FAQ: R12 to R134A CONVERSION...

[theveed]

Zeagle, pano ba talaga, what needs to be changed, estimated cost, points to be taken?

Thanks...

[zeagle]

Veed nasa class lang ako ngayon. Hehe later tonight let's try to clarify.

[sirkosero]

mga mods, keep this thread sticky naman... para lahat na lang ng tanong tungkol sa aircon conversion from r12 to r134a dito na lang sagutin... dami kasi naguguluhan pa.. me included

[Innova_Boy]

related question... heard from a shop here in manila na there's fake or cheap R134a refrigerant... so others quote cheap R134 charging... how can we know if it's orig or not??

WBR,

[sirkosero]

fake r134? pano magkakaroon nito? hmmm... baka naman they charge u for charging pero kulang ang nilalagay na charge? baka yun ang meaning nila kaya cheaper?

[BlueBimmer]

marami galing china sourcing ng R134A, baka un..

[Innova_Boy]

cause they charge only P400 for every charging of R134a freon to your ride, whereas others charge as high as P900...

WBR,

[orly_andico]

cause they charge only P400 for every charging of R134a freon to your ride, whereas others charge as high as P900...

that's not surprising. when i had my compressor clutch ("magnetic coil") replaced at Mang Mario's the R134 recharge was FREE (the cost of the repair, new clutch and labor inclusive, was only P1200). and i seriously doubt Mang Mario would cheat on the R134. Magaling lang talaga mag-taga yung nag-cha-charge ng P900 for refilling.

[theveed]

Some shops (or their tank suppliers) nangdadaya using R12 tapos linalagay sa R134 na tank... There's no way for you to find out actually.

Pagawa nalang kayo sa OEM shops like Zeagle's

[zeagle]

related question... heard from a shop here in manila na there's fake or cheap R134a refrigerant... so others quote cheap R134 charging... how can we know if it's orig or not??

WBR,

There was a recent spate of contaminated R134a in the market. Some scrupulous individuals who sold a refrigerant mixture of R134a, R22 and some unknown gases and passed it of as R134a. The effect of this concoction is intermitent cooling, hi pressure and premature damage to aircon components. Ingat na lang kayo and make sure that the shops you go to use branded refrigerants such as Klea, Daikin, Harp, Dupont, or Honeywell. There are others but it is safer to use branded ones. The brand of the refrigerant is usually printed on the disposable tank used.

[zechs]

ang problem is baka sobrang mahal..of course we want to keep the costs as low as possible...both of our cars are still using R12, so changing into R134a wont be that cheap talaga..

[zeagle]

I hope I can give a more detailed comparison of R12 and R134a. So far this is what I know.

Molecular weight:
R12 - 120.92
R134a - 102.00
Molecules of R134a are smaller and lighter as compared to R12.

This is one of the reason why you can not just replace an R12 system with R134a without replacing the rubber components of the system. Since R134a is smaller, it will eventually leak out. To retrofit, the rubber components such as hoses, orings and shaft seals need to be replaced with rubber compounds designed for R134a.


Oil/Lubrication:
R12 systems uses mineral based lubrication such as Suniso oil 4GS and 5GS
R134a systems uses synthetic oil Polyalkyleneglycol.

Using the wrong oil will have a damaging effect to your system specially the compressor. The compressor oil circultes through the entire refrigeration cycle together with the refrigerant. If you use the wrong oil, it will not mix properly with the refrigerant.

[theveed]

So magkano paconvert kung sa inyo dude? Estimate for a typical sedan.

[albert_b]

Saan shop mo sir zeagle?

Btw, ang 97 lancer ba eh R12 gamit?

[zechs]

albert_b, i think 97 lancer R134a na ang gamit eh. wait till zeagle answer your question para ma-confirm.

theveed, parang nasabi sa akin ni zeagle mga 7K ata eh.

so kung oil lang ng compressor papalitan, di na kailangan palitan yung mismong compressor? how about yung evaporator? di na rin kailangan palitan? lapit na kasi 2005 eh.

[zeagle]

Veed I will post estimates as soon as I get the guidelines from Denso which parts need to be replaced. Definitely affected ang rubber parts and the drier. It also depends on the implementing guidelines of the government up to what extent the retrofitting is. Iba kasi charging valves ng R134a from R12 but with the right adaptors, you can use the old cherging valves/ports.

Parang malabo din what the government wants to do. Parang drastic yung gusto nilang mangyari. What I know is that the Philippines is allowed to import R12 until 2010. Ang problema, manufacturers of R12 are allowed to produce lang until end 2005. However, I doubt if the China producers can be controlled.

[zeagle]

Saan shop mo sir zeagle?

Btw, ang 97 lancer ba eh R12 gamit?

Dude I'm sure that is R134a already. Most cars produced after 1993 use R134a refrigerants already.

[zeagle]

One more thing. "Freon" is a brand name used by Dupont for their R12 refrigerants.

[theveed]

Albert: Yes, R134 na yan...

Vince's shop is in La Fuerza Bldg in Pasong Tamo... Denso Coolmate.

One more thing... Puros non-appearance ang rehistro ko eh, I doubt that they really can enforce this kinda thing... Kahit nga yung MB ko dati di pa na emmission yun ever for registration purposes... Although pumasa naman when I had it checked.

[zeagle]

Tama Veed kaya those with R12 system need not worry that much. Nasa Pinas tayo remember?