RatLabGuy
You look like a monkey and smell like one too
- Joined
- May 18, 2005
- Location
- Churchville, MD
BLUF: does anybody have real world experience of what happens if you switch refrigerant to 134a from r12 without draining and replacing the compressor oil?
How long, in operating hours, would it really take for anything bad to happen?
My 93 Toy somehow made it up to last year with what seems to be the original fittings and most likely R12 (I've had it since 2010 and never touched it). Finally got low on pressure, I've got to do some investigating because it will hold a vacuum for several days with no change.... But regardless it will have to switch to 134a.
The compressor doesn't have drain valves and of course everything is very Rusty and nasty, pulling it off the manually to drain will be a pain in the butt. This thing only gets like 1-1.5k miles and probably less than 20 hours of AC time total in a year.
I'm really tempted to just swap out the receiver dryer, vacuum it really good and call it a day, especially since I have to put in dye and 134a to find any leaks to begin with.
Everyone says you have to change the oil, and you get in an emulsion problem if you don't. But I'm frankly wondering how long that takes, and also seeing a variety of commentary from folks that say they didn't bother and did not kill a bus full of nuns.
If the AC can last 5 more years I'm having my doubts that the frame is even going to make it that long before it rust in half.
How long, in operating hours, would it really take for anything bad to happen?
My 93 Toy somehow made it up to last year with what seems to be the original fittings and most likely R12 (I've had it since 2010 and never touched it). Finally got low on pressure, I've got to do some investigating because it will hold a vacuum for several days with no change.... But regardless it will have to switch to 134a.
The compressor doesn't have drain valves and of course everything is very Rusty and nasty, pulling it off the manually to drain will be a pain in the butt. This thing only gets like 1-1.5k miles and probably less than 20 hours of AC time total in a year.
I'm really tempted to just swap out the receiver dryer, vacuum it really good and call it a day, especially since I have to put in dye and 134a to find any leaks to begin with.
Everyone says you have to change the oil, and you get in an emulsion problem if you don't. But I'm frankly wondering how long that takes, and also seeing a variety of commentary from folks that say they didn't bother and did not kill a bus full of nuns.
If the AC can last 5 more years I'm having my doubts that the frame is even going to make it that long before it rust in half.
