I didn't have the equipment to do a proper flush/vacuum fill, so just 
filled with the R314 (R12 substitute) in liquid, 600grammes as opposed 
to 702grammes R12.

Figured I would find out within a cuple of hours to a couple of days 
wether it had worked.
1) No oil and the compressor siezed within a couple of hours.
2) Moisture in the system and it would freeze and ice up and kill it 
until it defrosted. Intermittent working for say 30mins to an hour.
3) gas would leak, coupole of days max use.

I week later, stiff nipples and loving it. Working fine, and with the 
weather we've had, glad of it. No signs of icing related cutout, 
compressor is a little noisy, but not overly so. It hasn't been filled 
since 1997 according to documentation and last owner said he never had 
it working.

I reckon the last fill used R134a (seeing a sit was post 1993) and 
synthetic oil (R314 is compatable with both mineral and synthetic aircon 
oil), and the gas leaked past the R12 spec seals because they werten't 
replaced. Still, as long as it keeps working, it is a good selling 
point, a 1990 high mileage sports car with working aircon. Bit of a 
rarity.

 
-- 
Carl Robson
Car PC Build starts again. http://smallr.com/rz
Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 12:57:23 +0100, Sleeker GT Phwoar
 wrote:


>a 1990 high mileage sports car with working aircon. Bit of a rarity.


My '91 200SX is still on the same charge that it had when I got it 5
years ago and it still runs down to 3 degrees C at the dash vents.
The 105 thermo amp that I have had to recalibrate with 26p worth of
resistors in series with the thermistor to make it work at 3C and not
7~8C is another issue though.

In article , peter.usenet1
@nospam.demon.co.uk says...

> My '91 200SX is still on the same charge that it had when I got it 5
> years ago and it still runs down to 3 degrees C at the dash vents.
> The £105 thermo amp that I have had to recalibrate with 26p worth of
> resistors in series with the thermistor to make it work at 3C and not
> 7~8C is another issue though.
> 

Min doesn't go that cold.
High teens is cold enough.
Just glad I didn't go to the full expense. Can't see it working any 
better for the extra cost. Depending on whether I sell or keep the car, 
I will give it a proper service in a years time, if I still have it, and 
it is still working.
-- 
Carl Robson
Car PC Build starts again. http://smallr.com/rz
Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

>Min doesn't go that cold.
>High teens is cold enough.


Usually most air-con should be able to deliver a vent temperature at around 
8-10 degrees.

Sounds like yours is not working too well.

Alan.

On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 13:01:36 GMT, "Alan" 
wrote:


>>Min doesn't go that cold.
>>High teens is cold enough.
>
>Usually most air-con should be able to deliver a vent temperature at around 
>8-10 degrees.
>
>Sounds like yours is not working too well.


I just checked the factory manual for my car.  Acceptable delivery
temperature is (naturally) dependent on intake temperature and humidity.
With dry air coming in at 20C, it should cool down to below 5C, but in the
current conditions (nearer 30C and with high humidity), only 15-18C might be
achieved.  That doesn't mean the a/c isn't working.  It is however, still
more than pleasantly cool.

No doubt some fierce systems can manage super-chilled air even in the
hottest climates, but at the cost of much increased fuel consumption.  It's
only about 1-2mpg for me, as far as I can tell.

-- 
Magic is real --- unless declared an integer.

Carl,

What was involved in doing it? Just a case of attaching it, pressing a 
button and off it went?


-- 
Conor

-You wanted an argument? Oh I'm sorry, but this is abuse. You want room 
K5, just along the corridor. Stupid git. (Monty Python)

John Laird wrote:

> On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 13:01:36 GMT, "Alan"
>  wrote:
>
>>> Min doesn't go that cold.
>>> High teens is cold enough.
>>
>> Usually most air-con should be able to deliver a vent temperature at
>> around 8-10 degrees.
>>
>> Sounds like yours is not working too well.
>


Is there a confusion here between vent temperature and cabin temperature?

In article , 
conor.turton@gmail.com says...

> What was involved in doing it? Just a case of attaching it, pressing a 
> button and off it went?
> 

Connect up tube.
Switch on aircon
turn can upside down so that it flows as liquid some have a siphon tube 
so you don't need to) weight the can on a set of kitchen scales 
regularly to see how much you've put in.

Remember the weight before you started too.
and also check the sight glass if it is an R12 system.

R134's don't know. Never done one.
It was a gamble, I probably paid over the odds for gas, didn't know the 
previous condition, only that it had had two checks/refills, last one in 
1997, and the last owner said it never worked for him.

This
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7983098580
Was what I bought.
He has an Ebay shop 
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Car-Air-Conditioning-
Supplies_W0QQssPageNameZviQ3asibQ3astoreviewQQtZkm

And a non ebay store at
http://www.car-air-conditioning-supplies.co.uk/

Check his prices on the non ebay store.
But his ebay shop was a couple of quid cheaper.

-- 
Carl Robson
Car PC Build starts again. http://smallr.com/rz
Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 13:28:12 GMT, "PC Paul"  wrote:


>John Laird wrote:
>> On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 13:01:36 GMT, "Alan"
>>  wrote:
>>
>>>> Min doesn't go that cold.
>>>> High teens is cold enough.
>>>
>>> Usually most air-con should be able to deliver a vent temperature at
>>> around 8-10 degrees.
>>>
>>> Sounds like yours is not working too well.
>>
>
>Is there a confusion here between vent temperature and cabin temperature?


Sounds like it.  I've just got basic air-con, a button on the heater
marked A/C.  I use a fridge thermometer to see what the vent
temperature is.  As the air con delivers air just above freezing
(prevents ice on evaporator matrix) that's the temperature I see.  3C
with air con on, up to about 55C on heat (found 58C showing on it due
to being parked up in sun all day 2 days ago!).  Others will have
climate control where they set the desired cabin temp - not going to
be really cold or hot, about +/-10-12C from a mid range something like
18C to 21C.  The vent temps will still be in the 3C to 55C range.

"Sleeker GT Phwoar"  wrote in message 
news:MPG.1d4091fb6a212b4d98b174@news.individual.net...

> In article ,
> conor.turton@gmail.com says...

>
> This
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7983098580
> Was what I bought.


 55 + 8 p&p - streuth!

Just had my 8 year old Omega regassed with full aircon service at Vauxhall 
main dealer  - Gas was 15 + VAT, UV dye (for leak checks) 4.50, filters 
cleaned/disinfected etc. labour 52 + VAT

Total 85. Still chuffed.

Quiche

In news:42d698cd$0$21968$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net,
Quiche Mash 'n' Mushy  decided to enlighten our 
sheltered souls with a rant as follows

> "Sleeker GT Phwoar"  wrote in message
> news:MPG.1d4091fb6a212b4d98b174@news.individual.net...
>> In article ,
>> conor.turton@gmail.com says...
>
>>
>> This
>> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7983098580
>> Was what I bought.
>
> 55 + 8 p&p - streuth!
>
> Just had my 8 year old Omega regassed with full aircon service at
> Vauxhall main dealer  - Gas was 15 + VAT, UV dye (for leak checks)
> 4.50, filters cleaned/disinfected etc. labour 52 + VAT
>
> Total 85. Still chuffed.


That's not a bad price, but Carls Celica, and for example my Range Rover, 
are both older cars which use R12 gas instead of the R134a gas your Omega 
uses. R134a regasses can be had for 25 quid. The problem with the older R12 
systems is that the gas is much harder to get. Basically you have to use 
reclaimed R12 from systems which have been de-gassed or changed to R134a - 
this makes R12 a bit more expensive, and harder to find.

"Why not just use R134a?" I hear you cry. It's possible to change R12 
systems to R134a, but R134a doesn't work as well, has a much smaller 
molecular structure, is more likely to get past seals than R12, and isn't 
much more environment friendly (not that I worry about that). It costs money 
to change from R12 to R134a, you need to change the oil in the compressor 
and system from mineral to synthetic, and it costs a fair old whack. Hardly 
worth it when you consider that the R12 AC on my old Rangie (which could do 
with a re-gas) is more powerful than the R134a systems in 5 of the R134a 
equipped cars I drive on a regular basis.

Hence Carl paying a fair bit of money for a drop in gas which works with R12 
systems without changing seals, connections, oil etc.

I just hope it works, because I might be looking for some R12 / R12 
replacement gas shortly.


-- 
Pete M

Range Rover Vogue SE, Ford Capri (ressurection stalling)
Porsche 911 3.2 (For Sale)

COSOC #5
Scouse Git extraordinaire. Liverpool, Great Britain

In article <42d698cd$0$21968$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net>, 
ergonomic@winthrop.org says...

>  £55  £8 p&p - streuth!
> 
> Just had my 8 year old Omega regassed with full aircon service at Vauxhall 
> main dealer  - Gas was £15  VAT, UV dye (for leak checks) £4.50, filters 
> cleaned/disinfected etc. labour £52  VAT
> 
> Total £85. Still chuffed.
> 

Yes, I've been told that I paid over the odds, but round our way, near 
where I work, couldn't find any mobile aircon agents willing to take on 
the job for less than £90 (if no other parts needed replacing). And as 
it is an R12 system, Toyota instantly want to send off your compressor 
to be "converted" to R134 at £400.
-- 
Carl Robson
Car PC Build starts again. http://smallr.com/rz
Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

In article <42d735e9$0$18638$14726298@news.sunsite.dk>, 
pete.murray@blue-nopressedmeat-yonder.co.uk says...

> I just hope it works, because I might be looking for some R12 / R12 
> replacement gas shortly.
> 

seems to.
It might have leaked a little, because some of the dye oil was arround 
one of the hoses at the compressor. But, I did need to disconnect one of 
the hoses (yes I know I should have changed the drier to be safe), so it 
may have run out a little then (just a dribble/smear). Did have some 
dirt on the outside of the dye though which suggests it is old. And the 
Aircon is still blowing very cold.
-- 
Carl Robson
Car PC Build starts again. http://smallr.com/rz
Homepage: http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

In article , Sleeker GT 
Phwoar says...

> In article , 
> conor.turton@gmail.com says...
> > What was involved in doing it? Just a case of attaching it, pressing a 
> > button and off it went?
> > 
> Connect up tube.
> Switch on aircon
> turn can upside down so that it flows as liquid some have a siphon tube 
> so you don't need to) weight the can on a set of kitchen scales 
> regularly to see how much you've put in.
> 
> Remember the weight before you started too.
> and also check the sight glass if it is an R12 system.
> 

Cheers.


-- 
Conor

-You wanted an argument? Oh I'm sorry, but this is abuse. You want room 
K5, just along the corridor. Stupid git. (Monty Python)