1989-FORD-F150

I just switched my truck over to the r134 refrigerant a couple days ago and filled it up and when I came out there today I pulled the cap off of the low port and there was all this gunk in there and the pressure gauge wouldn't fit and I didn't know what would cause this since the cap was on the entire time

transmaster

Oh boy I hope you did not screw things up to the point where major parts will have to be replaced, and from the sounds of it you have. What you are seeing is what happens to compressor oil formulated for R12 when it mixes with R134A, it turns into a thick glob of goo. The system needs to be completely and totally flushed out if it is clogged with congealed compressor lube it may be a lost cause. Older compressors have seal material that does not hold up to both the higher pressure R134A operates at as well and the refrigerant itself eating up the seals causing what is called the black death, This where chunks of black seal material break loose and flow through the system clogging it up. In other words complete and total failure. Converting to R134A is not just a matter of refilling the system with the new refrigerant and can not be done on the cheap. If I was converting a vehicle to R134A I would replace the compressor, condenser, and accumulator.dryer tank as a minimum. Most people decide it is easier to get a newer truck that has an AC system that was built for 134A that is 1994 and newer. For older R12 Vehicles there is a alternative.

What you should have done is fill the system with Johnsen's Freeze 12. Freeze 12 actually works better the R12. It is totally compatible with R12 systems and works at a lower pressure then R12. I have installed Freeze 12 on several vehicles including my last behemoth Cadillac a 1967 Sedan De Ville The air coming out of the AC vents was so cold it formed frost on the metal louvers. Freeze 12, and Freeze 22 is very popular in the local agricultural community where they have refrigeration equipment that uses the old freon type refrigerants.
http://www.freeze12.com/
http://www.freeze12.com/refrigacc.PDF

drof 1

Transmaster is 100% correctin his post.
What interest me is the following.
What method did you use to convert R 12 to 134? All the ports are totally different, all ports include the low side port where you put in the 134.

When you say you switched it over, then today you removed the low port cap & the guage wouldn;t fit.

I am confused as to how you ever filled the system with the 134.
This is why the ports are totally different between R12 & 134, to prevent the mistake form taking place in the first place. Also keep in mind, you cannot use R 12 guages on a system having 134 & visa versa.
It is not hard to convert from R12 to 134, but make no mistake one has to read the info provided & not only flush the system once, but due to expense if a part is not properly flushed, the system can be laid to rest in that that large DIY a/c work in the sky.

But please do post how you went about the conversion in hopes of preventing others from making the same mistake.
Good luck & thank you.

1989-FORD-F150

Well some Some of a B!tch that was at advance auto while I was up there told me you just bought a conversion kit and switched out the ports and on the conversion kit it didn't say anything about needing any new parts it just said to replace the ports. And that's what I did and I got a flashlight and looked at it again and it looked almost like an O-ring was stuck in there......... FML

transmaster

Oh no if he never took the cap off of the low side port that means he filled it on the high side port that is a total no no, and dangerous. Parts stores sell the adapters that screw on to the R12 sized ports so you can screw on R134A fittings This is one of those cases where "1989 Ford" should have come up on the forum and asked some questions first, There is no such thing as a stupid question when is come to servicing your truck not having the proper information can cost you big bucks and I am afraid that is what we are looking at here. One of the most important lessons I learned was to ask questions.

This site; http://www.autoacsystems.com/ will teach you anything you need to know about every aspect of automotive AC systems and servicing them. They have the best manual sets I know of. The forums there can answer any question you have they sell the equipment to do the work properly and you can even get your certificates to service automotive AC system including the certificate to service R12 system through this site. With an R12 certification you can legally purchase R12 which they still have. They can't get rid of it and not very many vehicles are around that use it. A person could make a fairly good part time income keeping the old R12 systems alive.

1989-FORD-F150

I didn't fill it up on the high side port I filled the low side port

transmaster

I would never set foot in that part store again. This is infuriating

This is one of the advantages of getting your parts from a place like a NAPA affiliated store If the store is like the one I have patronized since the late 1960's you have parts people who have spent there entire careers in the store, they are not the minimum wage flunkies you tend to run into at places like Autozone. There would have been some hard questions and they would have headed you off at the pass.

The two major pieces of equipment you need is a vacuum pump and a manifold gauge set. You can get a good single stage 2.5 cfm vacuum pump for about a $99 bucks, and manifold gauge set that does R12/R22/R134A can be had for less the $70 dollars. This will enable you to properly evacuate, check for leaks and properly refill an AC system. What I would do is take your truck to a service center and have the system totally flushed out so you can start fresh. You may have to replace the condenser it has very small passages if it is clogged it is scrap. If you have to replace the compressor the condenser is always replaced with it. With the above equipment and Freeze 12 refill the system according to instructions. This is one of the repairs which even if you have to purchase the equipment to properly do the job it is still money in the bank compared with what it would cost you to have it serviced else where. Be sure to go to this site, http://www.autoacsystems.com/ every thing you want to know about automotive AC can be found there.

transmaster

Good!

1989-FORD-F150

Does filling it up on the low side port help my ac system any As far as I won't have to replace as much now?

transmaster

No you just tried filling it at the correct port. You still need to thoroughly flush out the system. Here is an interior link in the Automotive AC link I gave you above.

http://www.autoacsystems.com/_store/...l/detail7.html

Take this whole experience as a learning experience study the info at Auto AC System once you get through this and have the equipment to service an AC system you can turn it into a good paying job, or at the very least know how to properly service your own vehicles. The whole AC system on your truck is very simple so repairing it will be easy, You can pick up a rebuilt compressor for about $200 Dollars, you alway replace the condenser with a compressor and that is about $140 dollars. This is a worst case scenario.