Is it still possible to buy a remanufactured Harrison A/C compressor suitable for Freon R12 in the US?
My A/C doesn't cool anymore, after a standstill of about three years ( before it was working well).
I have a cylinder with enough Freon R12 in my workshop for about 2-3 charges, so I won't retrofit to R134A, yet.
Maybe a new charge will do, but maybe the sealings in the compressor are damaged, I have to find out next week.
In the meantime, I phoned some USA car specialists in my country ( Netherlands), and guess what...: a remanufactured R12 compressor will cost me about 600-700 US dollars overhere......
Any tips..??

 

www.acsource.net has them for $295 US. I'm not sure what that would cost to ship to Holland. If you have taxes on that etc.

What is the compressor doing right now when you turn on the A/C? Making any weird noises? Or just clicking on/off/on/off in rapid motion?

 

I was told there is no difference between them. Notice the old R12 compressors work with R134a.

 

The new compressor which came with my serp belt conversion is compatible with both 12 and 134.

JamesC

 

Thanks, I will have a look.

Right now, the compressor doesn't make any strange noises, it cycles maybe a bit faster than it used to do, but there's no cooling at all.....
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Well, it must have sealings that are compatible with the oil in the R12, and the totally different oil in the R134A........

I understand that the oil, necessary in the R134A, will dissolve the O-rings in an R12 compressor....?

 

Check the pressure in the system. If it is still cycling, then it's still holding freon. Maybe not enough to cool it at the vents. You probably just need more R-12. Check for leaks prior to adding more R-12.

 

That's what I'm thinking too!
There's nothing done to the A/C system after it's last filling in 1994.....

Only strange thing, one of the lines from the compressor (incl. the compressor itself) becomes VERY hot, the other line, that should be cold, (even dripping with water), doesn't become cool at all...
Well, next Monday a friend of me will come and have a look, he used to work with big haulers with A/C, hope he'll find what's wrong.
Some time ago I bought a container with enough Freon R12 for a few charges, together with all the filling equipment, and a vacuum compressor, so I'm ready for it....

Btw, how exactly do I check for leaks on a R12 system....???

 

You just pin pointed it. You don't have enough freon. When my car had a leak, I purged the system and swapped it to R-134a, and fixed the leak. I put in one small canister and that's exactly what happened to me. There was no "sweating" line, nor was the tank "sweating". And the line you described was hot on mine as well. I then proceeded, with the A/C on Max, with the fan on high, at 2k rpm, to put in my second canister of R-134a, then the system started sweating, and it blew out cold air. Not as cold as the 12 would have, but does fine now for what I need it for. Get an A/C charger with a guage on it, they work wonders man.

 

OK, I'll let you know what comes out Monday.....!!
When I bought the car back in 1994 (imported from the US), the A/C wasn't working too.
(maybe used cars weren't allowed to have Freon in the system while shipped I gues..??).
Anyway, the same Big Rig mechanic that's gonna have a look at it monday, filled the system with new Freon back then.
I remember the system needed a very high pressure (a high amount of Freon), to had it started.
The mechanic thought it was too much, he wanted to stop adding freon, and just at that point, the A/C started cooling.....I never had any problems since than, besides 1 low pressure electrical valve failed, and I put one a new one, but that's it. (until now...!)

 

All it took was a charge of 300 grams Freon R12, and the A/C is working again.
That's a loss of 300 grams in 14 years....not bad i.m.o.
Anybody who knows how much the total Freon charge in this system is?
There's a sticker on the compressor that says how much oil is in it, but it doesn't say how much Freon??

Is it maybe 48 Oz (=1,36KG) ?
or 36 Oz (=1,0KG) ?

I found both capacities on a Napa A/C site.

 

The label on the compressor in my car says 1,7kg. Don't know if it's all original though.

 

The sticker on my compressor says indeed: Refirgirant oil
1,7 KG-6 Oz.

I was thinking that the 1,7 KG was the amount of oil in the system....????

 

2.25 lbs of R-12 on my car.

The oil I believe is 6 oz.

 

OK, thanks, 2.25LBS is about 1 KG, (or 1000 grams) Freon R12, sounds reasonable.