I am trying to get all my stuff together to service my a/c. I have 2 12oz cans of r12. It seems that you can only get equipment for r134 systems. I have read through this faq https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/%5Bfaq%5D-how-charge-your-c-air-conditioner-conditioning-system-home-1665946/ but with out the pictures I have a ton of questions:

the r12 cans don't appear to have the same connector that the new r134 cans have. How to I hook these cans up to the system?

Is there any way to hook a r134 gauge set up to the r12 system?

Do I need to add oil to recharge the system?

Are there any other good write ups on servicing an r12 system out there? The faq here was awesome when the pics were there, but they are gone and it seems drumminforev is gone with them.

 

I just put a can of r12 in my Del Sol you need a simple can tap that punctures the can. It's connected to a simple hose.

First purge the can before connecting it to the low pressure side, then start the car put it on full AC then open the valve on the can. Wait around 10 minutes DO NOT LET THE CAN FALL OVER FLAT , keep it upright throughout the process. I didn't need oil , but if you want to do a full system flush refill you may have to rent a kit to flush the system. You may want to pay a shop to pressure test the system or rent a guage set to measure the low/hi pressure.

First what's the status of you AC system? working not working? You want to be careful here as you can damage your system.

Luckily all I need was one can of r12 and my sol now cools at sub 50's and low 40's

Here's a link to the type of hose you need, some sellers also have the hose with a guage on it while your filling up the refridgerant.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/R12-A...Q5fAccessories


This member was very helpful

RonJ@HT
https://honda-tech.com/forums/members/former-user-999573189/

 

The cooling has been dropping slowly for the past couple of years. This year it blows out very slightly cooler than the outside air.

 

Well as long as the condensor is working and the fan turns on in front of the condensor and you've checked the front of the condensor for blockage like bugs debris.

If the system is functioning you may just need to add a can of r12 like me.

I believe the 93 civics hold 22 oz of R12 when being filled from empty.

I just added 12 oz to mine and it was fine.

My system now cools to low 40's idle at night ,before it blew fine but didn't kool at all or at least very very slight cool. Now I can almost make ice , I LOVE R12

Here's a vid I used to help me.

He shows how to use the hose, if your compressor is still working skip the jump part.

Consult a pro if you feel nervous about it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etTLX...eature=related

 

The fan is definitely spinning up and there is no noticeable debris in there.

 

I run an R134a system and I make ice to, I get down to 36 degrees at the vent. I have a thermometer that permanently stays in my center vent. R12 is great, no doubt, but I hope your not one of those people that "think" a R134a system doesn't cool properly.

 

You should look for leaks, probably an old o-ring. But it looks like a very small leak ( hard to find ). Try with soap ( detergent disolve in water ). Old A/C systems can used as much as 1 onz oil per year, if the compressor is out of oil you are going to damage it soon or later. To much oil and you can cloged the system. Empty system needs around 5-6 onz of oil. Try with 2 onz oil.
There are convertion system from R-12 tp R-134 do ti you self. You may try places like Autozone, Pepboys, etc.

Remenber that R12 system affects the Ozone layer in the atmoshere, well leaks in the system.

 

r134a is soon to be banned too

Do you have a converted r12 system?

r134a is fine

I just saved money by using stock that I had already and keeping my system
r12 as it was originally designed


There are drawbacks to R134a in R12 systems. R134a moves much less heat than R12, which means that your R12 system's effectiveness will be sharply cut. The oil required for 134a reacts poorly with residues that cannot be flushed from a system that has run on R12. This reaction breaks down the oil and frequently destroys the compressor. There are other problems with retrofits.

 

no my system is not converted. It is still r12 and I want to keep it that way.

 

O ordered the part I needed. any other thoughts?

 

Yah, My 97 dx coupe gets 40 degrees at the vent. Even on those 90 plus days. My 99SI gets only 43 at the vent.
My 97 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 pickup can also hit 40 degrees on the original r134 charge....................

 

The thing is YOU HAVE a stock r134 system, I have a stock r12 system.

If I run r134 in my system it's not as efficient as r12 because my system was made to run on r12 , you have a stock r134 system , of course it's going to cool efficiently.

The reason we're using r12 is because our systems were built in 93 and made to use r12 which was banned after 93. There's no reason to convert to r134 when r12 is still relatively available (I got lucky and had 3 cans sitting in my Grandfather's garage)

94 and up uses r134 coolant

No one is saying r134 isn't good, but what isn't as good as r12 is using r134 in a stock r12 system that was made to use r12 and not r134.

Let's help the OP and not turn this into a r12 vs. r134 thread.