Audi 4000 A/C questions

[crankshaft at adelphia.net]

Hi,

I am refrigeration certified so I have some experience with A/C systems.
The only difference  is the type of oil used with the freon. The oil
used with R-12 wont mix with 
134A. I have heard about a product called Hotshot which is called a
"drop in" replacement
for r-12. You might be able to source the product from a local HVAC
supply house.
I think the concern of the mechanic is that the older style compressor
seals wont be compatible with the new oil and freon. You might try a
second opinion or just give it a go with the 134a. Worst case is it eats
the seals out of the old compressor. You might have to get another
compressor anyway so why not try it. 134a is pretty cheap compared to
R12 which was around $1200 for a 30# jug. Just my $.02.......

Ti Kan wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> Hoipe there are some A/C experts on this list that can shed some
> light on some questions I have.
> 
> My Audi 4000 4-cyl A/C system has a leak somewhere and I am going
> to have it leak-tested and repaired.
> 
> I'm afraid that staying with the R12 freon is going to become a serious
> money sink in the long run, so I am also interested in an R134a
> conversion.  The car has a Mini-York compressor which is what comes
> on all the Audi 4000s with 4-cylinder engine, as well as the VW Quantum
> and many other early VW models (factory part number 171 820 805).
> 
> Upon talking to a local A/C shop they said that the Mini-York is not
> R134a compatible, not even if I change to a new one. Is there merit in
> that statement? If so why? And are there any alternatives, such as going
> to a different compressor?  I know that there are adapter brackets
> available to fit a Sanden compressor to systems that use a standard
> York compressor (like those that comes on 4Kqs and CGTs), but I don't
> think that will work on the Mini-York.
> 
> If I have to change to a different compressor, what are my options?
> I checked and noticed that the later Audi 80/90 4-cylinder cars have
> a different bracket and uses a Nippondenso 10P17C compressor.  Is this
> compressor R134a compatible?  If so then maybe the solution is to source
> use that bracket and compressor.
> 
> Lastly, Audi doesn't offer a "packaged" R134a retrofit kit for the 4000s,
> but VW does for the Quantum.  Since these two are virtually identical
> under the hood, perhaps the Quantum kit will work on the 4000.  Does anyone
> know what the factory retrofit kit actually includes?
> 
> Thanks for any info.
> 
> -Ti
> 01 S4 2.7 biturbo quattro
> 84 5000S 2.1 turbo
> 80 4000 2.0
> --
>     ///  Ti Kan                Vorsprung durch Technik
>    ///   AMB Research Laboratories, Sunnyvale, CA. USA
>   ///    ti at amb.org
>  //////  http://www.amb.org/ti/
> ///