R12 to R134a Conversion

[Peter Golledge]

I've done several conversions.  Disconnected hoses, flushed evaporator,
condenser, hoses. Flushed out solvent with compressed air.  Install new
compressor, O-rings, oil per spec in each component, evacuate and fill with
correct amount of R1234A and it should work fine.  I've got 10 years on one
converted system and it is working just fine.

On Sun, May 20, 2018 at 2:37 PM, Einhorn Hofmann <einhorn.hofmann at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I've decided to do a rebuild on the A/C on my Audi 100, 1990.  The Car’s in
> otherwise good shape, and my local VW/Audi independent garage has agreed to
> do it if I get the parts.
>
> I’ve managed to located everything I need so far at one company…with the
> exception of the Condenser.   I can find condensers on ebay, but ideally
> I’d like to order everything from one place  -- reason being that in Canada
> we can get hit by some pretty nasty “Customs Brokerage fees” if we’re not
> careful.  The shop I’ve sourced everything else at handles the brokerage
> fees (unlike your average seller on eBay).
>
>
>
> The questions I had:
>
> 1.)    If the existing evaporator looks in good shape, would it be crazy to
> do a rebuild without replacing the condenser?  I had no plans to replace
> the evaporator inside the car, since I assume it’s as difficult a job as
> replacing the heater core which it sits next to in the passenger footwell
> (?)
>
>
> 2.)    Has anyone located a condenser for another vehicle that’s close
> enough in size, to fit the i5 engines, even if it requires some minor
> mods?    I'd imagine there might be enough room for a different slightly
> different condenser.   The i5’s are at an angle on the driver’s side,
> (unlike the V4 and V6 which I believe are perpendicular to the length of
> the car and centered.)
>
>
>
>
>
> The plan is to replace the compressor, receiver/dryer, all seals, and
> presumably the mechanic performs a flush prior to drawing the vacuum, and
> doing the R134a conversion.  As an aside, he mentioned that he actually had
> two cylinders of R12 left over, but if he was caught using them, the fines
> were ½ a million dollars.  I asked about the increased pressures and lower
> cooling after an R134a conversion.  He mentioned that you typically see a
> 10-15% lower cooling efficiency after the conversion, which most people
> don’t notice, and furthermore its academic since there’s no alternative for
> retrofitting an R12 car.
>
>
> Thanks for any input,
>
> MC
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