1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Hi, Dan
No, my hoses had been replaced about 4 or 5 years ago, and they were all in good shape. New O-rings came with my compressor, expansion valve, and filter/drier, so I replaced those when I disconnected the hoses at those places.
As for oil, the kit I bought for R-134a conversion/replacement has oil and refrigerant mixed in the cans. The can contents say it has 15 ounces total, with 12.5 ounces of refrigerant, 2 ounces of oil, and the other .5 is stuff like leak preventers and corrosion inhibitors.
The compressor also came with oil in it. I noticed it dribble out when I took off the plate over the ports and installed the hose block. To prevent it all running out, I stood the compressor on its nose for a few minutes before I put it in the car... don't know if that did any good or not, but I didn't lose much oil from it. I think that together with the oil from the recharging cans, there's now plenty of lubrication for that new compressor. It seems to run well.
Here's an update for you. I'm writing this post from Hoosier Jim's house up in Indiana. I left Jacksonville Saturday afternoon, stopped just north of Atlanta overnight, and then drove the rest of the way here today. Jim lives about an hour south of Indianapolis. Anyway, on the drive up here, I found I couldn't run the air conditioner full time... because it was too cold! Even with the fan on setting #1 and the vents pointed away from me, I got too cold. That didn't used to happen before. I finally ended up running the thing with the heat control turned part way up to keep me from freezing. NICE!!! :> So I don't believe stories any more that R-134a doesn't work as well as R-12. As far as I've seen, it works as well or even better, though the improvements I've seen might also have to do with the parts I replaced.
Dan, if you're the least bit handy with tools, consider doing this one yourself. If you follow my posts above you'll know what's involved. The hard part is wrestling that compressor off its mounting bolts... take a look and see if you want to get into that. Everyone recommends you replace the compressor and filter/drier if you do the conversion, since the oils aren't compatible from R-12 to R-134a. Ask your repair shop how much they'd charge to do the conversion and then make your decision. I've heard estimates of between $1200 and $1600, so I feel pretty happy about doing it myself for under $500.
I also have the satisfaction of knowing it was done RIGHT, and that's worth it to me. I don't think someone doing the work for me would have done the little extras like cleaning the area under my washer reservoir or relubricating the battery posts when the battery was taken in and out. Nobody takes care of your car as well as you do, I've found.
Plus, if you run into trouble doing it, there are dozens of folks here who will advise you and cheer you on. Give it some thought.
- = M = -
in Indiana
'87 900T 173K
posted by 65.114.71...
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