meaning a leaky system could be even more leaky (and thus needing new seals and hoses to cure).

But this is only an issue if changing the oil from mineral to ester oil for use with 134a (mineral is not compatible).

If using a replacement or alternative gas speciffically made to directly replace R12 (normally a fancy name followed bye a "12" ). These are compatible with the original mineral oil, and thus no need to touch the seals. Just need to change the filling valves. - this is certainly the cheapest method to convert, although the gas typically costs more than R134a.

Dave1980

interesting, well i will find somewhere that does air con and see what they can offer me.

thanks

JCScooby

The easy option is R409a (fx56) any half decent A/C Engineer will get u this. Its a replacement for R12, so no need to change anything. Simple.

Dave1980

thats the answer i was looking for. thanks

Kroy

R49L is the best drop-in refrigerent as a replacement for R12 you can use on small fridge circuits, R409A is ok, but don't seem to cool as quite as well. Shame 12 got banned, cause its a class Refrigerant. If you fancy a trip up to the Midlands might be able to sort you out with what you need, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN

Dave1980

how much are we talking and where abouts in the midlands are you?.

Dave1980

silly question, just seen you are in worcester. only about an hour or so for me.

[Davey]

I've got to get mine re-charged too. I checked out the R134a DIY recharge kits, they are compatible with R12 residues, but none of the kits would fit on the low pressure valve on the early Impreza.

I'm told that if you ask nicely some companies will fill you up with R12 but you wont get a receipt And in come cases will do it for free so they dont have to pay to dispose of the gas they cant use.

Dave1980

Kroy send me a pm if you can help me out one weekend.

Cheers
Dave

Dave1980

where do you get these DIY recharge kits?. I have the adaptors to fit to an R12 system, just need some gas

Kroy

You have PM M8

Daniel-S

Nice thread