a/c problems
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Newbie
Joined: Jun 2003
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a/c problems
Hello. I'm new to the forums, but we have a 1990 300SE in the family, and it's running into a few problems that we have yet to solve. I figure some of you guys here might have run into the same problem and could offer some suggestions.
Problem:
The a/c system was changed over to R134a 2 years ago, and the shop that did it also replaced the evap core, compressor, dryer, etc. After a year or so, the a/c would stop getting cold sometimes in mid drive. It doesn't happen all the time, maybe 5 out of 8 times. Sometimes it will stay cold for the duration of the drive, but most times it will just stop blowing cold air. The fan stays on, but the cool air would not kick back on until we turn off the car and start it back up again. The freon is in the system, so it's not that. Has anyone ever experienced something similar? Any help will be useful. Thank you.
Problem:
The a/c system was changed over to R134a 2 years ago, and the shop that did it also replaced the evap core, compressor, dryer, etc. After a year or so, the a/c would stop getting cold sometimes in mid drive. It doesn't happen all the time, maybe 5 out of 8 times. Sometimes it will stay cold for the duration of the drive, but most times it will just stop blowing cold air. The fan stays on, but the cool air would not kick back on until we turn off the car and start it back up again. The freon is in the system, so it's not that. Has anyone ever experienced something similar? Any help will be useful. Thank you.
Newbie
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 9
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I do not repair a/c systems for a living, but have studied them intently as a diyer mechanic.
It's my belief that these older cars do not convert well to R-134A. You pretty much have to punt and replace everything and that rarely happens. Some believe that a cross-flow condensor can help, but in a big 126 car like yours, I doubt that very many techs would ever be able to get a 134 system to work as well as an R-12 system, even with that improvement.
It's sad that so many are scared off by the price of refrigerant. What does it cost to completely swap out all primary parts? A heck of alot and that amt. could buy a ton of R-12.
You may eventually get your new 134 system to work better, but it's my guess the guy(s) who did the conversion didn't do a very good job.
My 2 cents.
It's my belief that these older cars do not convert well to R-134A. You pretty much have to punt and replace everything and that rarely happens. Some believe that a cross-flow condensor can help, but in a big 126 car like yours, I doubt that very many techs would ever be able to get a 134 system to work as well as an R-12 system, even with that improvement.
It's sad that so many are scared off by the price of refrigerant. What does it cost to completely swap out all primary parts? A heck of alot and that amt. could buy a ton of R-12.
You may eventually get your new 134 system to work better, but it's my guess the guy(s) who did the conversion didn't do a very good job.
My 2 cents.
