Posted by Walt Barie on August 03, 1998 at 22:03:16:
In Reply to: Re: R-134 conversion posted by Peter Florance on August 01, 1998 at 10:34:05:
: : From personal experience I know that it is possible
: : to simply install the retrofit fittings, evacuate the
: : system, and charge it with r-134a. For best succes
: : only charge system to 80% of cappacity, add a couple of
: : ounces of appropriate refrigerant oil, and install a new
: : receiver-drier prior to evacuating the system. R-134a
: : tends to run at higher pressures on the high pressure
: : side of the system, so make sure that the auxilliary
: : fan is working properly and that the condenser is free
: : of debris. Be prepared for the possibility that your
: : air conditioning might not work as well with r-134a.
: : It has been my experience that the condensers in
: : old cars generally are not large enough to dissipate
: : the heat caused by the higher pressures. This reduces
: : the efficiency of the system and causes higher vent
: : tempuratures. It is also recommended to install and
: : wire in a high pressure cut off switch to prevent
: : any hoses from rupturing. Any questionable hoses should
: : be replaced with appropriate r-134a hose.
: : These conversions can be very simple but older cars
: : sometimes require some modification and special
: : attention.
Well although it is not an E12 I recently converted my '89 VW Jetta to R134a.
When I bought the car the A/C was dead because of a cracked pipe on the
dryer. I replaced the dryer with a new one. Pulled a vacuum on the system.
Put the new oil in and charged up with the R134a. Actually the system seems
to work great. I haven't had a problem with cooling. I was looking into the
substitutes but went with the R134a since it was available and garages would work
on a car with r134 compared with a blend that every garage I know stays away from.
Walt Barie