A/C Recharge for R12

[Felix_29]

Hello all, i'm wondering if anyone has step by step instructions with photo's or perhaps a video of how to recharge the A/C in the Delorean with the R12 cans you can buy at the auto supply store? I have seen this done a couple of times but its been too many years for me to remember how to do it exactly. I'm on the original R12 system.

[SS Spoiler]

Good luck finding R-12......

[Michael]

You are probably seeing a R12 replacement like jonsens but even that stuff is hard to come by anymore. Finding soneone with an r12 machine will be a trick too. Most shops don't mess with it these days. I bought an r12 machine and about 20 cans a few years ago and I ended up selling it all when I switched over to r134 and I am glad I did. Vent temp differences are not noticable.

Just an assumption but judging by your question I don't think you should be doing this job yourself. Unless you know what you are doing, you can cause some injury to yourself as well as jack up your car.

[hippieman9]

Hello all, i'm wondering if anyone has step by step instructions with photo's or perhaps a video of how to recharge the A/C in the Delorean with the R12 cans you can buy at the auto supply store? I have seen this done a couple of times but its been too many years for me to remember how to do it exactly. I'm on the original R12 system.

go on Ebay or Amazon and get red Tek. It is compatible with R12 and is simple to recharge. It works great and no need to retro fit anything. The kit also comes with a can of sealer if you have a small leak too.

[Andrew]

As a CFC, R12 has been phased out as part of the Montreal Protocol. For those who are too young to remember, CFC's and the Ozone hole were the fad panic of the 1980's and early 1990's. Forget nuclear weapons...hairspray was going to kill us all!!! Pursuant to legislation that was enacted in 1991, R12 hasn't been available in retail outlets for customer purchase since 1991 or 1992. There was a big run on small cans of R12 at the retailers the final season when cans were available. The final year of R12 in new US vehicles was 1993. All production / importing of R12 to the US ceased on December 31, 1995. The cost of R12 seemed to peaked in the early 2000's when vehicles that still used R12 were in general circulation. As the cost of R12 went up, R134A retrofits became pretty common. In the meantime attrition has taken its toll on pre-1994. As of 2018 most of the pre-1994 cars have been converted to R134A or are no longer in circulation. Interestingly, the price of R12 seems to have leveled-off / decreased in the past few years. I have had success finding R12 on Craigslist. Most of the cans that I have found are being sold by people who stocked up during the 1992 retail phase-out only to have the cans sit in their garage / basement for the past 25 years (long after their sold / junked the 1988 Pontiac 6000 that they bought the R12 for in the first place.

Be aware the purchase of R12 is regulated by the EPA. To purchase R12 for personal use, you are required to have an EPA 609 certification. However, you can buy cans of R12 if you provide a signed statement to the seller that you are buying it for the purpose of selling it to a EPA 609 licensed tech. The good news is that you can get an EPA 609 certification via an online, open-book test for $15 and the certification never expires. I have done exactly that and carry my card in my wallet. In the years that I have been buying R12, I've never once had a seller ask me for my EPA 609, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I've paid between $15 and $20 per can. Some sellers will give you a volume discount if you buy their entire lot of cans. When purchasing cans from Craigslist, check the labels on the cans to make sure it is real R12 and feel the weight of the can to determine if it still feels full...these cans are now over a quarter century old and have may have rusted or leaked in storage.

In short, check your local craigslist with search terms such as "R12" "R-12" "Freon." However, I suspect that the ban on CFC's will be lifted / relaxed within the next couple years...in fact I'm surprised Montreal protocol hasn't already been scrapped...so don't invest your life savings in an R12 stockpile, because it might be back on the shelf of your local Walmart / Autozone by next summer ;-)

Andrew
4194
5052

[SS Spoiler]

Make friends with your local appliance refrigerator
repairman. I was able to score a 30 lb drum of
reclaimed, filtered R-12 for a 100 bucks. He only
wanted 75 but I told him it was worth a 100 to me..

[WHO1DMC]

And now they are going to this 1234yf stuff it's supposed to be better for the environment but it's flammable. Woo-hoo another way die in a car.

[Bitsyncmaster]

And now they are going to this 1234yf stuff it's supposed to be better for the environment but it's flammable. Woo-hoo another way die in a car.

If it's flammable, just use propane also sold as R12a.

[Nicholas R]

If it's flammable, just use propane also sold as R12a.

To clarify, don't just use propane (as in, don't connect your AC compressor to your BBQ grill propane cylinder and fill the system )

R12a is a hydrocarbon blend that attempts to mimic the evaporation and condensation pressures consistent with traditional automotive refrigerants (R12/R134a). With that said, it will certainly be just as flammable as any hydrocarbon fuel (since it's mostly propane).

[Bitsyncmaster]

To clarify, don't just use propane (as in, don't connect your AC compressor to your BBQ grill propane cylinder and fill the system )

R12a is a hydrocarbon blend that attempts to mimic the evaporation and condensation pressures consistent with traditional automotive refrigerants (R12/R134a). With that said, it will certainly be just as flammable as any hydrocarbon fuel (since it's mostly propane).

+1
If it's a blend of gasses, you have to charge via liquid with a large container but if using a whole can I guess your can charge via gas. The reason is each blend will not convert to gas at the same pressure and temperature. Charging via liquid has to be done very slowly so you don't lock up the compressor. The new R410a now used in home systems and replaces R22 is a blend you charge via liquid.