Don't throw rocks guys, this is TEST only.
My Grandson has a 88 ford bronco 2. R12 being what it is and having read about propane as a replacement, well anybody know what the converson rate would be? Lbs of freon to lbs of propane.
System has some gas in it so, no air. Jump pressure switch and the compresser runs. No loud noises.
Any help would be great.
GW

 

I do not support this at all!
But if I were gonna do it, I would put in the same amount as the r12 system required.
If you blow your self up, don't come haunt me!

 

Ouch
I read about this here, Bearkiller or someone, don't remember who.
The rig is Not worth much, also he can not afford much.
The propane will MOST DEFINITELY NOT be left in the system.
GW

 

propane gives a higher pressure and tends to stall the compressor. Make sure belt and clutch are in good shape.

 

bah... run it!

 

Propane does take a higher pressure to fully liquify. But in theory the diffenences arent that much and should work. Just be sure there is plenty of compressor oil. I'm not sure about the expansion rate of the 2 though. You may need to alter the oraface size to get it just right.

Sounds like an unneccisary and different trial and error project. I LIKE IT!!!!

Y'all be safe and have fun.

 

You might Google propane refrigerant and also butane refrigerant. You'll find a lot of information about it. Also search propane in the first-generation section. You'll find a lot of junk and some good information. My two cents, Mike.

 

I did a lot of reading on here and throughout the web and just bit pulled the trigger on adding propane to my system. Obviously it's a bit preliminary in results but over the last week I've had no issues (knock on wood).

I used a low tech approach that I read about on here: propane torch (14oz) as my source and simply stopped filling when the air coming out of the vents got cold.

After a couple of days it was stilling blowing cold with no issues and functionality was fine. I'm guessing I had/have one of the ultra slow leaks and that the previous charge had been either the original or one that had been with the vehicle for quite some time.

Then I did the "suit-case" mod/clean-out and just checked my temps today. 95 degrees outside, vent temps were 34 degrees and the system is so far functioning fine.

At a cost of $3 and 5 minutes to recharge, if I have to do it every month, I'm okay with that. Obviously this is a short term review but I'd be happy to update at the end of summer, long term, or whenever I have a catastrophic failure as a result.

 

Thanks fellas. This site has some really smart people hangin' round.
GW

 

My AC has gone from barely detectable to "almost detectable" during my eight years with it. I suspect it's on its original charge of refrigerant and could use a top up. What adapter did you use from the torch tube to the AC stem? Did you use the full 14oz of propane before it blew cold? My recharge alternative is a RedTek or Duracool kit running upwards of $100

 

Here's a pic of my low tech set-up:

The torch is a simple 2.97 recharge cannister from Walmart. Torch top is the standard burner from my last one with the tip removed with a vice grips.

Hose is from a piece old R134 recharge kit I had in a box. I snipped it in half and pushed the bare end over the torch neck using a cheapie used hose clamp from the tool box to secure it. The threads from the torch tip help hold the hose on and it's a snug fit but helps if you twist the hose on as if "screwing it on".

I bought the fitting/adapter at O'Reilly's for $5.99 in the R134 recharge kit section as a box with only the 2 fittings. (It was cheaper than buying an R12 hose with fitting already attached to cut in half for $12). Somehow in the box of old fittings at home it was the only one I didn't already have. Fitting screws onto the fill port next to the hood hinge passenger side (Low Side Port). I removed it when done to maintain a stock look.

Guestimating by weight/shake test I used maybe 10oz in my case. Once connected (to running truck with AC on max settings), I opened the dial valve, , looked closely under the hood for signs of leaking and that I would blow myself up, then hopped in the cab and put the rpm at about 1500 and waited for cold air at the vents.

note: Open the dial valve all the way as if running the torch on high and Don't Forget To Dial The Valve OFF Before Disconnecting. I also test fitted the set-up first with the truck off as a dry run without turning the propane on.

My understanding is that it's far better to underfill than overfill here. My plan was to err on the conservative side, have too little and recharge again later if necessary rather than blow out o-rings or have a leak due to pressure.

The torch sits nicely upright (don't run it upside down) in the wheel well. While filling and I stopped once to disconnect, run it under the hose to prevent icing, and neuroticly check for leaks, odors, and wonder if this was going to work. I also did the "shake test" on the cannister to make sure that the propane was indeed transferring.

Being paranoid, I kept a fire extinguisher on hand the whole time and have been driving around with one in my center console since.

Please note, although I did do a TON of reading on the matter and waited a couple of years before pulling the trigger while still reading here and there, this is the first one I've done and it's only been operational a week or so. I am by no means an expert and you'd be following in the footsteps of a guinea pig here.

 

One quick note:

There is a lot of passion in all the propane as recharge debates. So, far I would totally do it again. But I like to think I spent a lot of time weighing the risks and understand I might somehow screw up my AC system (although it didn't function before).

I also spent the first couple of days neuroticly checking for leaks via odors, visually, and rechecking performace to see if it stopped blowing cold (indicating a possible propane leak).

I was paranoid (needlessly) about leaks at the hose and fittings while filling and tested the rig off vehicle to ensure flow and noted the odor so that I could do a sniff test at the junction while filling to check for leaks and make sure the charge was all entering the system. (This all turned out to be unnecessary in my case.)

Please be don't be the guy who blows himself or his truck up following my lead here though. Everything is so far safe and secure on my end, please make sure it is on yours as well if experimenting on your own rig!

 

Hey VIN thanks for that, ... I went ahead and "adapted" the torch stem and AC inlet with some 5/16" fuel hose and clamps. And underfilled as well to err conservative. My system reacted as I wished with the cooling being noticeable but won't freeze your beer; enough to please SWMBO and that's what I was after. Thanks again. I'll get a charge kit next time I see one on sale, more for system lubrication than cooling. The RedTek claims to contain dye to spot leaks, as well as compatibility with R12 (which I have) and R134.

 

No problem. Glad I could be of some help and that it's working out for you. I've gotten so much quality info from the site over the years it's nice to pay forward a small percentage of what the site's informational archiving has done for me.

One thought on the oil adding. I've read that you want "enough" oil in the system. Meaning that some guys have only leaked the refridgerant and add oil and refridgerant to the mix. The extra oil takes up space in the system and limits the cooling ability.

Might want to check out the evaporator "suitcase" location for a free efficiency fix to the system next. Mine got much colder by vacuuming out all the accumulated debris blocking evaporator.

I followed a lot of the info in this link:
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...ght=evaporator

 

Good point on the lube angle. I can see where refrigerant could get out of the system where big oil molecules couldn't. At this point I'll do as dzl_damon suggests and "... run it!" Sometimes when a problem's solved it's best to quit solving it.