Good Place to Get R-12?

[johnnybronco]

Any recommendations on where to get R-12 for my '89 B2 air conditioner?

 

[franklin2]

Do you really want to go through all that hassle when the r134a will cool the cab sufficiently? I am not going to say it works just as well, but well enough to get the job done and a lot less hassle to get and much cheaper. You will need a gas license before anyone will sell you the r12 they have on hand.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yeah, honestly it’s easier to just convert to r134a than deal with r12 and all the restrictions on it anymore. I’ve converted all of my r12 systems over to r134a and it works fine

 

[johnnybronco]

Do you really want to go through all that hassle when the r134a will cool the cab sufficiently? I am not going to say it works just as well, but well enough to get the job done and a lot less hassle to get and much cheaper. You will need a gas license before anyone will sell you the r12 they have on hand.

I thought I had to do a conversion before I can use r-134? That sounds like a hassle but maybe not?

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I thought I had to do a conversion before I can use r-134? That sounds like a hassle but maybe not?

Pretty easy to convert. Ideally you would get r134a hoses, a new accumulator and a new orifice tube plus the adapter fittings for the r134a conversion. System needs to be vacuumed down before filling and a bit of oil added. I have skipped most of that in the past but not ideal. Also if it needs charged, there’s a chance there’s a leak somewhere so that needs checked for. Usually it’s pumps or condensers that go on my stuff.

 

[franklin2]

If you are using old r12 hoses that are in good shape, they will not leak r134a. All new replacement hoses will be r134a compatible. The only way you will get into trouble is buying a NOS hose off ebay designed for r12. A brand new old stock r12 hose never exposed to r12 and the r12 oil, will let r134a seep through.

If you buy the conversion kit, it will have the adapter fittings you need, along with the refrigerant and oil. The easiest oil to use and included in most kits is Ester oil. This oil is compatible with the r134a, and also plays nice with any old r12 mineral oil laying in the system. Any leftover mineral oil just lays in the system and does no harm, the Ester oil and the r134a ignore it.

The other type of oil used in r134a systems is PAG oil. This is what the OEM's usually used on a new r134a system. But the PAG oil does not like the old mineral oil laying in the system, so the whole system has to be flushed to get all the mineral oil out before you can use the PAG. A unnecessary hassle, which is why conversion kits use Ester oil.

You will need a vacuum pump and a set of gauges. Harbor Freight has these at a reasonable price. If you think this is starting to get expensive, get a estimate to pay someone to do it. They charge outrageous prices at the shop for A/C work. I still have my harbor freight vacuum pump and after years of use it still works fine. If you do a lot of work with it, you need to change the oil ever so often but that is about it.

 

[MISWFL]

You can sometimes find R12 for free or very cheap. There's a lot of it sitting around in garages and sheds without vehicles for it to be used in.

I've seen it for free on CL.

If you hit flea markets, estate/garage/yard sales, you'll find them occasionally. Pro tip: a lot of the overpriced junk at sales like that goes right into the dumpster/garbage after the sale is over.

For hard to find stuff like that, it's best to look for it and stock up, long before you need it. Murphy's law and everything.

R134 conversions are easy, especially if you do it the right way and replace; the dryer, all the O rings ( including the compressor shaft seal ) with viton, valves ( expansion & ports ) and clean out all the old oil from the hoses/lines/fins and compressor. I've used spray carburetor cleaner followed by spray brake cleaner to clean out the system.

Dust Off is another cheap conversion, but I haven't tried it yet.

 

[SenorNoob]

Apparently propane works to replace R12...

 

[franklin2]

Apparently propane works to replace R12...

That is probably what the Dust Off is. They allow the use of propane for refrigerant over in Europe. I have heard that regular propane for heating is a little dirty for use as refrigerant, but that is just hearsay, no real experience with it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

That is probably what the Dust Off is. They allow the use of propane for refrigerant over in Europe. I have heard that regular propane for heating is a little dirty for use as refrigerant, but that is just hearsay, no real experience with it.

I know it is actually odorless, they add something to give it the smell so you know you have a gas leak in your house.

It may have something to do with that, it wouldn't really be required for refrigerant.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

" add something to give it the smell so you know you have a gas leak in your house. "

Mercaptan