A/C refrigerant 1991 Roadster

Hi,

The air conditioning on my 1991 Eunos Roadster has stopped working, most likely because the refrigerant needs charging up. I took it into a KwikFit (only place around here that would do anything at all with a/c); they had a bit of a look around and announced that the refrigerant needed was an old kind which is now illegal in the UK. I've had a bit of a Google search and it does seem that some older types of refrigerants contained CFCs and are therefore no longer allowed; does anyone know whether the a/c in the 1991 Roadster does indeed use a refrigerant which is now illegal in the UK? Alternatively, if this is nonsense, does anyone know of a shop in the Cambridge, UK area that can recharge my a/c unit?

Thanks

Eric

Reply to
Eric Baber
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"Eric Baber" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@individual.net:

A 1991 will use the banned refrigerant (R12), it can be converted to use the later type of refrigerant (134a) by replacing all the oil in the system since the oil in your system isn't compatible with the later refrigerant. Removing and replacing the oil almost certainly requires replacement of the compressor and the receiver/drier (or accumulator, if that's what Mazda uses) along with maybe a couple of other minor parts which is costly. There might be a very slight reduction in cooling with the later refrigerant but it probably won't be noticeable.

Oh, the fittings for charging the system may also require replacement as 134a uses different ones. A knowledgeable mechanic will be able to get around that problem, though...

If you want air conditioning you really have no choice unless you can find a shop that does have a stock of R12. I don't know the law there but here if a shop has it they are allowed to use it, the ban is on manufacturing the stuff AFAIK.

Reply to
XS11E

You will also pay a large fortune for R12 if you can find it.

Reply to
Chuck

If anyone here is from Raleigh, NC.

I know a shop that will recharge R12. Yes it is expensive, but IMO my '93 Ranger with R12 is colder than my wife's 2004 Toyota R134A.

Reply to
Marc

Thanks for the information, anyone. Looks like I'll be putting my a/c out to farm; it's not really worth converting it to the new refrigerant.

Thanks

Eric

Reply to
Eric Baber

"Everyone", even.

Eric

Reply to
Eric Baber

Right, the guy has just been and gone and has recharged my Roadster's a/c with RS-24 refrigerant. The process was as described at

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(checking the system for leaks, creating a vacuum in it to get rid of any moisture, adding oil and dye to be able to check for any slow leaks, vacuuming again, filling up with RS-24) and it's now nice and cold again. I can't really compare it properly to what is used to be like since I never took a temperature reading when the R12 was still in it but it certainly feels properly cold. It cost UK£65 for the whole thing including him coming here to my house to do it so I'm happy! Eric

Reply to
Eric Baber

"Eric Baber" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@individual.net:

Great, glad it works. It's nice to know there is a replacement for R12.

Reply to
XS11E

Eric, please keep up posted on your experiences with the new fluid. Although

1 or 2 airco-shops in the Netherlands still recharge with R12 it is always good to know what's new... As a commissioner of the Technical Committee of the MX-5 Club of the Netherlands I can give feedback to our members regarding this subject.

Jeroen Feelders MX-5 Club of the Netherlands

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"Eric Baber" schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@individual.net... | Right, the guy has just been and gone and has recharged my Roadster's a/c | with RS-24 refrigerant. The process was as described at |

formatting link
(checking the system for leaks, | creating a vacuum in it to get rid of any moisture, adding oil and dye to be | able to check for any slow leaks, vacuuming again, filling up with RS-24) | and it's now nice and cold again. I can't really compare it properly to what | is used to be like since I never took a temperature reading when the R12 was | still in it but it certainly feels properly cold. It cost UK£65 for the | whole thing including him coming here to my house to do it so I'm happy! | | Eric | |

Reply to
Jeroen Feelders

OK, some more info now that I've been driving with the new refrigerant for a week or so.

In general, it "feels" nearly - but not quite - as cold as the original R12. As I said I never measured the temperature with the R12 before it ran out, but on several occasions I'd be driving with the top up and the air-con on 1 or 2 and turned down all the way; after a while I'd get too cold and would have to turn it less cold. With the new refrigerant that hasn't happened; I can drive pretty much as long as I like with it on 1 and turned down all the way without getting too cold. Then again we're having a particularly hot summer so perhaps the outside temperature is just hotter than in the past, and the a/c is having to work harder.

Some temperatures I measured today:

Outside temperature: 31 (centigrade, as all the other temps here) Temperature of air coming out of blower, on 2 and turned down all the way:

11 Temperature in cockpit with blower on 2 and turned down all the way: 16 -
  1. It maintains this when turning the blower down to 1 once it's got down to that temperature.

An ambient temperature of 31 isn't all that hot this year - we've had 35/36, but on those occasions I haven't had a thermometer to hand (funnily enough I don't carry one around with me wherever I go :-)) I might get around to measuring the cockpit temperature at an outside temp of 35, then again I might not. (And yes yes, I know I know - 35 probably isn't all that hot for some of you, but for the UK it's really something).

Hope that's useful!

Eric

Reply to
Eric Baber

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