Vette(s): 1990 L-98 white/ red/black leather interior targa top auto
1975 L48 blue/black leather interior t tops auto
Joined: 3/22/2009 Posts: 1363
dont understand what you mean by cheaper. there are many points of views on the changing of the r12 to r134. many say r134 is not as good as the r12 and others say they cant tell the difference between them. mine is working great with the r12 son i am not fixing something that aint broke. they do sell do it yourself kits but you have to be able to remove all the old refrigerant. i have had shops quote me prices at about 300.00 to convert it.
Use Propane. R290. It's cheap as dirt. It's compatible with your existing mineral compressor oil. And, it's even more efficient than R12. Flammability is about the same.
Yes. There is a very cheap alternative. Propane. Or, R290. It's what they use in Europe and Asia.
No need to change the oil, orifice or filter/dryer. R134a requires a complete system flush as the compressor oil is not compatable. The orifice is a different size. And, the filter/dryer needs to be changed. R134a has about 1/3 less heat transfer efficency as R12. R290 is even better than R12.
Commericial shops are not allowed to install R290. It's an EPA thing. I've done it on 3 different cars and it works wonderfully. Before electronic detectors they used to hunt for R12 leaks with an open flame and later with a hot wire. And, Propane has an odorant (ethyl mercaptan) in it so you know when you have a leak. R12 doesn’t. It' s your choice.