12 replies to this topic

[rick_v]

So I bought a groupon voucher at ATS for an aircon regas.

 

I booked and took her in only to be told they couldn't do it because they couldn't find the measurements on their system or the web.

OK I say, let me see what I can do and get back to you.

 

After some research and negotiation I persuaded them that I had the correct measurements and duly took it in again.

 

10 minutes later the guy calls me over and says do you know where the valves are. Having no real idea I pointed out what I thought they were on the pipe in front of the battery.

He thinks they are the old type, makes sense as my car is 1991, which he also knew. He then says it's illegal to fill the old type!

 

The question remains then, how can I get my aircon done?

 

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated as I'm not looking forward to being cooked again this year!

 

Thanks

Rick

[AndrewC]

There is a ban on using the old refrigerant known as R12, but there are substitute gasses & lubricants which can be used, and the re-gassing company should have the adapters to suit.

 

Alternatively the system can be converted to take the replacement gas, known as R134A.   You can't put R134A into an R12 without conversion - changing seals and so on.

[rick_v]

Thanks Andrew, I will try to find another supplier then.

[IsettaWorld]

I had a lot of rejections when I tried a couple of years ago to get my Sera aircon re-charged.

 

Most specialists and “specialists” refused to do it because they either said the valve was an R12-type so my system contained R12, which was now illegal, and/or they didn’t have the correct adaptor to connect their equipment to the “old-type” valve.  Their opinions also varied on whether you should or should not add the replacement gas, R134A to a system containing R12.

 

As my system had been re-charged by the seller immediately before I bought the car I reasoned rightly or wrongly that my system would contain the correct R134A.

 

Then, while in Halfords I saw that they sell a D-I-Y aircon recharge kit. And they offer to do it for you at a small charge. So I asked them to do it. They spent some time attempting to do it then said they couldn’t do it because they did not have the correct adaptor.

 

Based on recommendations on this forum, I bought an adaptor and went back to Halfords.  They spent some more time trying to do it, but gave up because the pins in the adaptor would not line up correctly with the pins in the valve. ( “pins” as in the centre pin which tyre valves have and which Sera aircon also has)..

 

Later, at home, I pondered the problem, and realised that as long as there was a pin in the car’s valve, it didn’t need a pin in the adaptor because the gas pressure would overcome the valve anyway. So I removed the pin and valve from the adaptor. Then I fitted the adaptor to the car’s valve and took it back to Halfords. Now their connector tube screwed onto the Sera’s aircon valve and they successfully re-charged the Sera’s system.

 

This year my Sera’s aircon system needed re-charging so having seen how Halfords did the job I returned to Halfords to buy their D-I-Y kit and do it myself. I found that they have changed their applicator and instead of the “old”-type screw-on connector their kit now has a clip-on connector, just like a car’s tyre.  So my modified adaptor was no longer needed.

Also on Halfords air-con stand I saw that they now have “STP Super Seal  -  Air-con stop leak”, so I bought some of that as well as a tactical precaution.

 

Armed with the R134A gas canister and the “Stop Leak” I returned home and successfully recharged my system myself. My car is now as cool inside as its looks are from the outside.

 

N.B.  It is illegal to discharge R12 gas into the atmosphere. An illegal way to check if your car has any gas pressure of any type in its aircon system is to depress the pin in the valve and listen for the hiss.

[Dipak]

Air-con valve location, can anybody help me with telling me where about the location is of the air-con valves for regassing. I would really appreciate that many thanks.

[Dipak]

Air-con valve location, can anybody help me with telling me where about the location is of the air-con valves for regassing. I would really appreciate that many thanks.

[vwant]

Hi. The regas valves are next to the radiator on the passenger side. See attached picture (you can see the battery at top of photo

Attached Thumbnails

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[Dipak]

Many thanks for that information, much appreciated.

[Dipak]

R12 Thread Convert R134A Adapter would anybody be able to help, I need to add a converter to the pre-existing R12 thread for the air conditioning to convert it to RM134A, I have been looking around and I'm finding it difficult to understand what size I would need anybody able to assist in helping me make my decision before If anyone knows of any place an order could be placed ant links or connections.

Many thanks and look forward to hearing back.

[AndrewC]

If you plan to use R134A you will also need to have the compressor rebuilt, the system purged of R12 gas and its lubricant and all the seals changed.

[Dipak]

Many thanks for that Andrew, what will be the easiest and simplest way to deal with this, any recommendations.

[AndrewC]

Assuming your air conditioning system is gas tight and you don't have any leaks, the easiest and simplest way is to switch from R12 to isceon49 (various different names for this) which is a direct substitute for R12 needing no modifications at all.      Not every a/c specialist stocks this gas, or has even heard of it, but it does exist...

 

Other than that, the other option is an R134A conversion, but its more involved than just changing the filling plugs and putting some in.   That may work in the very short term, but will probably leak out quickly as the seals are not designed to stop it, and may cause more damage due to incompatibility with lubricants.

[Tobias]

You might want to look into using a 60/40 propane/isobutane (R290/R600a) blend as a replacement for R12 gas. It's very similar in terms of physical properties and is compatible to the seals and the compressor (mineral) oil used with R12.

You might be told that it's unsafe to use because such a blend is combustible, but to be honest half a kilo of propane/isobutane wouldn't be the first of my concerns when having an accident in a car filled with 40 liters of petrol. Also these blends have been used in refrigerators and other stationary equipment since the '70s.

There are DIY kits (with required adapters) available over the internet, but you need to have your A/C system emptied at a service station before refilling to avoid mixing the gases and safely dispose of the remaining R12. They can also check for any leaks by creating a vacuum in the system and watching it for half an hour or so (also drying the system from any moisture).

 

NB: As far as I know Toyota changed from R12 to R134a during production of the Sera (Nov. 1993?). Please check what type of A/C gas was used in your car (or if it was converted at some point) before changing to R290/R600a!

 

Regarding R134a: When changing from R12 to R134a you might want to read Toyota's Technical Service Bulletin AC002-98 describing the retrofit and the required parts.