Now that it's hot, my once-cool-in-spring a/c is virtually non-existent in my 94 Protege. The bad news is that it's R12. So I'm faced with either getting a certification for $15 and then buying the R12 on ebay ($25/can) OR getting the system retrofitted for 134A and recharged. Anybody have some words of wisdom for me?
tia - rob

 

Switch it over to R134A. R12 is illegal to make now, so they are selling the surplus of what everyone made. It'll soon run out and then you'll have to get R134A. So, just get it done now.

 

134A is also a lot less expensive. it's like $7 or $8 a pound as compared to r-12. good luck. make the conversion. save some ozone.

 

mine hasn't worked for years....i just plan to tear it out

 

Whats AC Base model.

 

R-12 was outlawed for import and manufacture in the united states, however, it can be recycled, which is the r-12 you are getting this day and age. it is recovered from junk cars, air condition re-service jobs on automobiles and home heating systems, and in most cases cars still on the road are given a retrofit for the r-134a refridgerant oil. although massive efforts are done to retrieve all r-12 stores and resell it, most people are making the switch to the more environmentally friendly r-134a. while recharging your protege would be the best idea, my recommendation is to have the system checked for leaks professionally, or do it yourself and see where the leaks in your system are. our first gen's use r-12, so if you have a leak, the best idea is to just take it to a pepboys or the equivalent, have them flush the system out, seal your leaks or replace whatever parts are causing the leak, and recharging your a/c system with r-134a. while the cost of charging your with r-134a maybe less than $20 dollars, recharging with r-12 could be much more costly, up to 5 times as much for recharging with r-12. good luck
peace

 

dont waste your time getting certified. i am "universal" for all types of freon, and its a bullshit class. all it is is an environment lesson,

just make the switch to R134-A

 

i'll have to find the stuff, but a local speed shop near me carries cans of this 'imitation R-12'... i have no clue what the hell it is, but it's refridgerant, and can be safely charged into existing r-12 cooling systems without retrofit.
peace

 

It isn't that expensive to switch over from R12 to R134. A kit costs about $40 and takes about an hour or two to put in. I had help from a student whose father owns a radiator and A/C shop so I only had to pay for the kit. It wouldn't cost more than $100 from his shop for labor, though.
That was two years ago. My car has had cold A/C ever since. No further problems.
Switch. You won't regret it if you are going to keep your car through even one summer.

 

I remember back in late '98 I worked at a garage and the boss was telling me that a can, I'm not sure how much, but it was something like the size of a BBQ propane tank was going for like 800 bucks.
Isn't it illegal now to even recharge a car with r12 now??