Is there any way for a shade tree mechanic to evacuate the freon and reuse it? I have to replace the heater core so the AC lines have to be disco'd at the firewall. Or, is there a way to cut into the HVAC box to get the heater core out. The truck has it's original R12 and no, I can't afford to convert to that less efficient 134 crap.

 

Nope, gonna have to have a shop suck it out for you if you want to save it.

 

Thanks wanna, not what I wanted to hear, but thanks.

 

iam a refrigeration tech -youtube has a clip where a guy built a evacuation machine out of a old compressor and uses a propane bottle as a tank'



Go to a local refrigeration shop (not automotive) and get them to evacuate then charge.

It is my opinion no auto tech cfc ticket or not should touch a/c
((% have no idea what they are doing with No training

and for the record 134A is just as efficent as r12

i got 38* coming out my vents

 

sure there is... look on craigslist for cheap evacuation machines, gauges and tank. then you need a decent vacuum pump.

no... you are not going to save $$$ doing it yourself... HVAC work is equipment intensive. but once you do invest in the gear... you can do it your self properly.

if you've got to pay new equipment prices.... forget about it... but someone that's not in a hurry... craigslist can be an economical way to go.

easiest way to get a correct charge after pulling a good vacuum. (micro gauge) is to charge by weight (digital scales) per system spec's.

then you need a refrigerant sniffer to check for leaks... more and more equipment ... eh....

R-12 has gotten pretty pricey... there's plenty of other drop-in refrigerants available. catch is to find out which one. older systems were designed specifically for R-12 and may not upgrade with same efficiency to 134a.

replacement refrigerant for R-12 are blends of different gases (zeotropic). meaning when placing a charge, only LIQUID to keep proper ratio of different gases. meaning you cannot do a partial charge. which is OK... if you've got low charge, the leak has to be fixed anyways.

subcooling and superheat characteristics are very close to R-12. it's a dropin operation with no mods switching from R-12. be sure to label the system plainly to alert future techs change out has been done. not everyone has a refrigerant identifier handy ($2,000)

 

Virgin R-12 baby my AC gets so cold that we wear a jacket in the cab in the middle of summer.



For around town low temps I have 2) 2500CFM electric fans providing ram air through my condenser, and incase you were going to ask, my evaporator has only iced up on my maybe 4 of 5 times when it is this cold.

My wife and daughter are always complaining and saying its too cold in here especially on long trips, so I usually temper the air up to about 35* - 40* with the heater to make it comfortable with a light jacket. Also the cold air blowing on my knuckles makes them stiff and hurt sometimes but it sure keeps my cold drink frosty.

I would question that R-134 works as good as R-12 or is more efficient but maybe someone else has had better results that I have, I think ICOR works superior to R-134, even stationary appliances like water chillers or window boxes I have seen lower temps with R-12 than newer R-134 but again this is just my observation.

If you have a bit of know-how like I do you can make your own using a good vacuum pump, condensing coil, electric fan to condense the hot gas, an oil separator, some inline driers and a tank to store the refrigerant, it worked fine until I bought mine. You can get them used now for pretty cheap or a new basic one for about $500.00 the tanks are what can cost the money but again you can get them used also, check places like Craigslist, your throwaway newspaper, yard sales, I have bought a lot of thinks that they didn’t even have a clue what they were or how much they cost for only dollars.

Go and get yourself certified, it is not that difficult you can get information from most HVAC wholesale houses, the test are local and only last a few hours.

I hold a Technician Type I I III and I think mine only cost me $35.00 but with it I can purchase any kind of refrigerant including still plentiful R-12.

You know it wouldn’t be too difficult for the auto manufacture to install isolation valves or even oversize Schrader valves on all of the AC components so they could be easly services by simply unsnapping the fittings.

The old Rotolock fittings used on all of the old Fords back in the 60’s and 70’s you could close off the valve and replace the compressor without loosing your R-12 charge but of course back then a 1 pound can of R-12 only cost Fifty Nine CENTS at Pep Boys.

You could recharge your complete system for under $3.00.

Oh and just incase you were wondering, this is how hot my heater gets, nice and toasty.



Jim

 

I'm taking the truck to the local Chevy dealer (my truck won't get a virus will it?) because they can suck it out tomorrow - Saturday. I need to get her back on the road because it keeps snowing here, d@mn global warming. Had to drive the wife's Caravan AWD over the summit and back, very dicey with regular tires.