Louis_84

I was just wondering if there is anyone who retrofitted there camaro's AC? AKA upgrading the refrigerent from R12 to R134a? When I learn more about it I would like to replace the entire AC system in my camaro. But i would like to know if there is aftermarket kits to retrofit the car?

But any advice or storys would be nice, thanks guys.

FYI i tryed searching for it, but the search on this sight sucks now.

b4ccamaro

You just need to replace you compressor, orifice tube and receiver dryer with new ones. Then put on new 134 ac fittings and you are set to go.

BluFBdy

iTrader: (1)

whatever you do dont get the cheap retrofit pieces that go over your old r12 ones, i got some from AZ, one kit didnt have the right high side fitting, so i bought another one, and that was stripped out right out of the box, then i bought a THIRD from checker which fit, and dont forget to replace your orafice tube, i blew out my new compressor because i failed to do that, i went thru hell to get mine going first a line was blown so i replaced it, then my first compressor blew up, i replaced that and the drier, and forgot to change the FOT and the second compressor blew, so i finally said screw it and gave up, i just need a new compressor and a new FOT and ill be good to go, but dont forget to check it all over, and i dont know if im the only one that had this issue, but when i got my second compressor the gaskets they gave me didnt fit, theyre the green and red ones that are like a washer with an o-ring, and the compressor wasnt machined properly or something but for the life of me i couldnt find the proper size o ring i rifled thru the shops stock of them and had to rig one to fit, hopefully you have better luck

Louis_84

Well my compressor is shot, and I was told by my instructor that as much as a new compressor will cost me I might as well get the car retrofitted. some time down the road I would like to just replace the entire system with R134a system.

Louis_84

lol you guys are gonna think im stupid. my car IS retrofitted! i went to school today, and when i brought my car into the lab, my instructor looked at the service ports and said it was retrofitted lol. so i looked around and didnt find a retrofitted sticker, so the person who retrofitted the car was stupid. it still had the original refrigernt sticker. So i guess i just need to new compressor and accumulater, and the refrigerent.

BluFBdy

iTrader: (1)

you should have been able to see that from te fittings, theres a considerable size difference, and if its already been retro fitted then you dont need a new accumulator, you just need to get a new compressor and change out the FOT, if you dont you can kiss the new compressor bye bye, id prime it with oil, spin it a few times to get it all in there, hook it up and then evacuate the system with your machines, not sure what kind you guys have, we had some new stupid proof one at my school when i was in AC, then go by the specs to fill with oil i cant remember the amounts but you should be set from there, but dear god dont forget to change that orafice tube, it will cost you alot of money for 10 mins tops of your time lol

and ive never stickered my personal car, even if someone says theyve got r12 i always look for myself, the sticker is just to save time because the r12 fittings would never accept the 134 lines

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

The sticker being gone...What a joke...Mine fell off after the adhsive came off around a year after I installed it.

That being said...After you replace the compressor, orifice tube, and accumulator...flush the system, add the specified amount of mineral oil and convert it back to R12. R134a SUCKS, R12 is much better in these old cars. If you fix the system properly, it should hold a charge for a long time and blow ice cold air.

BluFBdy

iTrader: (1)

Yeah but r12 is getting hard to put in since retrofitting is so simple

Louis_84

ive been hearing that r12 cost like $60 a pound, so im deffenatly not going back to r12. my instructor told me to just change the accumulator, and compressor and ill be good. he didnt say anything about the FOT. but maybe he did lol

BluFBdy

iTrader: (1)

Really? Ok think of it like this...if your compressor is blown what caused it? Ill betcha it was the orifice tube clogging up, or it could be age...now I dunno what they're teaching you but I always change the tube, its a few dollars for the part, and like 5 mins of your time to swap it, if you old one was clogged and it overpressurized the system you can do it again even if you get new parts. Also look at how the system runs, the FOT is a main component so if you're changing two other necessary parts then shouldn't you do it all? Keep in mind if you don't it will run fine...for a week tops and then you'll be spewing r134 out of the back of the compressor or from one of your lines, that's uneccesary spending when 3 bucks could save you the headache, and the ozone lol

I got my degree in automotive, haven't done anything with it but its served itself useful a bit just get your head into the mechanics of everything you work on, if you're goin for a job in industry it'll save your butt, and your wallet

Fast355

iTrader: (2)

NOT TO MENTION...

If he is going to switch to R134a....He needs to change the orifice to get good cooling anyway. THe molecules on R134a are smaller than R12. The factory R12 orifice is .072". If he gets the BLUE FORD orifice tube it actually has dual o-rings on the body and a .067" orifice. Just walk into any parts store and ask for an orifice tube for a 1990 Ford Taurus 3.0 and it will be the right "BLUE" unit. It takes no more than 10 minutes to put it on. Make sure you flush out all the old mineral oil and contaminants as well. Replace the accumulator while you are at it too.

Louis_84

lol i prolly will change the FOT as well, but i believe the reasons my compressor is bad is because of the o-rings/seals in the comressor. not a bad FOT....just my belief. im not saying ur wrong, im sureu no waaay more than me, im just a student lol.

But when i got the car i never used the ac cause of the already bad gas milage lol, i turned it on once just to see if it worked. and it worked fine lol. but then i never used it again for a year and a half when i moved to so cal lol.

So my point is that i never circulated my refrigerent, but more inportantly the oil in the system. so my seals dryed up and are bad now. cause there is oil ALL over my compressor.

I will prolly chage the FOT anyway, just to do it. but not for a while. cause i want to do it myself, but as of right now i dont believe that im experienced enough to change it now. it looks easy, but ive thought that about other things and it turned out to be alot harder than i was told and thought....damn drum brakes lol

BluFBdy

iTrader: (1)

He's already converted to 134, you can get away with just the compressor and accumulator, no need to change old lines, I never did and it blew ice cold til I blew out my compressor

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

You know I've debated with myself about orifice tube size the last few months. The common approach is to simply get the blue Ford .067 and be done with it. I suppose for R-134a, this is the most adequate solution.

But it's the sizing debate I wonder about. The smaller orifices (.067, .062, .057) help at slow speeds and idling conditions for cooling. And lower compressor HP draw at slow speeds.... But they increase compressor HP draw at faster highway speeds. High side pressure will be higher with the smaller orifices as well. If you go too small (like the .057), you run the risk of starving the evaporator of refrigerant and poor oil return through the system. This is bad news for the compressor.

I guess what I'm getting at is the question of is the .067 blue Ford a band-aid solution to R-134a's inefficiency? Or is it to bring the molecule size to orifice size ratio back to what R-12 used to be?

With R-12 and some of the blends out there, I'd stick with the .072. In my personal driving, it's around town that the car will freeze you out. On the highway is when the system runs a touch warmer. (By warmer, I mean about 30° instead of mid-upper 20's)

chevymec

iTrader: (5)

Something else to do, add dye to the system. If you get a leak it will save a lot of time when finding it.

Louis_84

lol for sure. im guessing that either the dye was never added or added along tiime ago, because i took a uv light to the car to look for leaks. And dispite all the oil over the compressor, there wasnt a sign of dye anywhere lol. that really confused me for like 10 mins lol