R134a Retrofit question

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Chris Garcia, Feb 22, 2004.

  1. Chris Garcia

    Chris Garcia Guest

    My wife's car (91 Civic LX) has a dead A/C .. The compressor itself leaks.

    I'm considering buying a remanufactured compressor and was wondering if
    it'd be cost-effective (since the compressor is already out, and should be
    empty.. right?) to just go ahead and get the system retrofitted. Are there
    seals elsewhere that need to be replaced?

    Thanks!
     
    Chris Garcia, Feb 22, 2004
    #1
  2. Chris Garcia

    Jafir Elkurd Guest

    All of the seals should already be compatible with whatever you plan on
    using. But you will need to flush the entire system to remove all of the
    oil.... because you cannot mix the two types of oil. Also, R134a will run
    at a higher pressure than the R12, so if you have any weak spots that
    weren't leaking before they might start.
     
    Jafir Elkurd, Feb 22, 2004
    #2
  3. I'd suggest you take a browse through the forum Q&A at
    http://www.aircondition.com/ - a search on "black death" will tell you some
    of the bad things which can happen on quick conversions. Strictly
    speaking, all the seals should be replaced, the system should be flushed
    with solvent to remove the old R-12 lubricant and dried with forced venting
    before pulling vacuum and recharge. You'd also want to replace the
    receiver/drier and there are questions of whether the old expansion valves
    are compatible. At that point it becomes a question of how well you want
    it to work; how much work you want to do also depends on how long you want
    it to last. The old seals might last for say 4-5years.

    Rgds, George Macdonald

    "Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??
     
    George Macdonald, Feb 23, 2004
    #3
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