I was wondering what sort of steps you guys took to do a retrofit for R-134a. I've heard that It's alright to keep the original hoses but they will leak a little over time due to R134a's having a smaller molecule. I'm also wondering what the price of a new reciever/drier is? I was servicing my A/C last night when the damn thing started leaking from the shrader valve, luckly someone had a new one for me to install. I was able to evacuate the system and save my R-12, and luckly the leak was on the low side. I didn't realize it until I replace the low side and was going to do the high side just to be on the safe side when I noticed that it is a different type of valve. Before I go to recharge it I'm going to replace it. With R-12 now obsolete and it being so expensive it's better to be on the safe side, especially with the amount it holds, 56 ounces at about 3-5 dollars an ounce.

I'm just currious what the price of a complet retro fit for R-134a would run me, for future reference.

 

its not hard but if your lines are looking rough replace them. if they hold r-12 they will hold 134a. i did my 85 it cost about 40 for a dryer an 25-30 for the kit an fittings an 134a. kept me cool till i pulled all the air out of it. now i miss it

 

There is more to it if you don't want to do it over and over. The seals for 12 are not compatible as are the hoses. 134 hoses are called "barrier", they have a nylon lining to restrict leakage. You should most definitely replace the accumulator, and the orifice tube. GMSPO supplies all replacement seals and hoses that are both 12 and 134 compatible. I don't care what you read here or anywhere else, if you don't properly perform the conversion you'll pay later. If you are going to keep the car it's worth it to read up on it and follow the recommendations of the experts.

 

Whats GMSPO??? Where can I go to check out these hoses. I retrofitted my A/C to 134a this summer only used it 3 times. Dont much like the A/C wastes too much gas and kills my engine. But am interested in the place that sells these lines. Also just an offhand question. As far as performance goes how much of a drag or performance hit does the A/C pulley when not activated cause?

 

GMSPO refers to the GM parts distribution system hence the dealer. If you have part numbers there are may internet sites that sell GM parts slightly above wholesale. Only thing is watch the ship and handleing charges. AC pulley is pretty benign when the comp clutch is not energized, probably less than the alt.

 

I called a GM dealer the other day and they told me they didn't sell a retrofit kit. Is this something where I have to order each individual part sepratly from them?? Just for the high side valve for r-12 runs 35 bucks, damn that's a lot of money!!

The compressor doesn't rob any power from the engine when it's not engaged, it might take a little but not enough to notice. The reason people remove an a/c system is because of the weight.

 

It's not a retrofit kit. What I said is that all replacement components for older 12 systems after about 95 or so come through both 12 and 134 compatible. Don't get quotes from a dealer unless you have an account with them. They will full pop you on prices, usually list plus 10% in some cases. In a case where you are going to buy a bunch of parts you will be better off buying them off the internet assuming you have the part numbers. Problem with the dealer is this. Most parts dep. guy's do not really want to sell parts over the counter, they HATE the saturday morning retail crowd. Unfortunately by contractual agreement with GM they are forced to do so. That's why they nail you price wise. In thier defense they have to maintain an inventory which is required by GM, and they have to do the parts lookup. It takes time and cost's money. Sometimes if you go to them and have the numbers and prepay you can get a better price. And yes, you will have to order each item by it's individual part number.

 

i've seen the kits at pep boys before,i had my car done about 2 years ago but they didnt replace the hoses then i put the car in the garage for over a year i changed the motor ,never disconnecting the a/c system, i get the new motor in turn the a/c on and nothing the compressor doesnt go on i checked the compressor and it engages..so i figured the r134 leaked out slowly ..that sucks i guess you do have to take it to a very reputable shop..

 

Converting to R-134a from R-12 is not that difficult. My car was a factory no A/C car (lived in London, Ontario, Canada) and I put everything in from the vacuum diaphragm actuators behind the dash to the condensor, compressor, etc... Hi-Lo or now O'Rielly's (or most auto parts stores for that matter) carry a conversion kit which includes adapter fittings for both High and Low pressure valves as well as oil and seals. Oh, the drier (evaporator) is relatively inexpensive (and you should definitely replace that since you will be venting the system). When you pull the compressor off/out--pour out the remaining oil and measure it. This is the amount of new oil you will be adding to the compressor. Once you put the new drier on and change all the rubber o-ring seals (oh, as one of the other guys said check all hoses for cracks and also check out the condensor b/c now is a great time to replace all these things) and have the new R-134a schraeder valve fittings on, put the system back together. Tighten all the fiitings and goto a shop and have the system evacuated and charged. From this point you will be able to charge the system yourself (not for a while though) for approx $5.00-$6.00/can.

note... I did this job about four years ago so I may have missed somethings.....