Herblenny

iTrader: (13)

I know I did this with my acura legend coupe stock r12 ac compressor.

All I did was change out the fitting, right amount of oil, new dryer, and r134a.

can you do this with 93 r12 ac compressor??

I've searched the forum and sounds like thats all you need to do, but wanted to double check.. last post about this was back in 03'...

alberto_mg

that is all they did on mine.

911GT2

I just had mine done at a local AC shop. All they did was empty the R12, change out the fittings, and refill. It was like $120.

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

These may be of interest:
http://www.davidgeesaman.com/rx7/TSBs

Dave

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

Can it be done? Yes. Should it be done? That's another story.

R134a will never get as cold as the original R12 - the system just isn't designed for 134a.

R12 isn't cheap, but it's not TOO bad. I had my system pulled to a vacuum and recharged with R12, out the door for $130. That's cheap. I get 35 degree air coming out of my vents - sure is nice in Florida .

I would exhaust options with going to R12 first, then maybe look at the drop-in R12 replacements, like Hotshot and Freeze-12, before I'd go to 134a.

Dale

bajaman

I've changed out several systems over the years to R-134 from R-12. In all that time the only one that didn't work out was on a '88 VW Cabriolet I had. The compressor (which was brand new) failed within a few weeks. When I warranted the compressor, I asked if there was some reason WHY it failed, and the counter man said, "This compressor is made for either refrigerant, so using R-134 was not the problem." He told me some older systems' compressors don't like R-134 and often don't last long once converted.

This is why I snag the little bottles of R-12 when I find them at garage sales and the like. My Suburban and the FD still need R-12.

FDNewbie

iTrader: (10)

From what I hear (from a friend who's a heating and cooling specialist), they stopped making R-12 completely, and are phasing it out. Ie, you can't get it refilled anymore. Ditto w/ R-22, which is in the old home A/C units. So I guess get the R-12 while you can...

DamonB

R-12 has not been made for years, but it is still widely available.

Mr rx-7 tt

iTrader: (5)

R-12 is far better than the R-134 like Dale said. I changed my Turbo Saab over and there is a difference. I believe they say you lose between 10 and 15% cooling ability. Stick with R-12 if you can find it. Like Ramy says it's a little harder to find now though.

NCMontegott

iTrader: (5)

r-12 has been fased out completly, you can still get it but for a hefty price. the price of
R-134a has increased dramatically in the last few months. if i had problems with my ac i would just take it of and leave it be (only slows down the car anyway)

Herblenny

iTrader: (13)

Well, I'm currently searching locally to see if I could locate some R12.

I guess depend on price, I'll either refill or go with r134a conversion.. which should be about the same cost.

Thanks everyone for your input.

I've also heard you could use Freeze12?? but apprently its 80% r134a?? any input on this stuff??

Herblenny

iTrader: (13)

True,

One of my FD's that way.. but I would like to keep one w/AC..

KevinW

iTrader: (1)

where do you guys have your condensor located if you have a FMIC? i had mine under the car but it doesnt seem to get any cooling from the fans under there and the system got too hot and blew a line so now i'm having this local shop make some custom lines and re mount it back inbetween the Rad and FMIC. oh i have an apexi GT FMIC

moconnor

iTrader: (14)

There is a persistent myth (repeated in this thread several times) that R-12 is either impossible to get or is very expensive. It is not hard to get, nor is it expensive. You can find 12 oz cans on eBay for less than $20, which should be more than enough to recharge an FD unless it has leaked all its freon. (In which case, another $20 can will do the trick.)

In principle, you need a EPA license to purchase it but in practice eBay sellers do not check. In any case, this license can easily be had by doing a short online test for $10.

Given how cheap and freely available R-12 is, there is no good reason to convert to R-134 IMHO.

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

I just had a shop do the actual charge up. I think it was a pound and a half for a full charge of R-12 - not that much. Just call around to local AC shops and find one that can do it for you.

Dale

JConn2299

While it is true that R134a isn't as efficient a refrigerant as the old R12, the A/C system can be designed to compensate for this. Besides the different fittings, the condenser on the FD's '95 R134a A/C system was different. The '95 condenser had an extra cooling fin(s). (I forget exactly how many.)

I have a '95 FD and on a hot day when I put an A/C probe thermometer in the vent it gets down to around 42 degrees, which is what any working A/C should be putting out.

I go along with the advice of others though.....if you have a 93 or 94 and need a recharge, do it with R12 rather than converting to R134a. It's simpler and should be cheaper overall.

bajaman

Wellllllll....it is not QUITE that easy.....
In addition to having the license (which isn't difficult) you have to have a recovery system. These recovery systems all have serial numbers, you have to give the make, model, and serial number of your recovery system to purchase R-12.
Now, if you happen to have a friend that has a system and can give you all the info you need......

ruos

iTrader: (1)

ok
How about conveting back to R12 from a previous conversion of R134a?
Because even if its hard to get, just 3 12 oz bottle would do the trick for practically a life time. 35 Degrees at the vents sound awesome, especially here in south Florida.

Dale?

cewrx7r1

iTrader: (2)

Two years ago I changed my R12 fittinngs to R134 fittings but used AUTOCOOL
freon. http://www.autocool-refrigerants.com/.

It is a heavier molecule, you use less by weight, it runs near R134 pressures, and cools better than R12 or R134.

My 13year old all original parts AC works better today than when the car was new!

poss

iTrader: (5)

Once again, do not switch over to R-134a on an otherwise stock FD A/C system. It just doesn't have the capacity to cool on a hot day.

I took some advice from cewrx7r1 and went with auto cool refrigerant. It runs at lower pressures than 134 so your pump should last longer and it takes less power to run the A/C. And hey it's not bad for the environment, like R12, and doesn't cause testicular cancer like R-134. Two thumbs up.

edit: see listen to him ^^^ haha

BlueRex

There's a lot of good info in this thread especially about what refrigerants to use:

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/cost-recharging-ac-397468/

Herblenny

iTrader: (13)

I'm looking at that site.. Pretty cool!
thanks for that info!

DaleClark

iTrader: (55)

That should be doable. The hardest thing will be getting all the 134a out and the 134a oil out. You might have to have an AC shop flush the system with a heavy duty cleaner to get ALL the oil out of the system.

Dale

alberto_mg

Honestly, I didn't notice a difference. The a/c still blows so cold that I rarely keep on full cold for very long. That was with a SMIC fwiw.

moconnor

iTrader: (14)

I have never heard of this requirement and I have bought R-12 several times. All you need to buy Freon from a legitimate seller is a valid EPA Certification card (or copy of it).

This may be a requirement of a particular vendor but (unless the regulations have changed since I did the exam a few months ago) one does not need a recovery system in order to buy Freon.

Do you have a reference to this regulation?