R13 refridgerant replacement

Are you sure it isn't a damaged sticker? it may have said R134a at some point. That is the current "new" gas used in aircon in new vehicles.

92/93 was the point when the rest of the world switched. So it may be stickered to tell techs it is on of the new kind.

Go to an auto aircon place, tell them to ignore the sticker, and vacuum it down with the extractor. It will tell them from traces, what refrigerant is in, and what type of oil.

If it is R12, don't dispair, there are drop in "blend" replacements that work, with both old and new oils, and existing seals, in old R12 systems. You can install R49, R314 (not R314 new gas), or RS24.

I've just regassed, myself using R314, because I knew it was an old R12 system. Didn't bother with the vacuuma nd dry, just took a chance, and lucky for me, it worked.

Nice and chilled on the drive home.

Ooops type, that should say R314 (not new R134a).

I'm sorry about that.

It needs a leak repair first, then vacuuming and recharging. Most likely with R134a.

The connectors are different for the old and new gases, any a/c place will recognise which you have. R12 will be screw on type (two sizes) 134 are quick fit things.

mrcheerful

Of course, that doesn't tell you what is actually in there if the refrigerant has be replaced or topped off after leaving the factory.

As to their being a sticker on the speedometer identifying the type of refrigerant, that would be a give away that the refrigerant had been converted from the original, since I know of no cars that come from the factory with a refrigerant sticker on the speedometer. On the other hand, I believe if the a/c has been converted from R12 to R134a there is a requirement to put a sticker somewhere.

I suspect that sticker that says "R13" originally said "R134a". Either that, or it has nothing to do with the refrigerant.

Merritt

The choices are R12 or R134a. There is no such thing as R13.

Your friendly A/C shop should know exactly what is needed and how to put it in. Just drop it off and go have some coffee and donuts, and come back in an hour, it'll be ready then.

"" wrote: > Greetings, fellow humans. > I'm in possession of one '92 Toyota Previa with A/C that needs > filling > badly. The thing is that it has been using refrigerant of the > type > "R13". And the a/c filling shops around here all claim never > having > heard of such. Their response is along the lines: "It's R12, > not R13. > There is no such thing as R13". > However there is "R13" printed on the instrument panel, below > the > speedo, and I would be tempted to believe it is not just a > practical > joke on behalf of frustrated Toyota workers. > > So help me out here if you can. What kind of refrigerant (that > is > commonly available) I can safely ask my friendly a/c shop to > fill the > Previa up with? > > - t

There is no R13 that was ever used in car systems. You either have a misprint where it is a 3 instead of a 2 or it is supposed to say R134a and the "4" and the "a" are missing.

The problem is that if it is supposed to be a R12 system, R134a in not compatable with R12 oil whith out adding another kid of oil to bind to the r12 oil and the R134. He need to be dure of what the system had in it to begin with or if it has been "converted".

Tuomas Rantasalo wrote in news:UqsBe.131$ snipped-for-privacy@read3.inet.fi:

You do not have R13 in that system.

R13 is not an automotive refrigerant. It has vastly different properties from R12 and R134A.

Automotively speaking, they are right.

It is *far* more probable that the R13 printed upon the instrument panel refers to the revision number of the panel's graphics.

You have plain old, ordinary, cheap, stable, safe, inhalable R12, AKA "Freon", the same stuff used in asthma inhalers for decades before the current irrational hysteria. If you can (legally or otherwise) obtain R12, that would be the very best thing to put in your unconverted R12 system.

If it is a '92, it started with R12. It should only have something different if it had been converted, and it that case, I believe there is supposed to be a label under hood so stating.

Merritt