I'm not recommending anybody's product here but here are the facts as told to me by the local A/C shop that is making me a set of hoses. #1) R134 will run 325 psi head pressure on 90 degree days, that's normal. #2) R134 will eat your O rings and you need to install R134 compatible oil or your compressor bearings will go south. #3) R134 runs at such high pressures it makes your compressor and clutch struggle if it isn't a Compressor Designed for R134 . Noisy compressors are a normal thing on R12 system retrofits. Belt squeal is another symptom of the higher head pressures. Most R134 systems use the wide grooved / ribbed belt because V belts in most cases don't cut the mustard. #4) R134 will leak through marginal O rings and cause pinhole leaks in old hoses without the proper inner wall rubber lining materials. In short; R134 in an old R12 system is just a time bomb before you go out and spend the big bucks for a retrofit compressor, new hoses, new dryer, new throttle / suction valve. If you've already installed the R134 in your system you'll be lucky if you get any life out of the parts listed above. In addition you may need to direct wire your clutch to the battery with heavier wire to keep full voltage going to the magnet assembly on the clutch ........... otherwise your R134 charge will cause clutch slippage and burn it out long before you have other symptoms of system failures. In short ................ R134 isn't any more of a fix than any of the alternative FuFu Refrigeration Gasses on the market unless you do the complete retrofit to R134 components. In addition: Nasty word again. One fix for better R134 operation in any system is the installation of an additional condenser coil somewhere under your van, bus, car, truck etc. It doesn't help much when you're just idling at redlights but when you have air flow it reduces compressor head pressures at most speeds over 10 mph. All those words above convinced me to spend about $266.00 on hoses, dryers, throtle suction valves and I already had the add on condenser coil and I've yet to buy the proper Sanden compressor for the complete retrofit. In summation: Anything you put in an old R12 system is eventually going to pollute the atsmosphere because it's going to leak out. If your engine compartment is a tightly closed area like Air Cooled versions you might have an explosion if the additives contain Butane or other highly combustible materials that have leaked out and not ventilated to the outside. If you have FuFu additives in you system already then you're getting the most mileage out of your system but the end is near so just be warned.

Stan Wilder

On Mon, 7 Jul 2003 12:37:19 -0400 "Doyt W. Echelberger" <Doyt@NWONLINE.NET> writes: > Hello Adam......You will contaminate your R-134a so that no > commercial air > conditioning man will be able to work with you. The contaminated > refrigerant would destroy his R-134a draw-down equipment. And he > WILL test > what is in your system before working on it. > > Doyt Echelberger > > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > At 10:07 AM 7/7/2003 -0400, you wrote: > >My 88 vanagon is currently charged with r-134. It blows cold when > it is 70 > >or 80 degrees outside, but when it is 100 out like now here in SC, > I might > >get the cabin down to 80-85 degrees. Pressures are right on, no > leaks. > > > >Now, I am considering removing some of my r-134 and poutting som > red-tek > >in...................can someone please advise to what i could > achieve by > >this? > > > >Adam P > >81 Westy "The Brick " > >70 Single Cab "Whitey" > >74 Beetle "Ol Yeller" > >73 Transporter (STILL at paint shop) > >1988 Vanagon Wolfsburg > >1976 Transporter (New CA bus) > >1974 412 "Goldmember" > >Used Vanagon Parts for sale (mostly aircooled) > >

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