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careldo

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hey guys,

my AC low refrigirant message came up today on my 92 eldo and before i top it off i have this question.

the label on the drier says R-12 and there is no label anywhere saying that a conversion has been done so i am assuming that it is still operating on R-12 but what if it has been filled with R-134 at some point and i top it it off with R-12 (since i still have a few pounds on hand) what then.Will the AC be damaged? Is there anyway to test the gas to be able to indentify the gas type used.

BTW;the high side and low side have no conversion adapters but the weird thing is that the low side port has quick connect type fitting on it which my 134 kit can actually fit on thus prompting me to ask the above question.

Thanks guys.

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Does the high side port have a quick disconnect fitting as well? If not, I suspect someone did a botched conversion job or just topped off the R-12 system with R-134a...

An A/C shop should have a refrigerant gas analyzer that will be able to tell exactly what refrigerant(s) are in the system.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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KHE,

the high side does not have a quick connect fitting yet the low side fitting looks original what i mean by that is that its not like some of those cheap conversion adapters being sold at auto parts stores it actualy looks like a factory piece.

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KHE,

the high side does not have a quick connect fitting yet the low side fitting looks original what i mean by that is that its not like some of those cheap conversion adapters being sold at auto parts stores it actualy looks like a factory piece.

The '92 cars had R-12 from the factory. R-134a was used beginning with the '94 model year.

Is the fitting a separate piece from the accumulator (large aluminum can)?

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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KHE,

yes

The most likely scenario is that someone topped off the system with R-134a....this is actually illegal.... also, the R-134a will not carry the R-12 mineral oil.

An A/C shop will have a refrigerant identifier which can confirm this. If you do find that there is both R-12 and R-134a in the system, have the shop perform a leak test to assure the system is not leaking and then have them evacuate and recharge with R-12 to the specified quantity specified by the underhood label.

You might have them add a couple of ounces of refrigerant oil to the system as well.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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Someone did this same thing to my Mustang a couple of years ago. I had a local shop change out my compressor and apparently the system was refilled with R-134a. The compressor failed within the year(aftermarket reman unit) and I took to another shop. They had to complete evacuate the system (which I had to pay an additional fee for contamination) of the 2 gases and recharge. Was not very cheap.

Good Luck with yours! :blink:

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The chlorine in R-12 will degrade PAG. Although mixing R-12 and R-134a is illegal, they work well together, and mineral oil circulation won't be a problem as long as there's more than roughly 10-20% R-12 remaining. I would be more concerned about what lubricant was added during the "conversion". The safest route would be to dismantle the system, replace the accumulator/drier, flush the evaporator and condenser, turn the compressor 50 times while pouring fresh mineral oil in the inlet, add the correct quantity of 525 viscosity mineral oil to the various components, and start from scratch with R-12.

___________________________________________________

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Had the Gas tested looks like pure R134 in the system the shop cannot confirm what oil is in there, so here are my choices.

1-dismantle flush and refill with R12 -- very expensive

2-continue with R134 but system still has original dryer so maybe i should replace it and refill.

3-evacuate R134 and replace with Duracool R12A

what do you guys think.

Thanks for all replies.

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If it were my car, I'd go with option 1 but if you're concerned about the cost, then I would flush the system and replace the accumulator and properly convert to R-134a.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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Hydrocarbon based refrigerants such as that Duracool product are compatible with all refrigerant lubricants. There's a good possibility that oil was added during that "conversion", and there's almost double the recommended quantity of lubricant in the system.

___________________________________________________

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Double the recommended oil in the system will reduce cooling capacity.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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