"Factory Air" refurb questions

[Hogtrough]

1) Today I got the production order for my  63 R1 (4223) and air conditioning was missing from the option list. I assume this means it was dealer installed later? 

 

2) Found an embossed aluminum tag in the glovebox that was at some point installed under the hood (I assume) with "Studebaker Air Conditioning" and info about the system. Where would it have been installed?

3) When I was a teenager in the 70's, if I got a car that with air that wasn't working or out of freon, I would simply pump down the system with a vacuum pump (maybe replacing the receiver/drier), recharge the system and usually that got it working. Any reason that won't work today, assuming I can find refrigerant?

4) Does the Avanti AC system have a pressure switch to keep the compressor from running if there is no freon?

5) How can I tell if the system has been converted over to R134A? (a service invoice from 2005 says that they added R134A to the system at that time)

 

[ronmanfredi]

1-2) It could have been installed back at the factory after purchase, a recommended repair shop that they used at the time or a repair shop that did it for the owner.

3 & 5) Your concept is correct.  Replace the dryer, replace the service valve "stems" on the 2 hose fittings, vacuum it down for 30+ minutes and then recharge.  The service valves will require snap-on connectors if the system has been converted to R134A

4) There isn't one from the factory.

5) Leak check the system once recharged

 

[Hogtrough]

10 minutes ago, ronmanfredi said:

1-2) It could have been installed back at the factory after purchase, a recommended repair shop that they used at the time or a repair shop that did it for the owner.

3 & 5) Your concept is correct.  Replace the dryer, replace the service valve "stems" on the 2 hose fittings, vacuum it down for 30+ minutes and then recharge.  The service valves will require snap-on connectors if the system has been converted to R134A

4) There isn't one from the factory.

5) Leak check the system once recharged

 

So can I assume that since there are screw on connectors that it was never converted and the R134A note on the invoice was an error? Are there any economical replacement refrigerants for R12? Don't want to invest too much, not knowing if the existing system will even function. Might make more sense to install a modern compressor, etc.

Edited Friday at 02:43 PM by Hogtrough

[ronmanfredi]

Screw on service valves are for R12.  Most anyone who does a 134 conversion replaces those and the dryer at a minimum when doing a conversion.  In a lot of cases the rubber lines need to be replaced as well.  Now, that's not to say that some person came up with an adapter to charge 134 through those fittings but I sure wouldn't.  R12 and R134 don't mix, you use different A/C gauges to prevent mixing the refrigerant, use the correct fittings and gauge pressures.  There use to be some R12 replacement refrigerants available but I don't think those are available anymore.  You'd have to call a local parts store and see what they have.  

[Hogtrough]

10 hours ago, ronmanfredi said:

Screw on service valves are for R12.  Most anyone who does a 134 conversion replaces those and the dryer at a minimum when doing a conversion.  In a lot of cases the rubber lines need to be replaced as well.  Now, that's not to say that some person came up with an adapter to charge 134 through those fittings but I sure wouldn't.  R12 and R134 don't mix, you use different A/C gauges to prevent mixing the refrigerant, use the correct fittings and gauge pressures.  There use to be some R12 replacement refrigerants available but I don't think those are available anymore.  You'd have to call a local parts store and see what they have.  

Looks like you can buy the replacement on Ebay, not as expensive as I thought. Happen to know what size the charge is?

[Mark L]

Not only are the refrigerants different, the lubricating oils in the refrigerant lines to lubricate the compressor are different, too. R12 uses mineral oil. R134 uses polyalkylene glycol (PAG).

If you convert from R12 to R134, any parts that are retained for re-use must be thoroughly flushed with an appropriate solvent to remove all the mineral oil, something that will cut and remove the mineral oil without damaging the parts.

About 25-30 years ago I converted the A/C system in a 1993 Ford Crown Victoria to R134. The kit came with everything except the evaporator. Since I didn't replace it (buried inside the dashboard) I flushed it with some kind of alcohol and blew out the alcohol with compressed air. I don't remember what alcohol I used. The conversion worked well, and it was still cooling when we sold the car in 2006.

Edited 3 hours ago by Mark L