How to convert your air conditioning system

It was really rather easy. I took the receiver/dryer out, poured out the oil in it then I took the compressor off and poured the oil out of it.

Filled the compressor with the proper quantity of pag oil, Replaced all the o-rings that I broke the connectors on with nitrite rings.

Replaced the Condenser (salvaged from a wrecking yard, at 15 bucks easier to take.

Then (here is where the nay-sayers are going to balk.) Placed on the converter fittings and Placed one can of freon (r134a) in the car.

Then I went to the high pressure side of the condenser (engine not running yet) and loosed the fitting till freon rushed out, then re-tightened. ( be careful not to get frost bite ). I started the car, on the suction side placed a o-ring sealer in it, and then added a can or 134a. Turned on the a/c and it engaged the compressor and sucked that can dry. I then topped it off with the proper amount of r134a that it used for r12. Now the nay sayers will tell you to draw vacuum, but I am a cheap bastard ( cost effective) and was taught shade tree a/c from a friend. Bleeding the high pressure side forces the high side to have hi pressure, the low suction side then has low pressure, and you have then purged
all the lines of air...cool huh? So that when you kick it on, it will suck in that can of freon like it should.....

Buying the kits will get you half the way there, but on my eagle I had to use a high pressure adapter on the low side (only fitting that would work) then buy a manifold kit and it comes with an adapter and a gauge that connects to the High connector and then allows you to place a can of Freon on it. The Two biggest problems that I have seen happen with those kits, is that the compressor gets too much oil. Draining the oil out of the Dryer, and the Compressor and re-filling it with the proper amount of Pag oil is paramount to
getting a quiet and smooth running operation. I never buy the oil charge, as I have filled the thing with the correct amount. Dupont makes a Yellow can of leak detector, that you can see with uv light. Most of the Cars I converted were because of a leaking compressor 2 holed condenser and a compressor that locked up.

now for the ECO-Nazi's You should have your freon r12 sucked out by a quality shop...as it has been known to damage the O-Zone ( my Ass) layer. Like cow flatulence, Mt Pinatubo, Mt St. Helens didn't either, but I didn't see the Eco-Nazi's fining Mother Nature. But if your system is devoid of r12 by a broken condenser, loose fitting (wink wink)then there is no problem with inserting the r134a instead of r12, just remember that you need to drain all the oil out you can. Run the a/c at max and if the lines don't sweat after a few
minutes then you need more freon, the other side of the coin is that when the line starts sweating, your system has enough freon to do the job. But personally I prefer the weighted method.

You will get all kinds of nay sayers and God-who-knows-it-alls, but these are the steps that I followed, and they worked for me.




The Low pressure side where I put the convertor on.



The receiver dryer, that I removed to drain all the oil.



Under the washer jug



Closeup of the low pressure side



pic of the High pressure side I bleed the 134a on.....



pressure test

low side 15 to 30
High side 150-270 up to 84
high side 150-210 from 85 up to 93

Oil
r209 compressor 79-81 10.0
sc209 compressor 79-81 8.0
Sankyo compressor 79-81 6.0

82-84
sankyo/sanden 10.0
york sc-209 8.0

85-89 6.0

90-93 4.8

Refridgerant

80 2.06 pounds
81-84 2.0
85-91 2.5
92-93 2.06

I would assume that 92's lower poundage is due to r134 being installed.....but I can't verify that for a fact.

I went by the weight of the can for the total poundage that I was putting in then verified it by pressure/sweating test.

Write up courtesy of Brian, of www.Mk1Dubs.com

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