If you have an older car it may have R12 refrigerant in the air conditioner system. You can still buy R12, but it is very expensive. If you are ready to change your system to R134, here is a brief explanation of the policy with a few insider tips to help you. To begin you will need a conversion kit with all the vital materials. It will include: 2 new adapter fittings, 2 -3 cans of R-134, and a hose with adapter. Once you have all the materials, you can begin the process. The first thing you have to do is have the R12 recovered with a refrigerant recovery machine. (It is illegal to just open the valve and let it out in the air.) Now that the air conditioning system has no pressure, it is time to setup the new valve kit. At this point some people ice up (no pun intended) because they are afraid of mixing up the adapters on the high and low pressure ends. Don't worry, they are distinct sizes. The bigger one goes on the low pressure side of the system and the refrigerant hose will only join together to the low side valve. It is pretty hard to mess this up.
Now that the adapter valves are connected, it is time to start the car and put the air conditioner on high. Turn the blower fan to its highest setting as well and open the windows. Grab a can of R134 and hook up the hose and T valve that came with your kit. With the hose hooked up to the can begin to twist the T valve until it punctures the can. Then open the valve to let some freon out and purge the air in the line. Turn the can upside down and hook it up to the low side adapter valve. Now gently open the valve and let the Freon flow into the system. At this point the compressor will begin to cycle on and off. Don't panic, this is normal. Keep adding Freon until the system begins to cool. You can feel the low pressure line begin to get cool and condensation will gain on it. (Do not grab the high pressure line. It can burn you.) You probably will not need all 3 cans and be particular not to overfill the system. If the air conditioner is still not cooling after the second can, something is wrong. You may have a leak in the system or some other difficulty.
Air Compressor Troubleshooting Chart
Do not be tempted to keep pumping Freon in the lines. If the low side line is cold and dripping with moisture you are done. If you have a air conditioning multiple gauge set, the low side should have a pressure of 40 - 50 psi.
Good luck and stay cool!
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