A/C Recharge

[equate]

My a/c has been dead and I want to recharge it for this summer. I was at walmart looking for some crappy air filter when I saw all the a/c stuff. Theres a u/v dye I can put though the system to look for leaks. Does anyone know how do use this stuff, connect, or what to do? Also I want to recharge with the old r12 which im assuming my car is using, is there anyway to see if the previous owners converted? What is the conversion exactly? I want r12 in my car and I can get it on ebay!!!

Any info you can pull up will be appreciated, thanks

 

[ldzpstnr]

Last summer I put the new R-134( i think) stuff into my A/C unit in my '85 318i. The system worked great, got cold real quick, and never leaked any fluid. They say the new fluid will ruin a system eventually though. But I also know a few people who have done the same thing and there system works fine after 3 or 4 years. So i dont know, might just be a thing Dupont wants money over. Suposivly its enviromental though.

I have not tried the dyes but a friend of mine did and they worked. He was able to see a few leaks at some connections.

BMPD has a new pump that works with both fluid for $400 I think.

 

[equate]

Ok, Do you know here all the a/c lines run? So i can check for leaks. Also how much refridgerent do I need?

 

[Ben]

ok, open the hood, look for the AC pump. Now follow the lines that come off it.

 

[88'325i]

Why not convert to r134?

 

[jonnyz16]

I believe if your system was r12 and converted to 134 it would have a sticker or a label on or around the a/c area ( if it was done pro. that is ) .

 

[e30 dude]

if you mix R12 with R134, they chemically react and you'll end with lots of nasty goo in your AC lines. and you'll end up having to replace the ENTIRE system.

 

[jrt67ss350]

Ok, Do you know here all the a/c lines run? So i can check for leaks. Also how much refridgerent do I need?

There is a red sticker on the plastic cover behind the passenger side headlights that tells you the capacity of the A/C system.

Here's my take on converting to R134. R134 is a larger molecule as opposed to R12 (which is why it doesn't end up in the ozone layer). Due to its larger molecular size, it requires more condensor surface area in order to acheive the same evaporator temperature when compared to R12. Therefore, when you convert a car that was designed for R12 to R134 without replacing the condensor with a more modern radiator-style condensor that has a greater surface area (instead of the original tube and fin design that was used in R12 cars), the duct temps will be higher, especially at idle when the compressor is moving the least amount of refrigerant and the air flow over the condensor is the lowest. You can certainly convert to R134, but be prepared for lesser A/C performance. My dad had his '89 S-10 converted to R134 when the compressor seized on him a few years back, and it sucks now. The original R12 was ice cold, but with the R134, it just does not cool of the interior all that well (and this is a small pickup). My Camaro has R134 that is ice cold, but the Vintage Air A/C system I installed in it was designed to utilize R134 (it has a radiator style condensor). I had the refrigerant topped off in my e30, and I elected to use R12 as opposed to doing the conversion to R134. If you have access to R12 and you don't have any leaks, I'd stick to the R12. You'll definitely have better A/C performance, and if the system is in good shape, you shouldn't have to deal with the refrigerant for a while. Your A/C performance will simply be lacking if you just slap R134 in an R12 system unless you replace the condensor. The advantage is that if you need to top off the system in the future, you can just go to Walmart and buy a can of R134.