Date:         Sun, 19 May 1996 00:00:14 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Ddear@aol.com
Subject:      R-12 to R-134 Freon

 Tim Marciniak wrote:                        tmarcini@execpc.com

>Just wondering if anyone on the list has any information on the refrigerant
>changes (R-12 to R-134) that we all may be facing in the next 2 years or
>so.  Does VW have any conversion kits yet for the Vanagon, any mention of
>what the cost might be?  GM says their upgrades may be $500 to $600 while
>Fords may run $1000 to $1200.

I lost the freon (R-12) charge in my 88GL and decided to recharge it with the
R-134.
I had an old vacume pump (the old high school demo kind purchased from a flea
market) with which I evacuated the system.  I made fittings to connect to the
ports on the Vanagon system from pieces of hose that I had and common
fittings that I bought at the auto parts store.  Once evacuated, I put in 4
(48 oz) cans of the new  R-134
and 2oz of compresser oil [USE SAFETY GLASSES!].   The manual calls for 50oz
total. This was done with the engine running the air conditioner set to high.
It works great - can't feel any difference in cooling power.  Total cost =
less than $50. 

Gary  -  Balt. MD 
88GL, 80Westy