I thought I remember ArcticFreeze 134a coolant being discussed here a few times but I could not find it in a search.
I picked up a can a Wally World today. Is this stuff any better than $5 a bottle 134a? Or worse yet does its claim to "seal" leaking gaskets and O rings equal something that may cause some problems to my system?
Looks like it has some oil in the can? Do I need to worry about the oil being compatable with the oil that is already in my system?

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84 300SD 274K
38K miles on flatplate heat exchanger and various diesel/veg blends. prior to that 4K miles on unheated veggie blends with kero and DinoD.

It's one of those "All in One" products. 134a, oil and stop leak. Stop leak should really be called "Not Work".

I would avoid it. Use straight 134a and an oil charge withthe oil you used already. If you are rebuilding the system, then consider R12.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

Do not ever introduce leak sealers into your AC system, just in case you want someone to work on it in the future. While it may or may not cause trouble in your system, it will definitely cause trouble with refrigerant recycling machines. Very expensive trouble.

Can you buy a drop in replacement for R-12 at the store? Without a license? Something called Freeze 12 or FR-12? Can you buy a hose to put it in? All I have is an R-134a hose.

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1985 300TD-euro 352,000 mi
1974 240D (1?)52,000 mi - has a new home now

Sounds like the answer is yes it will cause problems. Sounds like the stop leak stuff in the Articfreeze will gum up the works just like radiator stop leak would. Mabee this can will be going back to get exchanged for regular stuff.
I don't see this car ever getting plugged up to a coolant re-capture machine, would I still concern myself with any negatives of this stuff?
My 84 merc and my truck that is also on 134a both use about 6oz of refridgerant a month in the summer. Not enough to justify real work on the system and Im under the impression that 134a has a negligible enviro impact A snake oil solution would be handy.

P.S. How would I ever know if the oil was high or low or needed attention/flushing?

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84 300SD 274K
38K miles on flatplate heat exchanger and various diesel/veg blends. prior to that 4K miles on unheated veggie blends with kero and DinoD.

You should reclaim any 134a when you intend to dismantle the system. Putting foreign chemicals in there will mean that you can only vent it, which is illegal. It is unlikely that you would be caught, but remember that it is a $25,000 fine and possible jail time.

As for the oil, the only thing that you can do short of evacuating the system and flushing everything is to assume that your oil is good and the quantity is correct. There is absolutely no way to measure it in-situ.