Hey all,
My orignial AC needs a freon charge. I have inquired about getting it converted to R134 and the shop told me it would be about $250 to convert. My question is this. Has anyone tried the R134 conversion kits that are available from the autoparts stores for about $50. They have the oil, refrigerant, and seal conditioner in them and state that this kit is all you need. Will it do any harm to try the kit and if it doesn't work then take it to the shop for a more comprehensive job? Thanks for your help. Tom.

THE CONVERSION PRICE SOUND FAIR. LET ME KNOW IF YOU GET IT DONE. I AM PLANNING TO CONVERT MY 74 OVER AS WELL. THERE ARE A LOT OF SEALS THAT CAN LEAK. I HAVE RECHARGED THE FREON TYPE, BUT IT ONLY LASTS A SHORT TIME. THE REASON THEY NEED RECHARGED IS BECAUSE THEY ARE LEAKING. EVEN THE LEAK SEALER DONT LAST FOR MORE THAN ONE SEASON. YOU ARE BETTER OFF HAVE A COMPETENT SHOP SERVICE THE A/C UNIT AND THEN DO THE CONVERSION. JUST MY HUMBLE THOUGHTS.

I found a link about a newer type of freon for A/C units. I'm not saying to use this new stuff, but I thought it might be interesting.

http://autorefrigerants.com/co00033.htm

The change-over kits are priced reasonably. I think to be enviornmentally friendly, you should at least go to a repair shop and have them evacuate the system for you so that the R-12 can be kept from just getting out into the atmosphere. It will also make sure your system is "dry" and ready to be charged with a different refridgerant.

I guess I'm really lucky then. A guy who works with me, his dad does home central air conditioning maintenence. He said he will recharge mine with the R-12 and all I have to do is pay him for his time. Sounds like a cool deal to me.

I think mine needs to be recharged. Luckily I don't use it. There are a few times that I wouldn't mind having it, but I just roll the windows down. That's my AC.

Hey Chris,
Have that guy meet us at Hooters with all his stuff. I could stand a re-charge myself. Tell him I will give him one of the wing parties I have laying on my dining room table. Hell, I might even buy him a beer to go along with it.

Over the winter, the freon in my vette also leaked out. I guess that I will need to replace a compressor, and recharge the system...

You should be real careful with those "universal" freon and oil kits. Some make a mess of your system rendering it incompatible with either R12 or R134 down the road. If you do use one, you should put the sticker on, so when you bring it to a professional he doesn't contaminate his holding tank with that mess. I used to have a good website on this subject, but I lost my bookmarks a while ago. Shouldnt be hard to search for R134a conversion. Joe

Greetings from Oklahoma, I'm new to the site and bought my first vette last May. It's a 82 CE with more than it's share of problems due to lack of TLC. Atleast it hasn't been abused.

I'll be doing this R134a conversion this winter. From my understanding, you flush/drain the system and then replace all the Orings with ones compatable with R134a. You also recharge the system with a different type of oil. Anyone know any different?