Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 11:16:30 -0500
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: How to convert to 134?
In-Reply-To: <48219DDC.7060507@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Now ain't that the truth!
Actually, I have mixed feelings about the global warming issues, CO2 and
the like. I have absolutely no doubt that it is having an effect. How
much is questionable. However, that question is neither here nor there.
The fact is that this is the only home we've got. And as Carl Sagan once
said "It's the Big Blue Marble of our solar system. There is no place
like it. If we crap it up - where we gonna go. We had better figure it
out - like the Indians of old before us. Take care of the land and it
will take care of you. The old Indians understood this. They were not
educated in a traditional sense, but were educated by the wilds
themselves, and they understood. Modern man, particularly those with a
European heritage, are still heavy oin the consumption and weak on the
giving back. That philosophy is going to eventually eat our lunch,
dinner and late night snack as well. Like canaries in the mine, the are
many animals that are warning us now, that things are not right with the
planet. The disappearance of the golden frogs in S. America, The current
disappearance of the honey bee. All are indicators of something wrong in
the environment.
We had best pay attention, do what we can, and become major stewards of
the land.
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
Ken Wilford wrote:
>>>We could save the world!
Gotta love the EPA. <<<
Ken Wilford wrote:
> This issue (ozone layer hole) and smog are what made the EPA. They were
> it's rallying cryings and the information about R-12 on the EPAs website
> is almost treated like holy script. They still keep a ton of outdated
> info on their site that has long ago been proven wrong, etc. Thirty
> years later the smog is almost a thing of the past (Pittsburgh is now
> the smoggiest city instead of LA) and the ozone layer hole never
> happened. Is it because we pulled the R-12? I would say yes except for
> the fact that we replaced it with something that is also supposedly
> harmful to the ozone layer, and that leaks about ten times worse
> (R-134a).
>
> The super ironic part about this whole discussion is that the engineers
> have indeed been coming up with the next big refrigerant. It is
> something that is so innocuous that ten years ago when they were
> starting to develop it no one ever dreamed that it would cause any
> problems. It is a gas that we breathe out and plant life absorbs
> naturally. What could be more tame? I am referring to CO2 :-) So the
> new public enemy number one is what is scheduled to replace R134a
> someday. I guess for the EPA making CO2 their new hobby horse is just
> long term job security. Now if we could all just stop driving our evil
> cars, and breathing out for the next twenty years I am sure we could
> drop the world wide level of this toxic gas by at least .01 %. We could
> save the world!
>
> Gotta love the EPA.
>
> Ken Wilford
> John 3:16
> www.vanagain.com
>
>
> John Rodgers wrote:
>> Ken,
>>
>> Actually, the frequent loss of R134a into the atmosphere is a big
>> deal, environmentally speaking. And actually a very BIG deal. Turns
>> out that just like Freon R12, R134a has it's own issues, and it would
>> not surprise me to see changes coming that take the stuff off the
>> market. Dunno what would take it's place, but the
>> engineering/scientific types will come up with something. The public
>> is not going to be without it's AC. This very thing - issues with 134a
>> - is at least in part why Freeze 12 got the OK to replace R134a.
>> Regards,
>>
>> John Rodgers
>> 88 GL Driver
>>
>>
>>
>> Ken Wilford wrote:
>>> Yes, John makes a great point and I think this is the reason why I have
>>> looked through so many Vanagon service histories and saw an A/C charge
>>> every summer since they were brand new. A normal vehicle has the A/C
>>> compressor come on when you turn on your defrost. That way even in the
>>> winter the compressor is being cycled on and the system stays
>>> happy. In
>>> the Vanagon not only is this not a feature but on the newer ones if it
>>> below a certain temperature you couldn't get the compressor to come on
>>> without hotwiring it. So the systems sit all winter until we turn
>>> them
>>> on in the spring and by that time the seals have contracted and
>>> released
>>> most of the refrigerant. I have just resigned myself to charging it
>>> each spring and as long as R134a stays relatively cheap this isn't a
>>> big
>>> deal.
>>>
>>> Ken Wilford
>>> John 3:16
>>> www.vanagain.com
>>>
>>>
>>> John Rodgers wrote:
>>>> One thing not mentioned in all the related posts is that you need to
>>>> run
>>>> the AC for a few minutes once a week year round to keep all the seals
>>>> wet. They tend to dry over time and shrink, and then they leak
>>>> refrigerant.
>>>>
>>>> John Rodgers
>>>> 88 GL Driver
>>>>
>>>> Jim Felder wrote:
>>>>> Does anyone know of a complete set of instructions for converting
>>>>> to 134
>>>>> from R12? I'm talking complete, like where to get any parts needed
>>>>> for the
>>>>> compressor and how to get the compressor open to fit them, how to get
>>>>> the
>>>>> oil out, put new oil in, and that sort of thing. I inherited a nice
>>>>> set of
>>>>> manifold gauges but have never used them. I also have access to a
>>>>> vacuum
>>>>> pump if that is required.
>>>>> Jim
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
| 
