Air Conditioner System: What shoud l I do?

[1980C3]

Its a 1980.
The freon was drained about 5 months ago, before then, the system was working fine. Now that I need to recharge the system, a few issues have arisen.

The K-12 freon is costly, and may not be around forever. Should I keep the old system w/ the K-12 (I heard K-12 is much cooler), or should I upgrade to the newer freon system? I am not yet sure what the cost difference will be, since the current system has not been inspected yet.
What should I look for/inspect in the current system for potential problems down the road, ie A/C...corvette related issues.

 

[Bob Chadwick]

I had mine converted to R-134 and have no issues with the car at speed. Going down the highway I can consistently generate 38 degree air from the center vent. Stuck in traffic that is another story, but is most likely an issue with the earlier refrigerant as well due to air flow issues on the C3 over the a/c at idle.

Conversion doesn't have to be extremely costly if your existing system functions and you are comfortable doing the a/c work yourself. If it does not and parts have to be replaced it can add up quick. I had to get a new compressor and condensor (is that the piece in front of the radiator) and the process got very costly.

Bob

 

[cscarlson]

When i did my a/c last year and converted it over before my trip to N.C. , I replaced the compressor and the ecumulator only because it did not work and also the hoses because they were old and cracked.


it is not hard just time consuming , you will have to remove the hood if you change the hoses , if you do scribe marks or chalk atound the brackets that hold the hood and it will help to realign the hood when you reinstall it.

hello bobchad, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I SAID "HELLO"

 

[Bob Chadwick]

hello bobchad, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I SAID "HELLO"

Hello CS. Did you ever get that speedo working?

 

[cscarlson]

Not yet , i haven't had my vette out since last year, the military has kept me extremely busy, how about you what's been happening?


1980c3 i hope i have been of help, if you need to ask more info you can e-mail me too.

 

[Bob Chadwick]

Busy. Had a lot of turn over at work this year, working long hours. Got the interior just about finished; one window to rebuild, two door panels to replace and a steering wheel to have recovered.

 

[Tom73]

The freon was drained about 5 months ago, before then, the system was working fine.

Got to ask, if it was working fine, why would you drain the system?

tom...

 

[Mike Carter]

Converted my 72 about a year ago with 134 kit available at parts store. everything was good prior to conversion. Works fine, and if I need to add freon I can buy and charge myself. Cold enough for TX summer.

 

[1980C3]

It was drained due to the A/C system being removed while the engine was being torn down.

 

[Eagle85C4]

And it is a Felony per the Clean Air Act to work on any motor vehicle air conditioner system without the proper EPA certification.
Fines can be as much as 10,000.00 per day per incident.
You can go to www.qwik.com and take an open book over the net test for 20.00 and become certified on the spot.


You do the math....10,000.00 or 20.00?

 

[Tom73]

I'd check into an ac shop and ask if they use either r416a or whats called "hot shot" It's a drop in replacement for R-12.

One thing about HotShot is that it is a blend, made up of HCFC-22, HCFC-24, HCFC-142b, and Isobutane (right butane). 50% is HCFC-22. One major problem with that is that HCFC-22 required the use of barrier hoses. So you will need to buy new hoses. (Source: EPA web site, http://www.epa.gov/spdpublc/snap/refrigerants/macssubs.html )

By the way, HotShot is R-414B. R-416A is FRICG FR-12 (EPA http://www.epa.gov/Ozone/snap/refrigerants/lists/mvacs.html ) which is a mix of HCFC-124, HFC-134a, and butane. 59% of it is 134a.

tom...