Kyle95sr5

The AC in my 95 4runner does nothin but blow out air. Its not cold at all but its not hot either. I was wanting to recharge it but after reading some posts here found out that my system couldnt be recharged without converting it to R134. Could any of yall explain to me how to do this conversion and show me what parts I need to buy. It would be nice to have air in the summertime, windows down doesnt always cut it.
-Kyle

Kyle95sr5

after some searchin ive come up with either take it to a mechanic and get it professionally converted or recharge it with R12 or some stuff called "Freeze 12" i think. Id rather drive with the windows down all the time then take my 4runner to another mechanic so im up for rechargin it myself. Where can I get R12 from? Any of yall got any or do i need to go to a stealer.
-Kyle

mt_goat

I've got good news and bad news. The good news is if you have a 95 you already have R134. The bad news is if you have been running your AC without any charge you could have damaged your compressor.

Kyle95sr5

well, im likin that good news part. Is there a way to tell if my compressor is damaged or should i just recharge it and hope for the best? Can you tell me how to recharge it, never messed wit anything like that before. Ive heard that if you plug it in the wrong end then you mess up everything.
-Kyle

Dublin

Here yah go.
http://members.tripod.com/~jbabs714/autoac.htm
http://www.r-414b.net/
I put hot shot in my wifes grand cherokee, worked like a charm.

Kyle95sr5

Im guessin that the stuff they got at Walmart would do the trick too correct? Do i need to buy two cans or will one be just fine. Sorry man but those instructions really confused me. can any of yall explain it in lamens terms or give Toyota specific instructions. Thanks for the help Dublin but im soo lost.
-Kyle

mt_goat

Well, maybe it's ok. That link Dublin posted shows a cut off switch for the compressor if the pressure level drops too low.

frankjake

Redneck, I have a 92 4runner which I just had recharged from a mechanic. My original system ran on R12 but the previous converted it to R134. The recharge I paid $125 for did not seem to do much good, the air blew out slightly cooler but not much at all. On a hot day I would be cooler leaving down the window.

I went to walmart and bought a can of R134 which included a hose and guage. It's very simple to use.

First you need to find the low pressure inlet of your A/C system. On my 92, there is a blue plastic cap over the inlet which is located on the passenger side, under the hood near the firewall. There is also an inlet with a red cap, but this is the high pressure side and you don't want to mess with it.

So as per the instructions on the can, I started my truck, turned on the A/C and connected the hose to the low pressure inlet, and then checked the pressure. It was only about 10 lbs pressure. So I pulled the trigger on the can which flowed the R134 into my A/C system. When the can was almost empty, about 5 minutes, the pressure was up to 25 lbs. I then pulled off the hose, put back the blue dust cap and checked the temp of the air blowing inside the cab. It was MUCH colder than before. It's still not as cold as my old 90 4runner with the R12, but it's almost as cold. Either way, it works much better now that I recharged it myself. The can which included the hose and guage was $19.00 at Wal-Mart.

Hope this helps.

Kyle95sr5

thanks man. that helps out alot. ill have to make a trip to walmart tomorrow. Am i lookin at buyin one can or two?
-Kyle

MUDN4R

does a 94 3.0 run R13? or R12?

mt_goat

I think 93 was the last year for R12.

trx125

It should be R134

frankjake

I bought only 1 can and it charged it up to 25lbs pressure which is what it recommends. Everyone I have talked to says DO NOT OVERCHARGE. On the guage, between 20 and 30 lbs pressure is in the safe zone. over 35 lbs is in the red zone.

A can by itself is about $8.00 but I bought the kit which included 1 can, the hose and the guage.

Remember, mine was originally R12 but someone converted it to R134. I am not sure what year started using R134.

DH6twinotter

My AC has been out for 4 years now. I've just never felt like paying to convert it. Is it possible to put the R134 into a system that used R12 without harming anything?

There is a shop back home that used to sell R12, but it was like $50 for a can.

mt_goat

According to a Toyota mechanic I know and trust, yes. He said they used say you had to replace all kinds of stuff, but Toyota did some tests where they just pulled a vac on some R-12 systems for a few hours and recharged with R-134 and ester oil and tested, they work perfectly for years. He said the ester oil is fairly compatable with the R-12 oil but you might want to make sure ester oil is used.

iscool007

I don't doubt your resource for putting R-134 in the R-12... but if it does damage my ac, would it be worse to fix and convert that simply just converting? i am unsure what is involved in a convert

Rcross

I tried a conversion kit from autozone 2 years ago on my 91 r-12 system. It had a leak with the r-12 and let it go 2-3 years without running the AC. The kit had the adapters that fit over the r-12 refill points and after pulling a vacuum on the system I refilled it with the 134 compatible oil, refrigerant, and a small can of stop leak. So far the system hasnt leaked down any and still cools great, not as good as the r-12 but close.

With the system designed to run r-12 is converted it wont ever cool as good when you run 134 through it compared to running 134 in a system designed for it.

toyaholic

from what i understand, if you have an r12 system, don't bother with the conversion. if you simply need a charge go find some freeze 12. if you have a leak and you cannot hold a charge you need to find the problem. as stated above converting to 134 will cool, but the r12 systems are not as efficient as the 134 systems and converting them to 134 is pointless when you can charge with freeze 12 and the 134 will over exert your system and possibly overheat your engine. i do know of plenty of people that have converted and claimed to be happy, but the "experts" have waived me away from converting my 89. i am going to fix my compressor clutch and recharge with freeze 12.

Rcross

It depends on cost, for almost half of the cost of one refill with r12 you can convert your system to run 134. I opted to spend about $50 to do the conversion instead of paying almost $90 to refill with the r-12. I cant say if it will over exert your system, but I do know that my engine hasn't once overheated running 134 in the older r-12 system. During the hottest part of the summer (here in Mississippi) I still have to turn down my AC blower after a few minutes due to it getting too cold. It doesn't cool down the truck as fast as the r12 but it does it quick enough for me.

Another issue with refilling with r-12 is that you have to be certified to even buy the cans of it, due to them not making any more. If you dont have the certification you will have to pay someone else, and normally they are quite proud of it and don't mind charging you.

As for as efficiency goes the r-12 is more efficient than the 134 thus the evaporators and condensers in a r-12 system doesn't need as much surface area to do the temperature transference. In converting to 134 you will loose some efficiency just due to the newer coolant just not cooling as well. In the systems designed for 134 the surface areas of the required items were changed as required.

Edit Also forgive me for rambling as I am pretty out of it due to the prescription cough syrup, but hey at least I'm not coughing

ssupercoolss

fyi...my 93 truck is converted to r134a. it was like that when i got it, so i am not sure which method was used to convert it. it blows real nice cold air. just one tid bit of info that hasnt been mentioned here yet. placing a vacuum on your a/c system before you charge is very important. if you are just adding some to a system that is low on charge, no need to vacuum. however, if your system is empty, and any air has gotten in (moisture actually) just adding freon to this will not give good results at the vents.
be careful adding freon. to little and it wont cool properly. too much and it wont cool properly. if i do the blind method, which is charging without a manifold gauge, i use a thermometer in the vent. you should be pretty happy with about 45 degrees at the vent at idle. keep in mind whatever temp you have at an idle, it should go down when the vehicle is driven. P.S. every a/c system i have ever seen has a low pressure switch to turn off the compressor when the freon gets low. your compressor should be fine.