Thanks for all the info texasblake

I just got into the car and hooked up a gauge to the ac and it shows the high side is at about 140 when the car and ac is on and the low side is around 80

but i'm full of freon, no leaks as far as i can tell.

Any ac experts that can tell me what's causing this?

Is the air coming out humid and smell kinda funny?

No, I had it hooked up wrong :p

It's low on freon (which i think can be expected of an all original 25 year old system)
I'm leaving to go to get a new drier, r134, and a conversion kit.
hopefully the newly added pressure won't make anything spring a leak...

i'll keep you posted

where would i get the two valves 928 573 965 00 and 928 573 965 03 (pressure valves for the 134a adapter)?

I got mine at either autozone or napa, I can't recall. You are talking about the 90 for the low side and one for the high side right? Any parts store should have them.

matt,
are the fittings on the two pressure switches universal?
where is the high pressure valve located on the ac system (the picture of the system is on the previous page)?
where are the o-rings installed?

The conversion parts I just bought don't have a 90 degree bend on one of them so it will be interesting to see how the 134 fittings will go on. There isn't much room in there to fit both of them

The low side on the early car is going to have to have a 90 degree if you use the original compressor, and I'll bet you find you need a 1 inch shorter belt. To be honest, it's a good investment anyway. To charge our vehicles straight from the factory you had to swing the compressor to get the charge hose on, swing it back, charge, loosen it, remove the hose, tension the belt. A total PITA! The low is on the compressor itself and you will not have room to put a straight 134 service port adapter on. The high side is next to the drier, which is behind the driver side head light. The orings go on any of the places where you opened the system, coat them lightly with oil prior to reconnecting the lines. The pressure switch is on the drier.

The fittings on the service ports are universal for multiple vehicles, there is nothing special about them. They are 3/16ths thread I believe. Remove the old schrader valves before you put the new 134 adapters on.

The orings can be bought at any parts store as well. Take your old ones in and match them up. Once you get in there, you'll figure out what goes where.

Let me know if I can help, I do this all day long.

I just did the conversion on an 87 NA. I'll throw in a few thoughts (in no particular order)

This is the cheapest manifold gauge I could find.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92649
It is pretty decent for occasional use. It includes nice quick connect fittings for R-134A fittings. The hoses themselves will connect directly to the stock R-12 fittings.

On the 87 and later cars you can't connect a hose to the low pressure port if the R-134A adapter is installed. (a 90 degree fitting would have helped) I left the adapter off and just used the manifold gauge hose to connect to the R-12 fitting.

This is the cheapest vacuum pump I could find. It worked great but you need to have a compressor to drive it. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96677

If you are using ester oil the only thing you need to change is the receiver/dryer. Universal versions are available at NAPA for about $20.

Here is the conversion kit I used. Got it from local chain auto parts store (Advance Auto).
http://www.id-usa.com/product.asp?CID=28&PID=24

this has been VERY enlightening and COOL!!!!

On his 944/1, a buddy of mine was able to get to the stock port with his R12 gauges, then he just bought an adapter for his R12 gauges to go to an R134a can.

matt,
PM sent

got it, pm'ed back, thoen. There are host of ways to introduce freon into a system with mismatched gauges, fittings, can taps, and hoses. Straight R12 hoses are a PITA to get the low side connected. I believe this is why the FSM says swing it in, swing it out, lather, rinse, wipe, gargle, snort, repeat.

matt,
pm

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That stuff is probably the "refrigerant" known (by chemical structure) as R-290. It is NOT a flouro-carbon, but rather a hydro-carbon - meaning it is FLAMMABLE! That's why many discourage it's use as a refrigerant. But it is, by far, the most efficient, best performing, least corrosive, and cheapest (if you know how/where to obtain it) refrigerant in existence today. And NO mods are required - it's compatible with all oils and all other refrigerants, so there's no need to worry about adding or removing oil when doing a retrofit or a top-off (unless oil has been lost from the system). If it says on the can to use about 40% weight, relative to R-12 , then it is definitely R-290. One pound of R-290 occupies roughly the same volume as 2.5 pounds of R-12). Another way to tell is, if you vent some into the air, you should smell ethyl-mercaptan (aka. skunk gas). And, if you expose the vented stream to a spark or flame, it will definitely ignite. I won't answer any questions about how/where to obtain it (many should be able to figure it out - for those who can't, you should not be "playing" (with fire, that is), anyways. What I will say, is that I started using it in all my vehicles since R-12 was removed from the shelves (in 96, if I remember correctly). I still use it today, and NEVER experienced a single problem. In all cases, the A/C worked noticeably better than it did with R-134a or R-12.

I have been converted!!!!!


FREEZE 12 is my savior!!!!

from the "official" freeze 12 site "FREEZE 12™ is non-flammable and contains no CFC'S."

Can someone supply a photo or diagram as to where i can find the place to put in the FREEZE 12 into my car's system?

R12 a/c
 

To ALL My Fellow Porsche Owners with R12 A/C: I just bought my 1984 944 NA, it was sitting for a while and the A/C system is dry. Paid $35 to check for the leak and it is an O ring at the hose fittings to the compressor. I will replace them both (still available at the dealer and cheap). You can do the same. Check for the leak and keep your R12 system. It is much much better than R34 in cooling, does not leak as easy as R34 and will save you a bundle just in parts for the R34. I am not aware of the new R12 but here in upstate New York, you can still find R12 if you keep an eye for it (I just bought 9 14 OZ cans at very reasonable price). These are my two pennies worth of thoughts, along with my thanks to ALL of you that helped me quite a few times. You are a "GREAT BUNCH"
Regards, George.

Now the opposite position................

Thunder-71,
:D Why do you need AC at all? You live north of Buffalo NY and maybe get to 90 degrees once year. :)

My 1998 Jeep Cherokee has R-134a and I have no problem when it is 114+ in AZ--next week. My refrigerator-Magic Chef by Maytaq is filled with R-134 and the freezer works, actually too cold, the ice cream is too hard.

I will be using R-134a in my '87 924S this summer when I convert. I am going to go GREEN and save the planet.

In AZ we can go to old Mexico and pick up R-12. Actually no one is sure what is in the can and it could be pure propane or tequilla.

I see you have been buying a lot of parts for your '84. Will you be replacing the receiver/dryer? Vacuum and recharge? Is the seal on your compressor still good or do you see a black racing stripe on the underside of the hood or the engine pan? Your R-12 could last you one or 2 seasons.

GL
John_AZ
1988 924S + 1987 924S

If they say it isn't flammable, then I guess it's not 290. But I'll still stick with it regardless. It is "orders of magnitude" cheaper, for one thing.