I've spoken to the previous owner and although it was regassed in 2002 when R12 had already been banned, it was refilled with R12! I've searched on google and some websites say they have some R12 substitute called RS24. Anyone heard of that? Conversion to R134a on a car this old wouldn't be worth it.
I've spoken to the previous owner and although it was regassed in 2002 when R12 had already been banned, it was refilled with R12! I've searched on google and some websites say they have some R12 substitute called RS24. Anyone heard of that? Conversion to R134a on a car this old wouldn't be worth it.
I've spoken to the previous owner and although it was regassed in 2002 when R12 had already been banned, it was refilled with R12! I've searched on google and some websites say they have some R12 substitute called RS24. Anyone heard of that? Conversion to R134a on a car this old wouldn't be worth it.
Argh sorry about this. Is there no way to delete the duplicate messages?
there is a delete message function in OE6: message, cancel message.
As to your car: if it has r12 originally then it must be very old ? There are R12 replacements, but they should not be mixed and they cannot be topped up, only replaced, in your case it becomes even more important to get a specialist and forget the likes of kwik fit.
Yeah I think I'll give kwik fit a miss. Yeah the car is a 1990 405 Mi16, these cars are rare now and even rarer with aircon.
No. All systems 'weap' over a period of time.
Yeah I think I'll give kwik fit a miss. Yeah the car is a 1990 405 Mi16, these cars are rare now and even rarer with aircon.
As we are now clear you are dealing with an R12 system- which dont often leak appreciably (the R12 molecules are ALOT largers than R134a) then you have two choices, possibly 3. And I would say you now have a leak.
So, the system needs to be evac'd and then pressurised and the leak fixed. It could be anywhere on one of these sadly! Fix the leak, and replace the drier.
Then, either you regas with RS24 as is, or you convert to R134a. Both will be expensive. The former in terms of someone who can actually do it, and knows what they are doing. The latter in tearing the system down, flushing it, and the oil all out, r&r-ing the compressor for same- i would personally refit a new one at this age, along with a new txv/ orifice tube, replacing the couplers, and then regas with r134a. This would be my prefered long term solution.
Tim.
especially when they have 19 year old rubber hoses that are designed for a large molecule gas like R12.
Thank you for your advice. Any idea how much it might cost to convert to r134a?
Also am I right in saying that as the compressor still kicks in when I switch the a/c on there must still be some gas in the system?
Same goes for the oil - If there's no oil leak on the floor where you park the car - no need to check the oil level after all All servicing is a waste of time and money done by cowboys innit?
Done properly it will be several hundred pounds but likely less than a thousand. Done badly it would be 50 quid and no bill.
If the compressor clutch pulls in when you switch on, then yes there must be some residual charge left in the system.
Tim.
Thank you for your advice. Any idea how much it might cost to convert to r134a?
Depends if you can do the majority of the strip and clean work yourself or not? To properly convert it, you are looking at 2-3 days of labour.
Tim.
Doesn't surprise me. It can be an expensive affair to get a main dealer to re-gas. I wouldn't be surprised if manufacturers omitted to point this out in order to make their cars look cheaper to maintain.
For the last 8 years I've always re-gassed every two years (last with Quik Fit) and the A/C works as well as it did when new (which wasn't that great really!).
To those who expect car air cons not to leak, consider the drive shaft on the compressor. This passes from the inside to the outside of the system and I bet car manufacturers don't/can't fit an absolute 100% gas tight seal in there. The reason for this weakness is that manufacturers don't often, if ever, fit a sealed electric compressor (like in a fridge) due to the high power requirement (quite a few horsepower). So, belt drive off the engine and re-gas every few years..the price of increasing levels of decadence.. :-)
I've had it re-gassed with RS24. He tested it for leaks but couldn't find any.
Sounds good. It did well to work so long without a recharge - I doubt mine would last that long!
I have the same car with the same problem but the only difference is that mine is not blowing air and I don't know where to start
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