Which refrigerant?

[itwmike]

I have a 95 Lesabre. Does anyone know if it has R12 or R134 refrigerant for this model year? I need to recharge it and I don't want to put the wrong stuff in. Thanks-

[Flatrater]

Read the label in the engine compartment.

[jgeorg]

Can you still get R12? If you can it's probably super expensive.

[redly1]

95 should be R134a (my 93 Olds uses it)
Be sure to check the label under the hood before doing anything

[auddie13]

I have a 1993 lesabre and i am wondering the same thing,which do i have?

['97ventureowner]

The best thing to do, as stated before in this thread is to check in the engine compartment for a label that states what refrigerant to use. It might be on the compressor, or on the panel on top of the radiator alongside the emissions label. The changeover years were '93 and '94 . As to the R-12, I would have to say that federal guidelines regulate the sale of this, in my state you need a license to purchase it, and it's very expensive and hard to come by. A friend of mine was travelling last year in Pennsylvania and found large inventories of R-12 in auto parts stores. He told me the price was a lot cheaper than here in NY, and the auto parts counterperson told him you didn't need a license to purchase it. I would check with your local auto parts store to see what guidelines they must follow to sell R-12, as it seems although it is federally regulated, it's terms of sale can vary from state to state.

[redly1]

hey '97..is that real R-12, or "R-12 replacement" like Freeze-12?

because for them to have quantity of real R-12 on the shelf and to be selling it cheap would mean that they are having a going out of business sale or are not aware of the gold they are sitting on

[auddie13]

HI, We can't find the type of refrigiant in our 93 lesabre,my husband looked every where,is there another way to find out what kind of refrigerant we have,thank you.

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by redly1

hey '97..is that real R-12, or "R-12 replacement" like Freeze-12?

because for them to have quantity of real R-12 on the shelf and to be selling it cheap would mean that they are having a going out of business sale or are not aware of the gold they are sitting on

I don't know. The friend who noticed it was a mechanic and he told me he didn't have any money with him, that he wanted to buy up a large quantity for his '92 Caprice. He said that another friend of his travels on business once in a while and passes through that area and he was going to give her some money to get some for him. He just happened to notice it on the shelf in the back of the store and was in a hurry as he was helping another friend fix his vehicle that had broken down while they were passing through that town on the way back to NY. Next time I see him I will ask him if it was real R-12 or just a replacement.

Originally Posted by auddie13

HI, We can't find the type of refrigiant in our 93 lesabre,my husband looked every where,is there another way to find out what kind of refrigerant we have,thank you.

The quickest and less technical way would be to stop by your local garage, or a shop that specializes in A/C and have someone look at it, and they should be able to tell you. Some pre- R-134a vehicles may have been modified with a retrofit kit to accept the newer refrigerant, and that might be the best possible way to make the proper identification.

[buickmastermind]

They make an R-12 replacement?! Where can I get some ?

Edit: Oh, I believe that the 93 has R-12. Not sure about the 95.

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by buickmastermind

Edit: Oh, I believe that the 93 has R-12. Not sure about the 95.

Wasn't the E.P.A.'s requirement that all model year 1995 vehicles on up be required to use R134a? I seem to remember around that time (1992-93) our shop received notices concerning the new requirement. I remember a lot of vehicles had made the changeover in model year '94. I tried looking on the E.P.A.'s site for a clarification but that page no longer exists.

[polarzak]

Originally Posted by '97ventureowner

Wasn't the E.P.A.'s requirement that all model year 1995 vehicles on up be required to use R134a? I seem to remember around that time (1992-93) our shop received notices concerning the new requirement. I remember a lot of vehicles had made the changeover in model year '94. I tried looking on the E.P.A.'s site for a clarification but that page no longer exists.

If the charging valve looks like the valve for your tires, you have R-12.
If the charging valve does not look like the valve for your tiires, you have R-134.
This is for factory units, and may not apply to aftermarket.

[mralias]

Hayes says 95 Buick Lesabre Custom tales R134a. Put 5 8oz cans in a few days ago and things work great. Yeah I know 5 cans seems like alot. Possible leak but not sure yet. Used some sealer and it may have fixed the problem.

[auddie13]

dose anyone know what r22 refrigant is? can it be used in a 1993 lesabre that has r12 refrigant? please let me know thank you

[redly1]

I think R22 is used in home AC and industrial systems