150 bucks worth of junk yard air conditioning parts, compressor oil, and 134A, and a few hours of work later, and I now have ice cold air conditioning.

Yessss...

Now, to fix my antenna and my wiper switch.

 

werd, i've been having my S5 GXL for about a year and a half and i had a S4 Turbo2 before that and none had a/c, the previous owner removed all the a/c equiptment from the engine bay so i had to rebuy it and install it. just did this too a couple weeks ago, best thing in the world, haha. all i need now is the condensor fan, but other than that, i have everything and it works ice cold.

 

I have all the parts for mine, but I'm waiting until I get my car completely running before messing with the A/C.

 

wasn't there a big A/C thread while back? I'm getting ready to have my A/C redone. All the parts are there, but I believe it needs to be charged. What was the concensus on the best stuff to replace it with? Wasn't there some Freeze something or other that was suppose to work with our stock systems?

 

Freeze 12 http://www.sherco-auto.com/

 

Double post please delete

 

To legally by freeze-12 you need an EPA license to buy it. It is very easy to get. I think you go to www.epatests.com and look for the MVAC test. It costs about 20 bucks and will take an afternoon to complete.
As for freeze-12, it works great. I have it in my daily driver and I can't tell a difference from r-12. It still gets down to 37 degree vent temps in the summer. You will need a retrofit kit to do it properly, but they are cheap. It is basically just new fittings so people don't put in the wrong refrigerant.
There was a site that I bought it from that had very good prices. Unfortunately the link is on my main comp which is dead ATM.

 

Make sure to have the system evacuated and then filled with new oil before putting any refrigerant in it... you need to get the old oil out of the used compressor, and you also need to make sure it's properly oiled up before running it (you have to run it to charge it). And you also need to get rid of any traces of R12...

Don't use any sealants in the 7's system... sealant products do not go well with expansion valve systems.

IMO it's plenty cold with just 134A.

 

Well...there is freeze 12 all over ebay...so not sure why I'd need a license?

Anyway, if I got something like this...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Freez...97992869QQrdZ1

What else would I need to do this? What exactly do you mean by "retro fit" kit?
I've never messed with A/C systems so pardon my ignorant questions.

 

R134 in an FC is for regions that don't really need a/c, like Canada.

Unless you upgrade the condenser to a parallel flow unit, you will have high pressure problems in the summer heat. The least of your problems will be much higher head pressures and poor high temp cooling performance. Your engine will also feel quite sluggish on 134 due to the higher pumping pressures compared to R12 or Freeeze12.

In the long haul, the 15 year old compressor will not like the higher pressure and may rebel by puking the 'black death' into your system. Now you are really screwed. BTW those R134 retro fit kits that you get at Walmart, autozone etc are called Death Kits by the pro A/C techs. Kills the system and clean up is very, very expensive.

Any leaks will dump refrigerant at an increased pace, especially the rubber hoses. Good luck with the 134, but many people on this forum have less than optimum experiences with it. One repair offsets the cheap price of the conversion.

Good luck, but you should really rethink this.

 

Not only the above, but the 134 gas actually requires different hoses as the 134 will leak through the R12 hoses, but I guess it's better than not having any A/C.

 

actually, you dont have to have a licence to buy freeze 12 in the cans, just the larger canisters. Then if you get cought, be prepaired to pay a bunch of cash.

 

I put Freeze 12 in my car Just follow the instructions in the haynes manual like I did and you will good to go.

 

although it would be Nice to have A/C in my RX7 ..It would drive me Nuts!..everytime I Walk up to the car and See a "puddle" of Water!..I would think something is leaking and have to do a Check before driving off!..Thanks,but No thanks!..I'll stick with 2/80 Air Conditioning..That is TWO windows Down at 80 miles per Hour!..Works Great!!,and it Doesn't break Down!..BUT I would like to Commend the thread starter for his Talent at getting his system Up and Running..Good Job!

 

You obviously havnt been to Vegas, Where the outside temps in the summer are on average of 115-120 . That 2/80 air conditioning doesnt work to well in air that hot. Its like a blow dryer is stuck on your face

 

My car was converted to 134a

The AC guy talked me our of doing an R12 fill-up. "It's not worth it" he said, "It's the same temperature" he said, "It wont harm your R12 designed system" he said. It sprung a leak. WHERE IS MY AIR CONDITIONING, AIR CONDITIONING GUY?

(I made him fix the leak for free)

 

The same temps will not apply in Florida. Basically, our cars do not have enough condenser area for a successful conversion to 134a. You are fighting the physics of refrigeration. Tell him 'It's the Pressure, Stupid!' This would not be an issue if our system was designed for 134, but it is not.

The pressure on 134a may be 75-100psi higher under extreme conditions with high ambient and high interior temps during cool-down. You can't just look at a temperature pressure chart and get the true picture due to the load on the evaporator. Most of the time the solution to avert disaster is to...undercharge the system. Now although the head pressures are under control, you lose total cooling capacity-maybe as much as 30%. The system will be incapable of cooling in high temp stop and go traffic.

When your a/c compressor takes a puke, that a/c moron is not going to fix it 'free' then. You will have to have new expansion valve, receiver drier, compressor, evaporator, because none of those items can be properly cleaned of the 'Black Death'.

If you want to use 134a, the solution is to put in a parallel flow condenser and add an electric cooling fan. $$$ Now the system will be properly balanced, the pressure will remain under control, low speed cooling will work terrific. Everything will work just fine, but it just doesn't make economic sense. You will spend twice the money to redesign the system when you could have just used the correct refrigerant.

 

so . . who can get ahold of R12? or is freeze 12 good enough, i live in AZ and im dead sick of the heat this'll be year 3 without it >_>

 

Freeze12 will work just fine. Icemark is a big fan of Freeze12. I have also used it with success. I just happen to have a really good source of cheap R12. I have the license to buy and use it. If I didn't, I would use Freeze12 in a heartbeat.

You can borrow gauges and vacuum pumps at Autozone for free.

1. Just make sure that you system is leak free.

2. Replace the old receiver-dryer. ( Autozone and Orielly have the wrong part in their system, so take your old one in to match. The replacement part should look exactly like the one on your car. Don't let them tell you that one that looks different will fit. It won't).


3a. The ideal oil for Freeze12 (and R12) is Mineral oil. This is what came in your system. You should avoid using any PAG oils in a system that has ever had R12 in it. POE (Ester) is the best compromise of the new oils. It is acceptable for R12, Freeze12 and even 134a It will also mix in an acceptable fashion with the residual mineral oil of you system.

3b. Our system calls for 6oz of oil. Don't add lots of extra oil unless you remove and flush the compressor. If you already have 6 oz in the system and add 6 more, you cause problems. A couple of extra oz is not bad, but the exact amount is best. The best thing is to remove the compressor and drain the existing oil out of the compressor. Add a couple of oz of POE. Rotate the compressor by hand 10-12 rotations, then drain it again. Repeat. Drain. Then, add 3-4 oz. to the compressor. Reinstall the compressor. Add the other 2-3 oz into the brand new receiver drier. Tighten it down.

4. Pull a very deep vacuum. Let the vacuum pump work on the vacuum for 30-45 min at an outside temp over 70*, longer times at cooler temps. The venturi type vacuum pumps that hook up to your air compressor are not sufficient for your needs.

5. Verify the tight system by assuring the system will hold a vacuum for min. 45 minutes with the gauges shut off.

6. If it doesn't hold, you must find the leak. Get pro help if you can't handle this yourself.

7. Charge the Freeze12 into the system as LIQUID only. Freeze12 is a blend and must be charged as liquid.

Here is a very helpful forum. They will walk you through nearly anything. They do not really support using blends, but everything else is great.

http://www.autoacforum.com/messagevi...&threadid=7931

Good luck and stay cool.

 

Just be lucky you have working air conditioning...

 

I lost my R12 charge about a year ago due to a leaky schrader valve. The origianl a/c worked flawlessly for the past 15 or so years. Retrofitted the a/c with the R134a conversion kit. The R134a does not cool the car, especially when it is heat soaked. I bought a new a/c compressor, expansion valve, dryer and all the o-rings, and am going to rebuild the a/c system and convert it back to R12 this spring. I would also like to replace the hoses during the rebuild. Mazda has discontinued manufacturing a/c hoses for the FC. Does anybody know where I can buy new replacement a/c hoses for my GXL?

Hot_Dog
90 RX7 GXL

 

I'm sorry to hear this.

Better find out if you have PAG oil in the system, cause if you do, don't put R12 back in. You must not ever mix R12 and PAG. The Chlorine in the R12 and the PAG chemically react. If the system has PAG, you need to either have it professionally flushed or use Freeze12.

Look in the yellow pages and find a company that makes hydraulic hoses. Take your old hoses with the fittings in and they can replace the hose with proper A/C hose material. You may be able to get it done for $25-30 bux per hose. Make sure they measure the hose and repair it exactly the same length within an inch. The tendency is for them to make sure they make it long enough. Sometimes they will make it 6-8" too long and it causes problems.