Help On Regassing A/C

[VBlue]

AE92 Toyota Corolla Seca, blows air fine, heat is working well, just not cooling, so I suspect it's time for a regas. Was planning on getting one of those DIY refrigerant kits, can anyone recommend a good brand? EZ Chill appears to be very popular, however I will go with what people here use. Also since this is a '90 model:

 

1) Would I need to get an R12 refrigerant?

2) Is there any way of finding out whether the A/C unit has been modified to use R134? The reason I ask is because I've only had this car since mid last year, so I have no idea if it's been changed over to re-gas with R134.

 

Thanks.

[clubby2084]

I would recommend getting the system serviced. A full service is around $120 (that includes gas).

They do things like clean out filters, clean the gas and add dye's to check for leaks.

A/C systems are one of the most neglected systems in a car. No-one services them until they stop working.

 

There are several possible reasons why your system isn't working.

It's true they stop working with no gas in the system, the question is, why is there no gas in the system?.

If there is little or no gas, this would indicate there is a leak that needs repair.

Topping up the system every couple of days with gas will become expensive if there's a leak.

 

I had a problem with the hot/cold selector. The tap (connected to the selector) that opens and allows hot water to the heater was leaking.

Even if I selected cold, hot water was still getting to the heater and cancelling out the nice cold A/C air. My fix was easy, disconnect the heater (A/C is more useful than a heater in Darwin).

 

I don't know how much "EZ Chill" is. But it seems like a waste. I'll bet large, the A/C system in your AE92 hasn't been serviced and is in dire need of some proper attention.

Edited January 22, 2012 by clubby2084

[VBlue]

Cheers, I think I'll do that. I wasn't really worried about the cost, but more about learning and doing something I haven't done before, but it's probably true; it hasn't been serviced in a long time. I don't know anything about the car's history besides it was purchased in December 1990 by some Katherine, oh well.

[clubby2084]

Fair enough on learning to do something yourself. A/C is a pain in the arse.

You need a black light to check for leaks, providing the gas has a dye in it.

Most times particularly on older cars (ours!) the gas doesn't have dye in it. So picking a leak is impossable.

 

I thought the same when my A/C didn't work as well as it did. My instant reaction was to get it re-gassed.

I had it serviced and the guy was really helpful in explaining a few things.

 

That was a few years ago and I've since had to replace the compressor in mine and convert to R134a.

Your not going to get much change from $1400 if you take this path.