You guys are readin' my mind. I was going back and forth over getting my a/c done, top to bottom...not cheap and the car is in the shop right now. They gave me the quote and my wife just said "Do it, you need it." She pointed out that I visit clients all day long and it's a bad idea to show up sweaty...

So much for that plasma TV I was eyeing.

 

A/C isn't THAT expensive, it is if a shop does it, because you're paying for a refrigeration mechanic to do all the work, but if you do all the dirty work, it's pretty cheap.

What I did, since my car was converted to R134A when I bought it (which use 27.5oz according to the sticker, just for argument's sake), however it was empty. So, I knew it had a leak somewhere. I headed over to Auto Value, and picked up a 6oz can of Duracool (yep, propane! Acts like 16oz of R12, or 12oz of R134A), and charged the system with that. It blew ice cold for a day, I was rather impressed, then stopped functioning. I crawled underneath, and found a few leaky O-rings. I changed all of them, and re-filled. It appears I used the wrong O-ring on one of them, which was a bit of a tight fit, since it leaked again. 1 more O-ring, and another can of duracool later, it was charged again. Been going 2 days now, pressure is the same now as when I charged it. Looks like I might have gotten them all *knock on wood*. Now that they're all fixed, I'm taking it in for a simple recharge, ~$120.

Total cost:
3 cans of Duracool: $55
6 O-rings: $3
Recharge: $120

Considering I had a shop quote me $375 to fix the leaks that they could see after the first Duracool recharge, and to recharge it, I think I'm doing okay

I probably sound like a wuss, but in any car I own, I consider A/C a must, hence my commitment to get it working.

 

I've been hawking this thread (and will continue to...) as it hits home.

My A/C in the 951 is inop at the moment, and I of course would like to do as much trouble shooting as I can before taking it in to a shop. I'm pretty sure it has not been converted to R134, and although expensive, I still like freon as it still works best - Dallas gets hot.

Step one is to get the system pressurized to see if the compressor functions and check for/fix any leaks.
My question - for the experts pls - is, will it damage the system at all to add Duracool or 134 or whatever temporarily until the system can be properly evacuated and recharged with Freon?

 

Freon is the best, without question. No way do I want 134 in Hotlanta. Since my car is already at the shop I'm having them just go ahead and do it. They are quoting me 8 hours of labor to basically R&R the whole system, with decent parts prices. It would take me several more hours than that, spread over several days, and I just don't have the time to do it so it's worth it to have them do the job.

At least I'll be cool in the car, dreaming of a plasma tv.

 

A quick update =
Today I "Ghetto'd" my A/C with a R-134.

I was convinced the compressor was going to have to be replaced. I bought the car over a year ago - the A/C never worked. It wasn't a priority til now.
So, I went to Pep boys, got the kit with a pressure gauge. Checked the pressure in the parking lot - abt 5 psi! Hooked up the can, pumped in 35 lbs. The compressor kicked on, and cool air started coming out! Note I said cool. I didn't expect much when the interior was heat soaked from a 100 deg sunny day.
I'll watch for the pressure to drop for a day or two, and if no leaks, take it in to be cleaned (?), evacuated, and charged with R12.

Any flaws with my logic?

 

All sounds good too me. Testa, thanks for that link. That's good info.

 

That's pretty much how I did it. Expect there to be some kind of leak if you're seeing 5psi in the system. But it may take years to leak back down to 5 psi. I used Duracool, since the only place around here I can get R134A is NAPA, and it's been on back-order since April

I plan to get the duracool out of there as soon as I fix all the leaks. I think I'll pick up a venturi style vacuum pump, and evacuate the system myself. Seen it done a few times, and up until now, that's the only part I couldn't do.

 

I just checked this for the other a/c cooant thread. Freeze 12 and R134a are the same thing. 1,1,1,2 tetrafluoroethane.

 

I wonder if there is somebody local who carries Freeze 12, and if it's cheaper than buying branded R134A?...... *ideas forming...*

I'm going to buy a vacuum pump soon, so I can properly recharge mine.

 

Do you guys know if Harbor freight ships to Canada?...
They have such cheap A/C equipment!

 

R134a, in the staes is like 26 bucks. I believe HF will ship anywhere that you are willing to pay for.

 

a/c is a muct here, i don;t need to explain why

Still using R12 gas, very cheap and available everywhere here. R134a is pricey, but still cheaper than you huys (filled up the BMW 328is with R134a for $30).

 

Man, $30 to fill a car, would be nice if it was that cheap here!

If HF will ship to me, I'm definately buying the equipment. I'm then going to stock up on like 20lbs of R134A Their pricing is awesome, I am looking at the venturi vacuum pump, manifold gauges, and an oil injector, for $110US (give or take), I can't get that for $500-$600CDN up here. It's stupid!

$26, for what quantity? I can get 1lb cans for $16CDN, but they're back-ordered right now, won't be in for a month or so yet. I can get a 30lb cylinder for $350CDN, but that's just a little more than I need. I need more like 15lbs. I dunno if somebody wants to go halfsies (or whatever the word would be) on a 30 pounder with me?...

I'll be calling HF tomorrow, see if they will ship up here. It must be nice in the UAE, they don't have the same rules on R12 as we do, do they?... I know in China, it's an approved industrial cleaner, and is sold everywhere for about $3 per pound. But they're also extremely strict about using the 'industrial cleaner' branded stuff in cars, and about exporting it, or so I have heard.