R-134A into R-12?

[ranger_mclaren]

I've done some quick searching and can't get a streight answer. I have a 2002 Focus the A/C just blows warm air it was working fine last year but this year it slowly dwindled into warm air. Leading me to belive it's it out of feon. Can I add R134A to a system with out draining the old R12 out even though I think it's empty? Thanks for any help.

 

[exbass94]

Your Focus doesn't have R-12. Every vehicle in the US came with R134a from the factory since 1994.

 

[TimR]

+1

 

[ranger_mclaren]

Well thats good to know, I'll just go get some at o'riellys then. Thanks. I learn something new everyday. Do you think it'll take more than one can? Sorry for the stupid questions. I'm new to the A/C world, this is the first car with A/C i've ever owned.

 

[TimR]

get one of the nifty fill kits, with a gauge, it'll give you a better picture of what ya need.

 

[4.0B2]

usually takes bout 2.5 cans from completely empty.. but i doubt its completely empty

 

[ranger_mclaren]

I bought the biggest can they had which ran me about $34. I came with a reusable trigger and a guage. I just half to buy the refill cans in the future. Now I just half to find the low pressure nozzle so I can get it done. I couldn't find with a quick scan of the engine compartment, I think it might be under the car being the compressor is on the bottom. I'm off to look it up now.

 

[ranger_mclaren]

Ok got it done. The can I bought was 18 onces and it took almost all of it. It was alot easier than I thought it would be. Learn something new everyday. LOL Way cheaper than the $150 bucks eveyone else wanted to do it.

Thanks to this video I was able to find the nozzle.

 

[TimR]

 

[v8318cid]

Congratz on the job. Just take note that if the system leaked down once, it will do so again. If you just recharge it, the leak is still there. Ford is notorious for its oh-so-wonderful spring lock connectors that tend to leak after anywhere between 60k and 100k miles. Very few last beyond that without requiring some sort of attention.

 

[ranger_mclaren]

Thanks for the tip, I'll half to look into it. But I'd like to think that it just ran out of freon due to the car being almost 10 years old. I hope.

 

[4x4junkie]

Freon doesn't "just run out".
A very tiny amount can permeate through the rubber hoses & o-rings over the years, but if it went from working fine to not working in just a year, you definitely have a leak somewhere in the system.

FWIW, after about 13 years my Ranger developed a slow leak where the metal tubing end was crimped to the rubber part of the hose (tell-tale sign was an oily "sweating" around the connection).