Recharge A/C in Toyota 1993 Camry

[johnsmith2004]

I have a toyota 1993 Camry. The A/C stopped working. I think it is out of freon. I called Autozone and they said that they have a kit for about $34 which has everything to put freon in. Has anyone used this kit before? Where is the valve to which I connect this kit and recharge the A/C?

Thanks for help!

jsmith

[gator2764]

If you have a buddy with some gages you can spring $14 for a can of freeze 12 and have him put it in for you.

[johnsmith2004]

Originally Posted by gator2764

If you have a buddy with some gages you can spring $14 for a can of freeze 12 and have him put it in for you.

Thanks for your reply. Where do I buy freeze 12? I called Autozone and Advance and they did not have it. I probably will have to buy a gauge too.

Thanks a bunch!

jsmith

[Brian R.]

See the following post in the FAQ thread:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...8&postcount=36

[johnsmith2004]

Hello Brian

Thank you so much for pointing me towards an excellent post.

- I called several stores (walmart, autozone, advance), they had not heard of freeze 12. What would be a good place to purchase freeze 12 (and a gauge)?

- I have been researching what I will have to do to convert to R134a, the kit available at walmart says that I have to first get all the R12 out. I have called several shops and they all want to either do the whole job of conversion and filling the new refrigerant in (several hundred dollars). They won't do the job of just taking the R12 out. Can I just go ahead and put R134a in?

Thanks for all the help!

jsmith

[JOET/CAMRY]

What would be a good place to purchase freeze 12 (and a gauge)?

Ebay sells Freeze 12 kits. I am not sure if they have gauges or not.
Other sites on the internet sell it also. You just have to look around a bit.

-

I have been researching what I will have to do to convert to R134a

no need to convert the system. just use freeze 12opcorn:

Can I just go ahead and put R134a in?

R134 and R12 are not compatable. AFAIK


Regards,
JOET/CAMRY

[davemac2]

I would avoid putting anything in the system besides R12 or R134A. Why? Because it is likely no A/C shop will ever touch it again because of contamination of their equipment and recovery cylinders. If your A/C is no longer working, you need to figure out why first. Your best course is to do a diagnosis or get one done first, then make decisions. To convert to R134A, it is always best to do a full system flush which means taking it all apart, replacing the receiver/dryer and the expansion value, and of course all of the seals with R134a compatible. If you don't do a flush and you are not intending on keeping the car long term, you can likely get away with only a R12 recovery followed by an evacuation and the use of POE oil rather than PAG. Just my humble opinion.

dave mc

[Brian R.]

One of the key points dave mc made is that to fill with any refrigerant, you need to evaluate the system to get out the air and water. If your system is just low on freon and still has pressure, then evacuation is not necessary. If the system is atmospheric pressure or you want to convert to an incompatible refrigerant (R134a), then you need to hook it up to a vacuum pump, after you have sealed it. The refrigerant went somewhere - and so will the new batch unless you seal it.

[gator2764]

Originally Posted by johnsmith2004

Thanks for your reply. Where do I buy freeze 12? I called Autozone and Advance and they did not have it. I probably will have to buy a gauge too.

Thanks a bunch!

jsmith

I bought the freeze 12 from NAPA. While it is true you need to find the leak freeze 12 is a cheap way to fill it to find the leak. It helps to put an ounce or two of dye in the line as well. You will need to find someone with a black light to find the leak after putting the dye in. As far as freeze 12 working I have it in my 95 Camry (about 5 years now) and my 92 Tercel (3 years) and have not had a single problem with either of them. It works better than 124. It is common to find it in Ga. I brought the Tercel to a garage and told them what I had in the system and they didn't have a problem at all vacuming it out and putting it in their tank. You should have someone draw the system down and have a new dryer installed befor changing the refrigerant though. You might have to remove half of the dash to see if the evap or expansion valve is leaking if you don't see any dye where you are able to look. This WILL be a pain if you need to look at the evap coil.

[Mike Gerber]

"As far as freeze 12 working I have it in my 95 Camry (about 5 years now) "

I'm confused. Your 95 Camry came with R134A refrigerant. Why convert it to Freeze 12 when R134A is readily available over the counter and is relatively cheap.

Mike

[gator2764]

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

"As far as freeze 12 working I have it in my 95 Camry (about 5 years now) "

I'm confused. Your 95 Camry came with R134A refrigerant. Why convert it to Freeze 12 when R134A is readily available over the counter and is relatively cheap.

Mike

Ther was no "conversion" needed. You just put the freeze 12 right in the system. It works better (cooling) than the 134