The dealer wants $180.00 and Tri-Point wouldn't quote me because they said they had to test and diagnose the whole cooling system to figure out why it's not getting cold before they refilled it.

What is involved? Is it more then tapping a can of freon or whatever with a hose? It sounds like most of the cost is labor. Are they some kind of special tools or something required?

 

yeah, i wouldn't try it myself, try any shop that specialise in that kind of thing, where are you going to find a bottle of R12 anyway?

why have you lost freon? maybe you really have a leak, you should start by looking at that first.

 

no you can't do it yourself...you need to be certified and there is all kinds of b.s. involved...that is to do it legally...

 

ok, is there a cheaper place (take out the middle man) rather than the dealer?

Has anyone else had to have theirs refilled yet? ...where did you take it?

I don't know where to get R12 stuff. I just assumed you could by out online.

Why would I have a leak? Is the R12 stuff supposed to last forever, unlike older freon stuff?

Whoops: Mine is the newer stuff! If R134 is the newest then I meant that instead of r12.

 

well yes, it should last forever

there is no reason why you shouldn't have enough in your system.

how come have you been converted to R134? Did you have a leak? Any good body or muffler shop that specialise in A/C should be able to fill you with R134.

Freon just doesn't disappear all by itself.

 

I do not wantthe a/c in my car therefor i wanted to at least remove the compressor and if I ever sold the car I could just reindtall the compresser and charge or have it charged! the extra space under the hood would also be nice! Is this a bad idea? And does the ac system todaly poulled off of these cars hurt the retail value?

please please respond for I am at that part of the process!!

thanks, joe

 

'94 models have r134 from the factory, he didnt convert it. You can buy R-134 from your local parts store for about $5 a can. I dont remember how many cans you need, 2 or 3 I think. Under the hood some place it should show how many oz. the system holds, just buy enough cans that you have that many ounces. You can get the kit that includes a pressure gauge, a fill hose, and a can or 2 for less than $50. It really isnt that much work, just be careful to not get any dirt in there.

Why are you low on refrigerant? If you drained it yourself that is fine, if not then you have a leak that you really should find and fix. You can get stuff that goes in the A/C system that is dyed so if it leaks out you can spot where it is coming from.

 

It takes $15, 30 minutes and an internet connection to become certified. http://www.imaca.org

R12 is prohibitively expensive to buy, because they're not making any more of it. That is why it costs so much.

(I realize the original poster actually has R134a, etc...I'm just responding to this particular post)

jds

 

R12 is recycled with proper equipment and training, so you're SOL and will likely have to pay. Otherwise you would have to change out all the A/C O-rings and seals to work with R134, which is more caustic.

Or just go down to Tijuana, GoRacer.

 

I've been running r134a in my r12 system for at elast a year now with no problems. I didnt' have to change o-rings or anytihng. I jsut bought the $35 kit and filled it myself in about 10 minutes. However, you will avhe to get your remaing r12 evacuated from the system.

 

i didn't know that, sorry

 

Yeah, it's the (newer) R134 stuff. I confused the two. Most '94 would have came with the R134 with the exception of some being built in '93.

Well the dealer wanted about $200 to check and refill and so did Tri-Point. Sidetrack -> I flipped open the phone book remembering about radiators. The dealer does not work on them, they get sent out to a radiator shop and you pay double <-end point. So with that in mind I wanted to cut out the middle man and I called a radiator shop and they said $40 to test it + however many cans of R134 to fill it + any repairs "if" necessary. That sounds like 1/2 the cost to me.

I just assumed it eventually evaporated and ran out. Now I have to assume something is wrong from your replies.

Sysmptoms: Air comes out but does not get cold. When on heater air comes out warm but that's another story.

Thanks for the replies!