i live in arizona, its freakin blast furnace outside right now,but my a/c does not blow cold.. im assuming since my camaro is a '91 it would have use the
r-12 for refrigerant.

but what im wondering is if the r-134a conversion kits from wal-mart or checker or whatever are effective and easy to do.
any help on this matter would be much appreciated

 

"Easy" is a relative term. If you've done it before, it's fairly easy. If you are careful and methodical, it's fairly easy. If you can follow directions, it's easy.

"Effective" is also a relative term. t will cool, but will not be as cool as R12 in the same system. A larger condenser and slightly larger evaporator would also help to make the system equivalent in cooling capacity to an R12 system. R134A does not have the same latent heat capacity per unit volume or mass as R12. Further, a properly retrofit system will have less mass of R134A than R12, decreasing its capacity even more.

Still, it's better than nothing.

 

I hate seeing these DIY retro kits. If your AC system isn't working, chances are there's a leak. Selling these "recharge" kits to the general public is just wrong because the stuff you're going to be putting into your AC system will just leak back out again. To properly charge a system, the air must be evacuated out. Air inside an AC system makes cooling even worse.

Take it into a shop and have it professionally looked at before wasting money on those quick fix items.

The basics of an R12 to R134a conversion is adapter fittings, a new receiver/dryer, different oil in the compressor and refrigerant . All the o-rings in the system should be changed but normally if they're not leaking, they're not changed since most are hard to access.

 

I would stay away from the conversion. I've done it to two cars now and neither were the same. I do alot of A/C work so it was done correctly, O-rings changed, pressure tested, vaacuumed... the whole nine yards. I've done it to two cars now and neither were the same. They cool ok when you're moving but they just don't give you that freezer effect that r-12 does. I never tried changing the evap or the condenser though. But it seems to me it would be cheaper to repair the r-12 system than to install all the parts you need to have to make 134 work.

 

Trouble is that it's illegal to sell R12 now. If anyone does have any to sell, it's worth at least $200 per pound. A car usually holds around 2 pounds.

 

That's just all wrong. It is illegal to make r12 now, not sell it. DuPont made a ton right before it became illegal to make in '95 or '96. There's a ton of it out there and it can be had for $15-$50/lb depending on how much you buy. You are supposed to have a license to buy the stuff but I've never had anyone on e-bay check mine. If you want the license you can get it through MACS (Mobile Air Conditioning Society) or ASE. It's a BS little test you take open books and all. I don't think it costs very much, maybe $20-$30. It may be a bit more expensive than 134a but it works a whole hell of a lot better! Also, most cars hold more than 2lbs.... I think mine holds 3-5lbs something like that.... could be wrong but it should be on the sticker on the compressor, if not I'm sure it's in a post somewhere on here.

 

I have actually recently converted my a/c to 134 and it works pretty well. Sure its not that freezing cold feel of newer a/c systems that work but I did happen to try the artic freze can which is supposed to make it colder 50% faster and that helped a lot. If you do convert it I would get the high and low side bits from Napa since the pieces that came with the kit are cheap and broke on me.

 

I realize the original post is kinda old, but if you haven't converted the car to that crap r-134A yet, you should definitely read through this message thread, especially considering you live in AZ. I'm in Utah, and it's hot enough here, triple digits the last few weeks, but it's still a lot cooler than "Aridzona". Lol. Anyways, here's the link: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/cool...st-review.html