R-134

[otter486]

What is r-134 ac? I heard about people changing over to it but I dont know what is different from the stock ac.

 

[campfire]

R-134a and R-12 are a refrigerant fluids that are used in air conditioning units. R-12 was used for many years, and was typically the working fluid in automotive air conditioning units when the square bodied trucks were made. Since that time, environmental rules have made R-12 quite hard to find, and modern automobiles (1994 and newer) are using R-134a instead of R-12. R-134a is not quite as nice a refrigerant fluid from a technical standpoint, but it is readily available, unlike R-12. If you have R-12 lying around, or your R-12 system still works, you will be fine using it. But if the R-12 has leaked out over time you likely won't be able to replace it. This is why old vehicles are often converted to R-134a.

 

[rjfguitar]

R12 is the old refrigerant. R134 is the new formula. All vehicles starting in 1993 and later come from the factory with 134. It is actually slightly less efficient than R12, but it works. Factory pumps like the A6 and pancake compressor usually don't last as long with R134 because high side pressures peak higher than R12 on hot days. Going with a newer style Sanden pump is since they are designed to handle the pressures of R134. A new condensor is also a good idea, one that is dual pass or whatever they are called. R134 takes more condensing than R12.

 

[WJACKSON11X]

There are also several "drop in" replacement refrigerants for R-12. We keep some on hand when we run across some old coolers. I work in the HVACR business, and believe it or not there are still some commercial refrigerators around that are still using it. If you could find some, that might be a cheaper option for you.