I need to recharge my a/c but everyone says I need to get a conversion kit installed. Can I just buy a refill kit and do it myself?? I have a 90 runner V6. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

Hi Brad,
They outlawed those freon R12 recharge kits that used to be all over the place (it is that ozone thing).

That being said, I did a conversion on my own DD (Taurus) because the compressor had gone bad. Flushed the lines, new A/C oil, new drier, and recharged it. It is nort really a DIY type of a job due to the equipment needed. Was not totally happy because the size of the condensor and evaporator were designed for R12, and the R134 has slightly diff charactoristics (sp?). It just didn't work as good. That Taurus got totalled and my (new) 97 Taurus designed for R134 works great.

Now, I have seen freon R12 "replacement" kits on ebay (not R12 or the new R134). Never seen or used myself so don't know how well they work. They claim direct replacement, so might be worth a try.

 

Is it safe to say that newer vehicles like my 2001 are R134? My A/C doesn't seem to get the cab cool enough, and I thought I might need a recharge. I don't use it that heavily and it really isn't that old, so could it just be that it doesn't work that well? Or would a recharge help it? The truck has 55k miles. to really cool it down, I need to run it on recirc with high fan for a while. Otherwise, it just doesn't seem to get very cool.

 

Yes, you should be R134. Just remember, refilling the AC does not necessarily solve the problem. AC units should be self-contained, therefore a proper leak check done by a good shop is in order. The key is to make sure they are honest, otherwise you may walk out of there with a huge bill that isnt necessary.

I dont see why a 2001 would need a refill unless something happened to it.

 

My intuition says that probably nothing is wrong. I just think that when it's hot as F out, I want the A/C NOW! I was wondering if maybe it wasn't working well because in my girlfriend's little car, the A/C gets it cool enough to where I have to turn it down to stay comfortable. But that never seems to happen in my truck, and the cab volume is smaller I'd say than her car's interior.

 

Are you in stop and go traffic when this happens? Once you get moving, the AC will get colder. My 96 here in PHX takes about 5 minutes to get cold in city driving. Max AC is obtained by putting the dial on Recirc, are you doing that?

 

try this
http://www.refrigerantsales.com/alternatives.html

 

From what I understand, some of those "R12 replacements" use butain. You know, lighter fluid. It could cause AC to go BOOM...BOOM BOOM...BOOM BOOM BOOM...and my beat goes BOOM...BOOM BOOM...BOOM BOOM BOOM...

Take it to a pro shop and get them to recharge with R12. That stuff is still around, it just costs a bit.

 

You are comparing PHOENIX, ARIZONA to HELENA, MONTANA where I am sure it's much cooler there than here in the summertime.

I also live in PHX and it also takes about fives minutes to get cold.

You said that max A/C is obtained by putting the dial to recirculation, does that apply to the 2ND GEN as well?

 

and I think you have to have a license to get it, or so I thought, so a qualified shop visit should be the route taken as already stated.

 

That apply's to any A/C system. That's why I can't stand the new "Auto" setting on my wife Frickin' '03!!!!!!! it decides for itself when a good time to switch to "fresh" and it is usually before it starts to cool and in traffic behind a badly smoking deisel dually truck and we get a nice breath of fresh black deisel smoke before we both about cuss up a storm and then practically break the GD button trying to turn the "Recirc" back on!!! anybody else notice this Japanese flop of an automatic setting on the 4th gen 4runner systems?

 

Have you used it? Has anyone here used it? How does it work?

 

Yeah. Our heatwave right now puts us into the high 80's and we are cooking.

 

DO NOT use a conversion kit. R134a and R12 use different oils, and are not compatible with each other. Since there is no way to effectively clean out your system completely, the refridgerant/oils will react with each other and eat away your seals.

If you are just looking for a quick recharge of a R12 system, and you still have a few cans of the stuff laying around from the 80s when the stuff was like $2 a can, AND, you have a R12 service set laying around (you can't buy that stuff anymore without a license), just pop open a can, hook up the hoses/guages, and let 'er rip. If you need a shop to do it, they'll likely charge you 0.5-1 hour labor plus refridgerant. These days, refridgerant runs around $40 per pound, with most automotive systems' capacities running around 1.5 pounds give or take a few. You'll be looking at around $100-$150 service each time you need to refill. It'll add up quickly if you have a leak that is left unrepaired (not to mention destryoing the ozone layer, etc., etc.). However, it may be worth it if your leak is a slow one (needs recharge once every 2-3 years or so), and/or you don't plan on keeping the car for long.

Otherwise, you'd have to do a R12 to R134a conversion, which is not easy, but very doable if you have the inclination. (see my next post).

Regards,
Ben(Miami)
'02 Limited 4X2

 

I had a similar problem with my Z (R12 system, leak, didn't want to pay $150 every time to refill), so I converted it to R134a. To do a proper conversion, you should replace the condenser, evaporator, dryer, any ruber tubes, O-RINGS(very important), and the compressor--basically, the entire system. Since removing the evaporator (and replacing the condensor) is a pain in the @$$, and replacing the compressor is expensive, like Yoda, all I did was change anything that is rubber (o-rings at the fittings, any rubber flex hoses, etc.), change the dryer, and flush out the compressor (empty any and all old compressor oil, refill with R134a oil, repeat a couple of times). The most important thing to keep in mind when converting is that the R134a oil reacts with moisture to form a compound that eats up any rubber components. Also, from what I recall (it's been awhile, now), I think there are 2 types of R134a oil--PAG and ester oil. One is less reactive than the other (sorry that I can't remember which--I'm sure a google search will reveal the answer). So, try to flush out as much of the old R12 stuff as possible, refill with R134a oil (use the less reactive stuff--I think it was the PAG oil), and then reconnect everything. Before refilling with R134a refridgerant, hook up the system to a vacuum pump and leave the system on vacuum for a couple of hours. That will accomplish 2 things. 1.) that your system doesn't have a leak. 2.) it will remove the remaining air/humidity from your system to keep it as water free as possible. If your system holds vacuum, proceed on to filling it with R134a and compressor oil and you're done. It is a labor intensive process, but is the only way to do it correctly. Should take you all of a Saturday if you're mechanically inclined.

Also, yeah, R134a has about 80% of the cooling efficiency of R12. The newer systems designed for R134a usually have slightly larger condensers (and evaporators?) to compensate.

 

Actually, on my 3rd gen auto climate control, it does the same thing (if on full auto). However, if you manually push the recirc button, it stays that way until you "reset" with the auto button. And, although the recirc button is "manually" set, the fan speed and vent settings are still "automatically" set. Not sure if the 4g runners do that but it might do the trick.

Regards,
Ben(Miami)
'02 Limited 4X2

 

Well on my wife's, when we hit the recirc button, the Auto deactivates, or at least the light on the button goes out, which would tell me that it is now totally set for Manual Ops. If any part was still being Auto controlled then I would think the button light would stay illuminated. The dealer is no help as they are as clueless as a 3rd grader about the options on these things.

Oh, and, My 3rd gen doesn't have that auto feature, it leaves the smartest component to handle that stuff, the driver or one of his copilots.

 

Do a search online for "Freeze 12". It's a direct replacement for R-12 and is NONFLAMABLE. I have used it in my Jeep and it works wonders. You don't have to change a thing. If your system is leaking, Freeze 12 also sells a sealant that again is direct replacement. They sell a kit that includes afew cans and the hose for about $60. It works great.

 

Actually, if I push the recirc button, I think my auto light stays on, but I am not sure. I don't think it matters if the auto light stays on, though. If I push the "mode" to change the vent settings, my auto light turns off. However, the computer still controls the fan speed and the recirc/fresh air settings. Only the things I set manually go to "manual mode".

Funny...you remind me of my dad when you said that. He always hated all that "newfangled" technology. Like he says, we are smarter than the computer and besides, who better to adjust the controls to whatever settings we like than ourselves? LOL.

Regards,
Ben(Miami)
'02 Limited 4X2

 

I think the system in the 3rd gens is different than the one in the 4th's

Yea, haha, I have to agree. The computers are a nice "luxury" but usually handle things alot differently than I would.