I am getting a 1988 Camry all fixed up. Have a choice between recharging ac with R134 or Dura-cool propane/butane blend. Have heard that people have had very good results with Dura-cool, and I think it would only cost about $35 to recharge system with it, using my existing R134 gauge set. Hopefully there is nothing wrong with AC except a small leak, won't know for sure until I try recharging. Opinion? Tnx, Geronimo
NICE! Recharge a perhaps leaky system with something flammable, in the engine bay?
I need to ask: is this a SERIOUS question, do you really not know, or are you a Troll?
Perhaps it's my own ignorance of whatever DuraCool is, but putting a combustible mixture in an area with sparks, heat and gasoline doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me!!! Especially if you think there may be leaks...
Do you play Russian Roulette in your spare time?
Somebody educate me on this?
Maybe he's the guy who wants to disable his seat belt alarm....and loves to live dangerously.
No. get a professional to check, fix and recharge with the right gas for the system.
We can tell him how to disble the Airbags, too!
Because "mack" could, he/she/it opin'd:
How can disabling a seat belt *alarm* in any way relate to living dangerously? Disabling a seat BELT, yes, but to me the alarm is only an irritation to tell me something I already know how to do every time I drive in traffic.
I suppose if you were a motorcycle rider, you'd always ride in shorts, tee-shirt, and flip flops, sans helmet, because there isn't an alarm to remind you to put on proper safety gear when you ride.
Whatta dolt. Sheesh.
-Don
I have read that some of the "mix" coolants can work OK but the problems start when a leak in the system occurrs. In the report I read, one gas leaves faster in proportion to the other and you end up with the wrong mix of coolant/lubricant and then the damage starts and the cooling decreases. I don't have the article I read but none of the new blends were recommended due to this problem.
According to the MSDS on Duracool's web site,
That type of desiccant is used? Mike
Back when I drove an Escort, I HAD to find good technicians in just about every automotive discipline.
My air conditioner guy used to have to 'service' my piece of shit Escort on a regular basis.
My '92 Corolla Wagon finally required service at about 180,000 miles.
He said 'Stick with R 12'
He got me a new Denso compressor and I'm cold as ice again.
If you have R12 stick with it....would be my advice...
The same stuff that comes packed with some electronics and Japanese rice crackers - silica gel.
Yup, though it's usually the large granule form in a strainer sealed inside the receiver tank, along with a filter element of some sort to catch any dirt that gets in.
And on fixed refrigeration systems like at supermarkets, they put a moisture indicating disc in the sight glass so you can see at a glance when the system has been saturated. The disc is blue and everything's OK, if it changes to pink you need to change the filter and check into how the water got inside...
Next time I need one, I'm tempted to just use a regular old refrigeration style filter/dryer with Flare connections and wangle up a few line adapters to connect it - and add one of those nice big sight glasses...
Wait for the raised eyebrows from the dealer mechanic, then remind him that the refrigeration part is $20, and they wanted $100+ for functionally the exact same thing.
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Why do you think the refrigeration industry went to so much trouble to develop nontoxic, nonflammable refrigerants in the 1920s if propane/butane was so good?
Either stay with 100% Freon R-12 or switch to 100% R-134a. Proper R-134a conversion at the very least consists of fixing the leaks, switching to compatible materials (o-rings, shaft seals, dissicant), draining out all the old oil, and adjusting the evaporator pressure cycling switch to turn off at 4 PSI less than for R-12. But it's better to also switch to an orfice tube calibrated for R-134a. If you live in a very hot climate, try window tint, or install a high-efficiency flat-tube condenser.
Last time I checked, R-12 was about $90/Lb...
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