Does anyone here Service thier own A/C?

I'd like to service my own A/C on my 1986 Toyota Celica. I'd like to try other freon substitutes, or at least, buy some R12 on Ebay.

Is this doable? Is it practical?

thanks, David

Reply to
david
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Yes, with varying results. R134A can replace R12 but I think you'll have best results if you can evacuate the system of R12 with a vacuum pump first.

Reply to
Dave's

You can get R12 on Ebay YOU need to have a EPA certificate Sec 609 MVAC Tech Cert to buy ANY automotive freon/refergerant on ebay. Their are advertived subsitutes NONE are truley drop in. usually runs $25-$30 for 14 oz can of genuine R12 If you have any knowledege about air cond & can read, study for an hour, take a short online test You can get certified. Did your system quit or why does it need recharging. You need a proper set of gauges to find outwhat it needs before you start dumping freon into the system

Reply to
sqdancerLynn

First, you need a certificate in order to purchase and handle R-12.

R-134-A is the current refrigerant of choice and it is not compatible with R-12 so the existing R-12 must be evacuated from the system before charging with 134-A. It is illegal to discharge R-12 into the air so the proper way to evacuate it is to recover it with an R-12 recovery and evacuation system.

If the refrigerant leaked out a while ago and you are now getting around to try to fix it, the desiccant in the receiver/drier is probably saturated and should be changed. Also, if the refrigerant leaked out, the source of the leak should be pinpointed or else you will spend a lot of money trying to re-charge the system.

Prior to re-charging the system, it should be evacuated with a vacuum pump, and you will need a set of refrigerant gauges to check its condition. The gauges for R-12 and R-134-A are not the same.

By the time you invest in the equipment to do the job properly, you could have paid someone to do the work, so my recommendation would be to go that route.

People often buy small cans of refrigerant at auto parts stores (pros call those small cans "suicide cans") and just fill the system, but without evacuating the system, the results are mixed.

Reply to
Ray O

Yeah...the R-134 'mixes' with the R-12 and blows the compressor...

That's what happened to me!

Reply to
Hachiroku

I think those little cans were called suicide cans because people who did not know the difference between the high side and low side sometimes installed them on the high side, and if the high side pressure were too high, then the can could burst.

Reply to
Ray O

"If you have any knowledge about air cond & can read, study for an hour, take a short online test You can get certified."

Now that's funny. The certification requirements are all about the how and why for handling refrigerants. The test for a universal certification was not short, or easy and did not include any trade skill type questions.

Dan

Reply to
Danny G.

doable? hmm...

If you had all the tools, materials, and time to waste you might get lucky and make it work without causing problems down the road.

Is it practical? NO!

GL Dan

Reply to
Danny G.

Yeah, believe me, I read the instructions, and then took a half an hour tracing the tubing to determine the Low side!!

On the LHS, it's easy...the caps are marked "H" & "L"...

I still shy away from those cans, though!

Reply to
Hachiroku

If it's only the caps, I would NOT count on that - they could easily have been placed back on randomly on a R-12 car, they are both 1/4 Flare ports.

This is why R134 ports are two different sizes - the low-hose will not go on the high port, and vice versa.

The other big thing on a R12 retrofit is the compressor oil - R12 uses Mineral Oil. For R134 you need to flush 99% or so of the mineral oil out and install a fresh charge of synthetic POE or PAG based oil. Or the oil reacts with the refrigerant and turns to pudding, and you know the rest...

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

No, it's a '94 LHS with R-134

BOOM...BOOM, ya see...I'm not done yet...BOOM!

Reply to
Hachiroku

I've been instructed that you need to also flush out all the incompatable lubricant.

later,

tom @

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Reply to
Tom The Great

I had a 1990 escort that ate up freon. I went and got my 609 cert, and did my own AC work. Sucked having a person look at my system, and charge me 60+ bucks before they even fixed anything.

I use to get my r12 from pepboys. Paid about 20+ bucks per can.

later,

tom @

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Reply to
Tom The Great

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