Stanley; and others on the list;
I'm a
refrigeration specialist. Since 1997 I have been using FR-12 to replace R-12 in
the old cars. No oil change, no gasket change, "NO OIL" change. big difference
to having some place chop out all your old components telling you they have to
to change the oil. R-134A uses a "polyoester" oil. R-12 (and FR-12) use mineral
oil. Most freons use mineral oil. I can assure you all that R-134A is junk in
retrofitting your old R-12 systems. Why go through the hassle? I pull a deep
vacuum and charge the system with the recommended 80 percent of the original
R-12 charge. Yeah, I know no one carries FR-12 (the stores) actually you
can find it if you look. Check with a refrigeration company, not a heating and
cooling company. Its also cheaper than the other freons. If your in the
Kansas city area bring your Chevelle by the house. I can convert you to FR-12 in
30 minutes while you watch and learn. Usual charge? $60. I use it in my
service van too. This works on all Chevelles pre 90.
Ever see
what happens to a 134-A system that gets moisture in it? turns everything inside
it to a white peanut butter substance that can't be cleaned. Gotta condemn it.
(something I see allot with small commercial units that run the liquid line
through the water pan to evaporate water from the evaporator). I suppose the new
cars already with R-134A are okay because they were built that
way.
Don't forget to wash your radiator and the condenser in front of it
every 6 months. a dirty condenser raises the pressure of the freon, and on a hot
day it will raise quite high(250-350 lbs per square inch), thereby finding or
making a leak. This little tidbit brought to you by Len Snow.
Federation Refrigeration
E.47th terrace
Kansas
city, MO 64129
(816)921-6984
