air conditioning modifications

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rob83ke70
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Post by rob83ke70 » Sun Jan 18, 2009 4:39 pm

if hychill was so good, it would be original equipment in new cars... car manufacturers aren't dumb.

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rob83ke70
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Post by rob83ke70 » Sun Jan 18, 2009 4:43 pm

oh and I think that it does make sense having to service it on regular intervals. just like every other mineral based oil it would break down and require replacing.

does anyone do it though? most people can't be bothered replacing their brake fluid when it gets full of moisture, let alone clutch fluid, transmission fluid, diff oil, manual gearbox oil, or the worst of them all, power steering fluid....

the mechanics looking after my car all its life while the previous owner had it, they didn't know why it was lacking power, or how to fix it, the car had worn throttle shafts, and needed new leads badly...

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Storm
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Post by Storm » Sun Jan 18, 2009 5:41 pm

Rob, don't go getting despondent about it. You an educated guy, and now you have to make an educated choice as to what to do.

I personally would stick with R134a for customers cars cause that is what is used in Australia as OEM. One day when I live further out of town than I do now I might try an LPG mix in a paddock car just to see what it would do but not on a registered vehicle.

With regards to the guy with the aerosol can and how explosive that was you need to remember most, not all, aerosol cans contain less gas in weight that an A/C system does. Futhermore by the time you would smell the gas when it has escaped from an A/C system it has already gone past your exhaust and ignition components. If it escapes in the car and the person is a smoker ....... I know this is dramatised but it can happen.

Yes people do service their A/C systems. And the how much gas you put in would always be a guess if you use something other than the OEM gas. The old sight glass in the R/D used to be a good gauge on the amount of gas in a system.

Btw, even environmentally aware people like myself drive a V8 as a daily commuter. My car on LPG is better for the environment than 95% of cars running on Unleaded.

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rob83ke70
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Post by rob83ke70 » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:03 pm

yeah thats probably a bit harsh putting v8 commuters into an environmentally irresponsible category. much more important to emphasis keeping everything running properly. my car was using around 15-17 litres per 100km which is probably more than your v8 uses and i considered that AWFUL!! Which is why i fixed it :)

Well, I'm probably going to have a think about it, i'm still not sold on r134a in an r12 system, if it was a system designed for r134a then i'd run it...

I don't think I know anyone who could recover the r12 and re use it.... that would probably be a bad thing anyway...

Hychill may end up being the viable option for now... But i'm still thinking about it and will make a decision sometime within the next month or so. I need to talk with someone who does a/c systems locally too, because I can't do it myself.

Robert.

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rob83ke70
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Post by rob83ke70 » Sun Jan 18, 2009 7:04 pm

Oh, my method of commuting would be postie bike... :) probably a high emissions engine for its size but its so small it isn't that much anyway.... if that makes sense...

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steptoe
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Post by steptoe » Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:03 am

"FR 12 is a replacement gas used in automotive air conditioners and actually contains an zone depleting potential compound referred to as R124"


marketed by B. O. C.


ref http://www.accc.gov.au/content/item.pht ... %20Act.pdf

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Subafury
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Post by Subafury » Tue Jan 20, 2009 7:13 pm

all this talk of air con has got me off my ass and started to install my air con gear back into the car. i think im missing a couple pieces from the compressor mountings tho :( if anyone has a nice pic of the brackets etc in there that
'd be nice. ill let ya know how i get on with getting it gassed.
Image

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rob83ke70
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ac gas

Post by rob83ke70 » Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:25 pm

so, if you put hychill into your a/c system and it leaks in the cabin and you are a smoker, obviously there is a good chance that there will be an explosion...

what happens if you draw r134a through a cigarette? obviously there is no explosion, but doesn't it form mustard gas or sarin gas or something similar when burnt? I remember talking about this when I did air conditioning... Quite poisonous, pretty sure it will knock you out really quick too....

Just as bad as an explosion, just no damage done to your car (assuming you aren't driving it at the time, in which case you would crash).

I'm not a smoker... And at this stage I'm going to be putting hychill into my car along with new oil and a new receiver dryer (and finally new belts :D ). Thats when I get around to it!! It will be clearly marked, and I am going to make sure that the old r12 is caught and disposed of properly.

Robert.

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CPOCSM
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Post by CPOCSM » Thu Jan 22, 2009 6:36 am

rob83ke70 wrote:so, if you put hychill into your a/c system and it leaks in the cabin and you are a smoker, obviously there is a good chance that there will be an explosion...

what happens if you draw r134a through a cigarette? obviously there is no explosion, but doesn't it form mustard gas or sarin gas or something similar when burnt? I remember talking about this when I did air conditioning... Quite poisonous, pretty sure it will knock you out really quick too....

Just as bad as an explosion, just no damage done to your car (assuming you aren't driving it at the time, in which case you would crash).

I'm not a smoker... And at this stage I'm going to be putting hychill into my car along with new oil and a new receiver dryer (and finally new belts :D ). Thats when I get around to it!! It will be clearly marked, and I am going to make sure that the old r12 is caught and disposed of properly.

Robert.
The gas wouldnt be Sarin as it is a VX-type nerve agent and is a binary agent as well where you need to have 2 elements mixed in the right conditions and levels before it would be lethal.
I know R134 will produce phosgene gas when burnt(including ciggies)which will kill you dead in minutes if ingested for a period of time. It is nasty stuff
and probably best if you dont smoke around it...:p

As for the debate on the which gas to use, I just had the Patrol done yesterday and the A/C mob who did the service stated that R12, whilst illegal to REGAS, is still able to be used if the original A/C unit is in place and functioning correctly. However if, say, I was to do a rego check at his establishment, he would decommission the unit, recover the R12 and get it serviced with the new gas. I am happy with that...

R12 is still available too - the Navy still uses it in some of its applications in the machinery spaces and is used because of its lower(still dangerous)toxicity compared to the other variants. Mind you, most things on the navy ships will kill you.

I am interested in getting the Soob A/C going again as the hot days are killing me here - a trick though - put up with it until winter, they drop their prices usually at the place I use due to no-one using the aircon. Window tinting is the same too...

Hooroo
Rob Forsyth

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Storm
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Post by Storm » Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:28 am

CPOCSM wrote:I know R134 will produce phosgene gas when burnt(including ciggies)which will kill you dead in minutes if ingested for a period of time.
Kill you dead? In minutes if ingested over a period of time? those two statements alone have problems.
CPOCSM wrote:As for the debate on the which gas to use, I just had the Patrol done yesterday and the A/C mob who did the service stated that R12, whilst illegal to REGAS, is still able to be used if the original A/C unit is in place and functioning correctly. However if, say, I was to do a rego check at his establishment, he would decommission the unit, recover the R12 and get it serviced with the new gas. I am happy with that...
I don't know about the ACT which your in apparently but in NSW A/Cs are not part of the rego check and the car cannot be defected by an Authorised examiner because it is using R12.

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CPOCSM
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Post by CPOCSM » Sun Jan 25, 2009 12:50 pm

Well I use a mob here that do rego checks but are also A/C experts so he just said he would probably decommission it if it wasnt working correctly - his words not mine. As for the manufacturers knowing what they are doing, since when has anyone had confidence in the manufacturer being right! Look at the extortion they hold you to when they charge you top dollar for oil you can buy in Big W for under$30(the Fairmont oil was $75 - GTX 3 - what a joke!).

As for the statement on R134- meh I am not into being corrected grammatically - waste of spirit and time and was all tongue in cheek anyhow...:rolleyes:

Hooroo - no Hychill for me as the nearest outlet is in Sydney - dont need A/C that bad...
Rob Forsyth

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Storm
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Post by Storm » Sun Jan 25, 2009 2:15 pm

CPOCSM wrote:Well I use a mob here that do rego checks but are also A/C experts so he just said he would probably decommission it if it wasnt working correctly - his words not mine.
So you go to a guy who is willing to do something to your car BEFORE he has spoken to his customer about it. Like I said I don't know about the ACT but in NSW A/Cs are NOT part of a rego check, and regardless of somethings operational state I wouldn't decommission anything until I spoke to the customer first.
CPOCSM wrote: As for the manufacturers knowing what they are doing, since when has anyone had confidence in the manufacturer being right! Look at the extortion they hold you to when they charge you top dollar for oil you can buy in Big W for under$30(the Fairmont oil was $75 - GTX 3 - what a joke!).
Here we go, roll out the conspiracy theories about how the big companies are over charging. You do know they can only do that cause people pay the prices the charge don't you.
CPOCSM wrote:As for the statement on R134- meh I am not into being corrected grammatically - waste of spirit and time and was all tongue in cheek anyhow...:rolleyes:
Yes it was all tongue in cheek, that was one of the things I liked about this forum, pity you think its not worth the "spirit or time" I myself like a cheeky discussion.:p

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CPOCSM
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Post by CPOCSM » Mon Jan 26, 2009 7:48 am

Well fair enough and I am all for a free and easy forum but as we all know the states vary far and wide - so sorry to have come across as a bit of a prat so please continue on...I have an air con that has illegal substances in it but for what it is worth, I still keep reasonably cool with it so until they send the SWAT over to administer a sound thrashing- I will use it - all good.:twisted:
Rob Forsyth

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