RED928

There's a seller on eBay listing a substitute for R12 with the brand name Maxi Frig. Here's a link - http://www.ebay.com/itm/1994-and-OLD...j21naQ&vxp=mtr

Feedback seems positive but was wondering if any owners have used it? Usually I just get a can of R12 to refresh my AC.

Thanks,
Steve

hacker-pschorr

That stuff has been around for a while:

https://rennlist.com/forums/924-931-...ve-to-r12.html

http://www.limousinesonline.com/show...nstead-of-R13A

http://www.automotiveforums.com/t417...g_for_r12.html

Just a couple after a quick google search.

The biggest fear from these unknown blends is how flammable they may be. Some use propane / butane which could cause a fire if a leak finds an ignition source. In an ironic twist, after all the years of debate around using flammable gasses in A/C, the new replacement for R134a is causing concerns over fires in crash tests. Most German manufactures have refused to use 1234yf because of this while other manufacturers (like Dodge) have been selling cars filled with the new stuff for over a year.

Long story short, if Maxi Frig does contain propane or something similar, your A/C system shouldn't be any more explosion prone than the Dodge Dart in the lane next to you.

dr bob

Isobutane is a nice heavy molecule that has excellent characteristics for use as a refrigerant. I've built a few geothermal power plants that use it as an intermediate binary fluid, and it's the best choice for the service. The downsides include that little flammability concern, something similar to the mini butane blowtorch you have in your toolbox. In real-world 928 use, One of our own had a belt come off at a OCIC-related dyno session, with a subsequent fire. Car was saved by the quick action of those standing by, with more fire extinguishers than folks normally carry in the car.

Meanwhile, owners start thinking about alternative refrigerants when whatever they had in there before leaks out. The hunt is on for something to replace the R12 that was in there previously, and it needs to be cheap because the system leaks. This is where the isobutane and n-butane blends fall flat. The smaller molecules in the blend leak out before the bigger HC molecules, leaving a mixture that may be nowhere near what was installed. Does it still cool the car? Yeah, sort of, after you put more back in. The system needs to be drained, evacuated, and recharged from scratch every time if you want to keep the mixture correct between top-offs.

Eplebnista

Why risk it? R12 is available for Top-offs if that is what you need. If your system is leaking so badly that you need more than one can of R12 to get you through AC season then you might as well bite the bullet and convert over to 134 and be done with it. You need to find the leak(s) and fix them and put in a new receiver-dryer but that is about all there is to the conversion. Not bad if you have a vac pump or access to one.

DKWalser

What is this "AC season" you are referring to? To those of us in Arizona, that sounds like the period between January 15 and December 15. (In truth, here in Arizona it used to be that most homes were cooled with evaporative coolers until the humidity got too high. When the humidity was too high for the swamp coolers to work, generally the months of July and August, we'd switch over to AC.)

Eplebnista

AC season is on the other side of the calendar from ski season.

DKWalser

Still doesn't make sense. In Arizona, we water ski the year round.