[1982_928]

Go out to your car and pop the hood. Find the high or low side charge port on the system, and pull one of the caps off. Press the schrader valve (Its the same thing as whats in a car tire valve stem) and see if there is pressure on it. If there is pressure on it, its not completely empty, which means there isnt a huge hole. It may have already been low, and finally got to the point where the low pressure switch cut it off. If you heard a "hissing" noise, that doesnt sould like an expansion valve.. Thats probably a hole in the system. Just hope is isnt the evaporator..

Ac systems are not that complex. Its much cheaper to buy gauges and a vacuum pump and do it all yourself. Ive been doing it for quite a while. I dont know if you can buy r12 gauges anymore, though.. The hoses on my gauges are going down hill, so ill be looking for some.

You are "supposed" to have a license to buy r12....You can still find it some places. Just pay cash so it doesn't leave a trail. I've heard the Freeze 12 is supposed to be decent, and soon im going to charge my pickup with some of it.

Anyways, if it is empty, i would just go to Freeze 12. R134a and R12's pressures are different, as a result the expansion valve needs to be adjusted, new o rings, but new hoses arent needed for 134. Ive never changed hoses when converting and havent had a leak.

If you go to freeze 12, you dont need to change o rings or adjust anything. If you put anything other than r12 in it, (and you do it yourself) Put Ester oil in it. Its compatible with r134 and r12.

Remember, if you convert, pull a vacuum on it, because r12 and r134 mixed supposedly turns to an acid and eats your system.

As for the hole in the ozone... Complete bull****, R12 had nothing to do with it. Its just government crap. They sure didnt think to check for that hole in the ozone layer 200 years ago, Did they? Sure, theres been "research" on CFC's killing the layer, but there have been just as many or more showing that it had nothing to do with it.

Hope all of that jubberish i just wrote makes sense.. Good luck!

MPDano, What is the temperature coming out of the vents on your car? 134 usually doesnt cool as well without a bit of work.