R-134 ?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,135
Likes: 0
From: Sebastian Florida
St. Jude Donor '06
R-134 ?
I changed over to r134, now if I do not use my a/c for a month or 2. The next time I use it, it is blowing hot and I have to recharge. I have replaced the o-rings on all the hoses, I put in a leak detector and can't find it.
2 questions, anybody know of a sneaky place for the leak to be and is there something else I can use besides r134?
TIA
2 questions, anybody know of a sneaky place for the leak to be and is there something else I can use besides r134?
TIA
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,286
Likes: 2
From: Stamping Ground KY
It displaces oxygen, so if you breathe a lot of it you could be in trouble (much the same if you spray yourself with a fire extinguisher, you could be in trouble).
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,621
Likes: 206
From: Orlando FL
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,845
Likes: 30
....when you changed it over did you flush the system?....did you pull a vacuum on it and let it sit for an hour or so to see if the vacuum held?.....sounds like a leak...there are a few ways to find a leak (dyes, halogen electronic leak detectors, visually by looking for oil at fittings, rotating shafts, hoses,etc).....pick one and start there......can also be leaking at the evaporator inside the heater/ac box that you WILL NOT see.....
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,845
Likes: 30
......yea, but, did it hold a vacuum for an hour or so without dropping?..if you didn't do that, then, the leak could have existed when you put the system back together and was never tight to begin with....
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,135
Likes: 0
From: Sebastian Florida
St. Jude Donor '06
The system was fine before the conversion. Is there anything better that r134 out there?
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,845
Likes: 30
...if the system didn't leak prior to your changeover and now it leaks (aparently) then, you upset the integrity of the system and NOW it leaks.....you gotta find it before your "next move" or you will be just throwing money, materials, and labor time out the window and you will be no further ahead then you are now!......
Last edited by Da Mail Man; Jun 20, 2007 at 08:50 AM.
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
From: Orlando FL
DA MAIL MAN is 100% right. You need to find your leak first. It does not matter if its 134 or R12 you are leaking refrigerant. As far as breathing refrigerant, it does not matter which one it is, IT CAN AND WILL KILL YOU! It is heavier than air and will "PUSH" oxygen away. So if you were in a room with a major refrigerant leak it would push all of the oxygen up and all of the refrigerant would stay low and you would suffocate to death. I know rR12 is expensive but if your AC system was working fine before this why did you change it? Once you check all of the obvious places for the leak check the high/low side scharder valves.
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
From: Orlando FL
DA MAIL MAN is 100% right. You need to find your leak first. It does not matter if its 134 or R12 you are leaking refrigerant. As far as breathing refrigerant, it does not matter which one it is, IT CAN AND WILL KILL YOU! It is heavier than air and will "PUSH" oxygen away. So if you were in a room with a major refrigerant leak it would push all of the oxygen up and all of the refrigerant would stay low and you would suffocate to death. I know rR12 is expensive but if your AC system was working fine before this why did you change it? Once you check all of the obvious places for the leak check the high/low side scharder valves.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,150
Likes: 6
From: NS
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,845
Likes: 30
)
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,307
Likes: 111
From: Tucson AZ
A/C System alternative to R134 or R12
I recharged my A/C sytem with a product called Feeze 12. I bought it at Pep Boys. We pumped it down and checked it for leaks and then filled it with Freeze 12. It is just as cold as it was with the R12.
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,845
Likes: 30
.........if ya look at the temperature curves, r-12 gets COLDER then the "substitutes" and if the typical 134 is colder then the r-12 ya had previously, then you either had moisture, low charge, or a leak in the system.....I.M.O.
Last edited by Da Mail Man; Jun 21, 2007 at 08:09 AM. Reason: spelling