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tn2 · 07-07-2007, 12:59 PM

My dash air on my 28 ft Argosy does not get very cold...cool would be a better word. I know most of these older MH do not have working dash air. I can imagine it is due to the high cost of the refrigerent 12 in the old type air compressors. Has anyone gone through the process of having their AC converted to the new gas. Is it worth the cost. Right now everything works.....no odd noises...it just doesn't get cold. It probably just needs to be recharged....but I'm not so sure you can even buy the old gas anymore.

vswingfield · 07-07-2007, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tn2

My dash air on my 28 ft Argosy does not get very cold...cool would be a better word. I know most of these older MH do not have working dash air. I can imagine it is due to the high cost of the refrigerent 12 in the old type air compressors. Has anyone gone through the process of having their AC converted to the new gas. Is it worth the cost. Right now everything works.....no odd noises...it just doesn't get cold. It probably just needs to be recharged....but I'm not so sure you can even buy the old gas anymore.

Hi Dix,

I converted my old 84 Audi to R134 a few years ago. The parts are not expensive. Conventional wisdom is to replace all the o-ring seals in the system, flush out the old oil, and put in R134 compatible seals and oil. I only changed the seals I disturbed in the process. My theory was that the old stuff had hardened already and were not as vulnerable as fresh o-rings. This lasted the rest of the life of the Audi, another 3 years and worked fine. I did have to purchase a set of R134 gauges, though.

Newer vehicles built for R134 have larger condensers (the aluminum AC “radiator” in front of the vehicle radiator). If you ever need to replace this, consider a larger one than the R12 original.

Vaughan

str8strm · 07-07-2007, 02:42 PM

just recharged our 85 with R12 at a cost of $75/gal-- ouch! but it is very cold and our trip Monday to Yosemite is gonna be 100 degrees the whole way up and back

tn2 · 07-10-2007, 07:18 AM

Thanks for the replies. How do you get rid of the old oil....I guess that would be a flushing process some way or another. I've serviced a few air conditioners where you vacumn down the system in order to introduced new gas....but the vacumn process....does that get out the old oil....or do you physically drain the oil some way? Did you change seals inside the compressor?

Thanks Charles

vswingfield · 07-10-2007, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tn2

Thanks for the replies. How do you get rid of the old oil....I guess that would be a flushing process some way or another. I've serviced a few air conditioners where you vacumn down the system in order to introduced new gas....but the vacumn process....does that get out the old oil....or do you physically drain the oil some way? Did you change seals inside the compressor?

Thanks Charles

Hi Charles,

Vacuuming the system will remove a little oil, depending on the compressor. The Audi had a side-by-side twin cylinder compressor like the old Fords. If I remember correctly it was a Bosch. I removed it and turned it upside down to pour the old oil out a port in addition to pulling the drain plug. Given VW/Audi’s method of using a split pulley with spacers to tension the belt with no idler pulleys, it was more work than the rest of the job put together. The old round GM compressors are actually an inline design, I think 6 cylinders, in a round housing. I believe that they have a drain plug, but it’s been a long time since I worked on one of them. You shouldn’t have to do anything internally to the compressor.

After emptying the compressor and filling with the correct oil, I would blow out the remainder system with compressed air and the pull a vacuum for quite a while. Also, any time you open the system, replace the receiver drier. (GM had something that fulfilled the same purpose on the low side called a collector dehydrator in some years. Fulfilled the same purpose, just cost a lot more. That is what was on my 73 GMC pickup.)

Vaughan

tn2 · 07-11-2007, 03:29 PM

Thanks Vaughan for that information.....I'm thinking I will try it...what can I loose...the system isn't working so I can't make it worse. Where can you buy R12 now days. Wal Mart and K mart used to carry it but haven't seen it there in a long time.

Poprivet · 07-11-2007, 03:47 PM

Before you dive into the R-12 solution I would get a quote for converting the system. They make kits and the cost might not be much more than the R-12 and it will be professionally done. Your system has a leak or it would still work. You say it gets cool but have you verified that the compresser is running?

gunner · 07-11-2007, 03:55 PM

I converted mine to R134A so I can refill it myself with standard R134A Freon cans from any automotive store or walmart. The conversion is easy. You just have to evacuate your current system of the R12 which is very expensive and difficult to find. So you might get an automotive repair shop to purchase yours from you. I did nothing more than evacuate the system, add the fittings and filled per the instructions. I did not change any O rings or anything else. There are kits available for this conversion. I converted mine three years ago and just today had to add two cans to top it up.

Geophilist · 07-12-2007, 11:50 AM

DixiDave,

You need a license to purchase R12. In order to get one you have to attend a class on the stuff and pass a test. Not hard, but you have to find one being given.

You probably have lost all of your R12 in your system but you can push in on the schreader valve in the AC system to see if there is a charge. If there is, you should take it to a shop and have them remove it rather than venting it into the atmosphere and zapping the ozone layer.

After/if your system is empty, I would advise you to convert to R134A. Then when something else goes wrong with it you do not need to spend the big bucks to get R12.

Do it yourself, it would be a good learning experience.

Steve