R12 to R134a Conversion

[Eric Sanborn]

I will second that.  I have not done it on an Audi, but I have on a CRX and
a Suburban and they both worked well.  If you take loose all the fittings
you can flush each component individually like Peter said.  I reused all
the hardware except for a new receiver/dryer and new O-rings.  The other
ones are not compatible.  I was able to get new high and low pressure
fittings, but I don't remember where since it has been many years.  Maybe
that isn't an issue in this case.  After the conversion the Suburban had
the best AC I have ever had in any vehicle.

-Eric

On Sun, May 20, 2018 at 9:58 PM Peter Golledge <petergolledge at gmail.com>
wrote:

> 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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