kuhlrx7

use the freeze 12 quick kit its only 60.00 and works better than the r 134. I too was unhappy with the r 134 it was not cold anuff for me.

Hadoken

I called a local place where my friend takes his RX-7 and the previous owner took my car, and he said to change and fill it to R-134 it would be $160 for the flush, fittings, new coolant etc. but he said there is a risk you might blow something out, but he estimated that 85-90% of the conversions worked fine.

He also said that replacing the dryer wasn't neccessary, that many years ago they did that, but since then they have found it was a waste of money.

He also said he could fill it with R-12, he said it would cost about $130 for 2 cans of R-12, or $150 if I wanted him to put it in.
I would go with the R-12 method if I KNEW there wasn't a leak in it. Is there anything cheaper to put in, then detect for leaks before you put in the freon?

jweather73

ok, well look at it this way... if you get it repaired and they put R-12 back into it, you're talkin' $65 for ONE CAN of it!!! 134a is, what? $4.00 a can maybe? So, same repair job (fixing whatever the leak is) keeping it r-12... and LongDuck says that his took about 28 oz of 134a... Do you have any idea how much 28 oz of r12 would cost you?!?!!? Me either (off the top of my head), but I would imagine you could have two major a/c repairs of a converted 134a system that would cost less than your ONE repair of your old r12 system.

...and by the way -- mine was already converted when I purchased it, and it needed only one can to really take it "over the top" in cooling -- it'll get down to about 39-40 degrees -- even in this crappy texas heat (and humidity).... so for what it's worth there's my 2 cents worth.

Hadoken

Looking around, I'm bettin I can find some A/C parts if the R-134 switch does cause any problems..
So many people are ripping the A/C out for weight, parts are selling pretty cheap from what I've seen.

I think it takes 20% more R-12 to fill it than it does R-134, so the guy may have quoted me wrong.

If I can scrounge up $160 may try the R-134 way..

Tom

That's a safe bet. I'll mention the dryer thing next time I see the guys in the local shop. They may have had some bad luck with them before..

jweather73

I'll also say that I've "heard" (as you have already read) that the converted ones don't blow as cold as they did (before they were broken) as R-12.... but if you think about it this way too..... all new cars are 134, and theirs blow just as cold (if not colder) than they did years ago when we were using 12. So, go figure. Either way, it's still better than nothing, right?

Hadoken

Yeah my brothers car has a slight leak so we put some R-134 in it fairly often, and as long as it's full I can't imagine it being any colder.

I just wish I knew if there was any R-12 left in my car, because I could just do the $40 kit if it wouldn't mix with any old R-12 and cause something to go wrong...

LongDuck

As 'jweather' stated above, my decision to convert to R134a was due to not knowing if I would have any small leaks that would be money out the window (literally) if simply recharged with R12 - as expensive as each recharge would be, it is quickly cost prohibitive.

With the R134a system in place, I can 'top-off' the system any time that I think it may be low (blowing warm air) for about $4 for 12 oz, a full fillup for about 12 dollars - AND, I can do it all myself in my garage. I can't say the same for the R12, because I can't even find it here in AZ...

Some questions posed to me; tint cost - I went with a higher grade of tint, 35% (max legal) front windows and rear deck window, and an 85% band across the top of the windscreen to block out morning and evening light. Total cost on it was just over $200, which is high, but also has a lifetime warranty against cracks, peeling, bubbling, etc, with free replacement for the life of the car. Can't beat that, and it's a reputable company. Looks great, and allows my A/C to function much better than without. I can't believe I went 6 years with this car with NO tinting, whatsoever!

If you're going to go with fixing your A/C system, do yourself a favor and pay for good tinting as well. It will be much more comfortable in the long run. HTH,

YapaKanichi

ok be happy you have AC

Phat87MazdaRx7

I dont know what the cost would be for you but an ac check runs for about 20 bucks less if you can catch a sale this would do 2 things for you 1 find out if you have any leaks and 2 most shops evac the system to do the test if they say there are no leaks thank them and go get your walmart kit even if it has a leak you could look into fixing it yourself once you know where it is

Hadoken

If this is true...then you're a genious...

Anyone know if it's possible to do a test to check for leaks? I'll call around tomorrow and see if I can get someone to do it.

If they do that test for leaks though, it wouldn't flush out the oil would it? It would just get rid of the left over R-12 right?

84stock

iTrader: (5)

I just had my voyager recharged with "duracool" in place of the r12 rather than doing a conversion. It was cheap, compatible and cool. Best way to go! http://www.duracool.com/newsletter_summer2000.html

Hadoken

Hey longduck, any chance you have pics of your car since the tinting job?
I think 35% is the max legal here too, so it'd be nice to see what it looks like.

Hadoken

My air conditioner now seems to be running cooler than it once did, so I think I may just try to "obtain" 1 can of R-12 and pop that in there since I already have the kit to put R-12 in.
And I can get 35% tint on all windows except the front for $150, and that includes a lifetime warranty.
I think I'll go this route to start out with.

Now, anyone know where I can "obtain" a can of R-12?
I know I can get it on Ebay, but everyone talks about either being certified, or signing a resale form...anyone have any idea about that?

So Jimmyjoejoe...how much would it cost for you to make a freon run across the border lol