My 1987 560SEL needs some attention to the A/C.

What should be replaced to get a reliable A/C system
that runs on R134a ?

What problems have you experienced converting ?

thx

After converting over a thousand cars, we no longer do it. The most important reason is there is no reason to do it. Refrigerant is one of the cheapest parts in an AC and R12 shows no sign of going away. We have paid less and less for R12 over the last 3 years.

The best that can happen with a conversion is that you will not notice the lack of efficiency of the results and you won't realize why your compressor will be leaking in a year or two if original or 2-3 years if replaced new.

Many reasons to not do it and none to do it, convinced me.

__________________
Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician

How big a deal is it to convert a W123 from R134 back to R12 ?

__________________
David McDonald
1981 240D
1985 300D (wrecked)
1985 300TD 365,000 miles
1969 Mustang Fastback

I would prefer to flush the system, reoil and recharge.

__________________
Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician

DON'T CONVERT. I was ignorant at the time when I did. I wish I hadn't converted. I'd be a lot cooler here in Texas. Nothing resembling cool coming from the vents.

I have done a few reverse converts as Steve describes with great success.

It still amazes me how much money some folks will spend to convert to a different refrigerant because it costs $10 or $15 per pound less. I went toschool in the fifties and sixties before the so called "new math." Maybe this is why I don't understand the math involved that causes someone to spend hundreds of dollars so that they can use refrigerant that costs $40 or $50 less per charge. I guess I'm just too old to have such math skills.

Have a great day,

I'm green with envy...here, people have been jailed for illegally importing R12! We have a peculiar government mentality here, and an even stupider segment of the populace that backs them up. In complete disregard of the fact that every air conditioner and refrigerator is full of R12, the stuff has been illegal to sell or import for years now, but it's OK to keep it in your car's system - just next to impossible to buy, so we have to convert if it leaks.

I once checked on the price in nearby Maine for an R12 recharge, and it would've been about the same as converting to the then popular 134A, so I didn't.

My local shop replaced mine with something called 'AC-Freon R414B (59)' this past spring. I'm scared to know what the hell that is, but it's worked well for me over the summer, which of course, wouldn't have been as warm as even New England was. I don't know why 134A is no longer in vogue here.

__________________
1986 560SL
2002 Toyota Camry
1993 Lexus

R414B is a blend of R-22, R-124 and R-142b with hydrocarbon R-600a (isobutane) added to improve mineral oil miscibility. Not my first (or second) choice for automotive refrigerant.

__________________
95 E320 Cabriolet, 169K

I've converted quite a few vehicles (a couple GM's and the remainder MB's) from 134 back to 12 with a great deal of success. I have just recently converted a '82 300SD to 134 (it was a wreck rebuild) and went with a parallel flow condenser during the rebuild. It seems to be working fine for right now and the pressures were not really that much higher than 12. I would not convert one without going with the parallel flow condenser though.

__________________
Jim

Steve or Larry
I would love to find a 30 lb cyl of GOOD r12 in our area. The cheapest I could find today was $550. I can't justify that much to gain a few deg if my system works fine now. Remember, I said logistics plays into the equation. I totally agree that you need all the cooling you can get. In NC I have not been disappointed with my system even on the hottest days in traffic. I realize I can't win this argument so I will shut up.
Have a great day.

__________________
84 500 SEL (307,xxx miles)

For Canadians that might be reading this, R12 is NOT available any longer, and if your AC system requires service, it must be converted to R134A.

__________________
John Shellenberg
1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K

http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif

I converted one of my cars, a 1993 Nissan Quest, from R12 to R134a, and it was a disaster.

On hot days the car would cool just o.k. when driving on the highway, but it was less than adequate at an idle or in city traffic.

It was so unsatisfactory that I had it converted back to R12.

Just my $0.02..... (and another $1.98 will buy you a small cup of coffee at Starbucks).

__________________
Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

pmckechnie,

By taking an online 609, open book test for $15, you can purchase R12 on ebay and you don't have to buy a 30 pound container. You can buy a few cans here or there. 30 pound containers are going as low as $300.

Actually, even to buy it locally you have to have a 609 cert to do it legally.

Have a great day,

I have read all the above post and find myself in a bad spot. I to converted from R12 to R134 last year after my compressor went out and the new one I bought online was set up for R134. I replaced the reciever/dryer and the expansion valve along with the new compressor, tested it, and then recharged it with 134.
Now my compessor is going out again, I think. just this afternoon it started making noise when I would turn the A/C on. The clutch would engage and then just lock up after about a minute or less. After getting under the car and looking at the compressor, it looks like it might be leaking some mineral oil. But I can't tell from where. It's not like last time where it just blew the seal out of the front of the compressor. It apears to be leaking from somewhere else.
So I guess what I'm asking is, can my compressor be fixed or is it history again? And will this just happen again in a year or so because the system runs at to high of a preseure.
Please help
Shawn
shawnrcisco@yahoo.com

When converting from one refrigerant to another, I've heard it is necessary to change out all O-rings. Does MB use them or only domestics?

Tim