Hello all,

I was just checking out my A/C on my '93 (with R12) and came up with the following numbers:

Temp at vent = 58 degrees

Low-side refrigerant pressure = 30 PSI


It's getting hot here in Florida and I would like to confirm that the system is working at near it's optimal level. Anyone with a manual with the recommended numbers for an R12-based system (or any experience with auto A/C systems) ... do these numbers jive or is more refrigerant needed?


Thanks for the help ...

 

What is your high side pressure? You need that cause you low side can be perfectly fine ,but you could have a blocked condenser and the high side could be out of the roof. The temp coming out of the vents can go as low as 40 degrees depending how optimal the operating conditions are. It could be cooler then 58 degrees. I hope you have some R-12 laying around cause you can't recharge that with R-134a unless you retrofitted your system. Here are the #'s the amount of refrigerant is 2.09 pounds of R-12,3.5-4.1 ounces of refrigerant oil . Need anymore info?

 

fyi, you can buy a can r12 on ebay. Its way cheaper than a retrofit

 

Its been hot here. What should the psi be on the high side?

 

SHOLEXMAN, I'll check the high side tomorrow. When I started the low pressure side was about 10 PSI and the vent temp was only about 75 degrees (while it was about 99 degrees ambient, I put in 14 oz of R12 and the low-side went up to about 30 PSI and vent temp dropped to 58.

 

Yea I know it is WAY cheaper then a retro ,but I am not sure you can sell R-12 cause it is a compressed gas. I think they would consider that a dangerous gas compressed container of some kind. You have a link by chance to prove this cause I am needing some?

Sounds like you where definitely low on refrigerant. Where you able to put any dye into the system? Depending how long it took to leak out I would try to get your hands on some UV reactant dye. If it goes out again you would know where it is. R-12 is hard to come by plus the price isn't sweet. Save you some time and $