GCH

Hi,the ac compressor in my Olds -65 runs but no cold air come out of the wents so i suppose the gas in the system is poor.

But when was the refrigerant 134 in use in californa ( where the car is from) ?

Was thinking to fill the system with gas,the ac compressor has a sticker who
says that the system has a leak detection that leaks could see with uv light.
( Bright Solutions Inc ,Service (248) 645-1086 )

Could i suppose that the system has refrigerant 134 ?

MDchanic

If it has R134, the refrigerant ports will have been changed to the R134 type.
If you can connect an R134 gauge set, it has R134 in it.
If you can connect an R12 gauge set, it has R12 in it.
Probably.

If it has been changed to R134, then the POA valve should have been recalibrated to R134, the condenser should have been changed from a serpentine type to a full-flow types, the receiver dryer should have been changed to one compatible with R134, and, optimally, the hoses should have been changed to modern barrier-type hoses.

If these things have not been done, then the whole system should be taken apart and they should be.

On the other hand, how hot does it get in Sweden, really?

- Eric

rustyroger

My wife lived there for a few years Eric, she says it can get quite warm in Linkoping, which is about the same latitude as Edmonton in Canada.
Normally a/c is not essential, however even in England heat soak from the exhaust, engine and transmission can make Detroits finest uncomfortably warm.

Roger.

GCH

Yes,it can be hot here to.Almost all vehicles have ac nowdays and if the car not have working ac it,s very hard to sell.

banny

I would go with r12 if you can still get it over there, you have all original parts and they are in good shape ( id still change the drier though). doing a complete 134a conversion can be a little more involved.

GCH

Ok,thanks for answer,it`s still gas in system when a checked the filling valves.
I think R12 is very hard to find here but know people here who has bought "do it yourself kits" from Poland.

Olds

My '73 has been running on R12, and I have been adding R12 about once a year, but now it's at the point where R12 is getting harder and harder to find. I am ready to do the R134 conversion but have not been able to locate the conversion kit, o-rings, orifice etc that are compatible for my year. Any ideas on where to locate the conversation kit?

banny

which model do you have? in 73, both the poa/expansion valve and the VIR system was used. If you have a vir system, there is a Vir delete kit. Its available from places like old air products and classic auto air. Its also on ebay. If you have a poa valve then you can just recalibrate the poa valve for 134a. The oring kits are also available on ebay as well as from these vendors. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1964-82-OLDS...dWqUXU&vxp=mtr If you need to have have your poa valve rebuilt/ recalibrated, lmk as I do them all them time. there is a write up on the procedure on the forum

Olds

Banny, its a 98 with original a/c compressor etc. I can fix most things on the car, but A/C has never been my thing other than adding a can of R12 when it needed it. My mechanic told me I needed the "conversion kit", o-rings, new oil, and a new drier. I didn't think to ask him what was included in the conversion kit, since I'm not finding a complete kit. Any thoughts?

Thanks

banny

Believe its going to be a vir delete kit that you are going to need unless you want to have your VIR rebuilt. But its not a good idea to use 134a with a vir system. Just google VIR update kit

MDchanic

For whatever it's worth, my '73 Delta has a regular POA setup, and not a VIR.

I know that there was some mix'n'match of these things through '73 and '74, so "Olds" may only need the usual POA revision.

- Eric

banny

Wonder if it was a case of early to late 73 as to when some models received the poa or vir

chopolds

It's a lot more complicated than just changing O rings and such. The R-134 molecules are much smaller than R-12's. This means that they are more likely to leak, esp. with the flare fittings, old hoses, etc. The right way is to replace the hoses with 'barrier' hoses, and change over the fittings to O ring style fittings. The older systems used flare fittings. The oil used in the systems is different and not compatible, so a full flush, and new compressor is usually necessary. New drier, for insurance, and since R-134 doesn't transfer heat as efficiently, a larger condenser is a good idea, but it still won't cool as well as the old system.

MDchanic

Sorry, but, No.

R12 molecular size: 5.09Å
R134a molecular size: 5.24Å

R12 is smaller than R134a.

The reason for the nylon barrier layer being placed closest to the inside of the hose, rather than sandwiched in the middle of the rubber, as it was earlier, is because the PAG oil that is required with R134a degrades the rubber over time, and would wreck the hoses before the projected service life of the vehicle was over.
It has nothing to do with the sizes of the respective molecules.

[reference]

Huh?

All of the '60s and '70s Frigidaire systems use O-ring fittings.

I can't vouch for the '50s and earlier, but it is simply not true that the cars most of us have use flare fittings.

- Eric

brown7373

Classic Auto Air in Tampa. My 134a with re calibrated POA and Parallel flow condenser has 30s air from the vent. Old hoses, if in good condition, will work fine. The oil in the hoses seals the pores and prevents leaks. New R12 hoses if used with 134a will leak like a sieve.