how much did it cost?parts? labor?
what had to be replaced?
how good does it work?
I'd like to do mine soon,it's gets hot in VA!! I have T-tops,but those are no good with all these sun showers!!

 

when you retrofit it, all you do is switch from r12 to 134a. i still have the r12 in mine. there is no reason for me to switch because my ac blows ice cold and has never leaked. walmart or kmart sells a kit for like 30 bux and you can do it yourself. its very simple. as a matter of fact i have one those kits. its yours for 15 plus shipping. if your a/c doesnt currently work then it would be pointless to do.

 

pointless to charge w/134a...or pointless to change parts? my A/C currently doesn't work,I have all parts intact but I am not sure of the condition of each component,the A/C hasn't worked in the last three years I've owned the car. why do all the auto stores offer "134a retrofit" parts that appear smaller than the R12 parts,compressors,evaporators,ect...? is this a rip-off scheme? how can I tell what I've got before I fill it with $30 worth off freon just to see it all leak out?

[This message has been edited by junkyarddog (edited June 18, 2001).]

 

if it doesnt work then it is pointless to retrofit, it needs to be fixed before you add freon.

 

In order for it to be diagnosed, the shop will retrofit with 134a. There needs to be freon in the system in order to find the leak, and because it's much cheaper to retrofit than to fill with R12, they'll start by doing that.

But, if it hasn't worked in a while, you're going to need a professional to perform the retrofit. If the system has lost all of it's freon, moisture will have gotten into the system, and it's necessary to take it into a vacuum to remove this moisture. Also, most good shops will inject florescant die into the system when they retrofit, then check for leaks with a black light. Most shops need to inject this die after the system is brought into a vacuum in order for it to pull the die in. Some shops have a high pressure injector, but in my area most don't. Anyway, once they find the leak, they'll purge the system, fix the problem, then recharge the system.



------------------
The IROC Homepage
<A HREF="http://www.rit.edu/~jli4307/camaro" TARGET=_blank>
View the restoration of an 85 IROC</A>
"I didn't know a bored out Ford could go so slow" -Shenandoah

 

The easiest/cheapest way for you to do this, is to get one of those retrofit kits 1st to troubleshoot.

Remove the valve from the low pressure hose and install the new port. Start the car and put some 134a into the system. The compressor should come on once some freon gets in there.
The compressor has a safety pressure switch that will keep it from engaging if there is no freon in the system.
Do this to troubleshoot your problem and figure out what parts you need to replace.

If the A/C system has been empty for a couple of years, then you will definitely need to replace the dryer (condenser) and the orafice (sp?) tube. These are very easy components to replace and should only take you about 30 min's to do so.

After you have replaced the dryer, orafice tube, and any other components that are bad, take it to a good shop and have them put a vacuum on it and recharge with 134a.

This way, you only have to pay a shop for an evac and recharge; not all the labor for replacing components.

I did a change over to 134a because I had to replace my compressor. I replaced the compressor, dryer, and orafice tube; then had a shop evac and charge it for me. That was over a month ago and it still blows very cold.

Thomas.

------------------
1992 RS Camaro - Red
305-TBI/5 Speed Manual- 3.08 geared rear
1.6 Roller Rockers / Adjustable Fuel Regulator with high flow pump / Open Air K&N Filter / TBI Spacer / ADS Super Chip & custom burned Off-Road Only chip / MSD ignition
Headers - Flow Master - dual chrome tips
adjustable Coni shocks & struts

 

I just converter my 87 Trans Am to R-134a a few days ago and it works great. The Total cost for parts was about $75.00 all I got was the A/C Accumlator, Orfice, and the two fittings for the High and Low side, and the freon. My compressor was about 1 1/2 years old so I just drained it and put the r-134a oil in it and the accumlator. Labor I did it myself and had the guys here at work suck the system down and all and put the freon in.

 

I just used the refit kit last year, it was about $30. I did this after I had the motor swapped and the A/C did not work beforehand. It works great still today, but I think I just got really lucky!

------------------
1987 Camaro IROC-Z28
"Slower than a wal-mart cashier"
Ram-Air Intake/Modified air boxes & aftermarket MAF w/ K&N's
Hypertech Air foil
Hypertech 160* stat/TB coolant bypass
MSD 6A ignition & MSD SS coil
Crane AFPR
Accel 8.8MM 300+ Race wires
R134A A/C retrofit
Prof. built 355 TPI
Mobil 1 synth. fluids
New GM 700R4
Posi disc 9 bolt rear 3.23:1 (G80 & G92)
TCC lockup switch
T-tops/roof console/all power opts.
Engine oil cooler
Custom Flowmaster 3" exhaust with dual chrome tips
All new interior
Macewen White face gauges & hyper blue/white dash bulbs
ADS super chip - stage I
Dunlop SP sport 5000 P245/50 ZR/WR 16's

 

JYD,

You will need to charge a bit of refrigerant to see if the system is functioning. Don't forget to replace the lost oil. Personally, I like the MP-39 refrigerants batter than the R134a, since it acts more like R12, doesn't operate at higher pressures (to strain the system) and doesn't require an oil change to PEO or PAO oils. It also has a higher latent heat than R134a and thus cools much better in the older systems with the smaller evaporators (like ours). And it's about $6 per pound.

------------------
Later,
Vader
------------------
"Let the bodies hit the floor!"
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

Yader,
Never heard of this stuff. Where would one go to get this MP-39 product? Why isn't this offered commercially and advertised as an alternative to 134a?
Dave

 

Something else to consider... If your compressor engages, but doesn't blow cold air, it might just need a topping off with r12. Since there is a safety switch, the compressor won't run without freon. If it runs, then there is freon in the system. If you haven't charged it for 3 years and there is still freon in the system, you probably don't have a leak. Freon becomes a gas at extremely cold outside temperatures and has a tendancy to slip past the seals. This is common in cold climate areas. I was just told that my 442 just needs to be "topped off". Everyone else was trying to tell me to convert to 134a for a few hundred (R4 compressor issues) or pay for the leak test and r12 for a total of $250. 2lbs of R12 to top the system will be easier and much better for my wallet.

------------------
87 IROC 350 TPI with less than 10k original miles
93 Z28 Pace Car #494 of 645
86 Olds 442 (All Original)
My IROC Website
Northstar Camaro Club of Minnesota

 

You think VA Beach is hot! Wait till you get farther inland and away from the ocean!
It's the 98% humidity that gets you.

------------------
--Steve S--
1984 Trans Am 305 LG4, 5 speed Daily Driver, Flowmaster 80 Series
Holley 600 cfm & vacuum advance
Soon: Edlebrock Intake & TES

 

Sucessfully? Well, so far, so good in my case. Accumulator was $60. Retrofit kit was $30. R-134 gauges, hoses and hose fittings for the gauges add up to around $100. Three bottles of flush, two cans of R134 and one 8oz oil charge about $30. I did also have to buy a new evaporator ($100), but that was due to one of the car's previous owners hacksawing the low side tube off to remove the accumulator The guy who sold me the car was nice enough to give me a compressor and hoses for it since the originals had been tossed. It's not quite as cold as my wife's '91 bird which still has an R12 system, but it's good enough.

p.s. I should add that i'm no expert at A/C, but between the help of this board and the $10 Haynes A/C & Heating manual I managed to do what would have cost me twice as much in professional labor. (keeping fingers crossed now)

------------------
D.R. Stevens
1984 Trans Am 305HO L69
1991 Firebird 305 L03

[This message has been edited by eightTfourTA (edited June 20, 2001).]

 

i already had the tubes to use the r134a so i paid 9 bucks for the little adaptors, i drained the r12 into the atmosphere cause im cool like that and then charged it with 134A cost me all of 15 bucks

 

I guess that ozone hole just got a little bigger!!!:nono:

 

i dont care....my car shoots a cloud of smoke when i start it...think a little r12 is gonna hurt it? besides ill be long gone before the ozone is all depleted and ****..

 

Gezz, could have inhaled it first!

 

hahaha