renix r12 coolant questions

do i need anything other than r12 to put in my a/c system in my renix? what about freeze 12? the a/c hasnt worked in a long time and i dont want to screw it up and itd be cool if it worked. i know with the r134 you need pag 100 oil. do you need that in the r12 ones? from what i can tell from my searches the r12 is the lube? and i know r12 is expensive as hell and rare.

i was thinking trying this r12 replacment for cheap on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Free...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

its basically called freeze r12 and it says its a replacement for r12 and i found a kit with oil, stopleak, and refridgerant. i also have a spare compressor as well.

If it hasn't worked in a long time, it might pay to have an AC technician take a look at it to determine why and with what you learn from the evaluation, you can make a better decision as to if you should repair, convert to R134, leave it, etc.

I wrench on almost every part of my XJ except my air conditioning, which I leave to a competent AC tech. as their expertise and specialized equipment are helpful to a good repair result IMHO.

It's very possible that at minimum, you have a leak that isn't going to resolve itself.

the simple answer to your question is "yes" you need oil for the R12 system too. It is a mineral oil designed for AC use and should still be available from the same suppliers as the refrigerant. To get the correct amount in the system, you'll need to fully evacuate the system and pull a vacuum on it to boil out any contaminants. Then, add the correct amount of oil and refrigerant (capacities differ by year and I don't recall how much).

A word of caution. Be careful about alternatives to R12. Some use flammable gasses. I'd repair the leaks and covert to R134a. Also I do not recommend using any refridgerant that uses a sealer. When the sealer is exposed to air it will harden and can plug your system if there is air in it.

cool. thanks for the advice. the alternative says its not flamable. ill call some a/c places around here and maybe get a decent diagnosis. ill also keep searching as well. where exactly do i put my mittyvac to pull the vacuum from?

The A/C system uses a mineral oil on R12 systems inside for lubrication. If any of the hoses or components show signs of oil/dirt that maybe your leak. Most common in order are hoses/seals, compressor, condensor (in front of the radiator), and then finally evaporator (behind the dash in the HVAC housing).

I converted my '87 XJ (which didn't have a working A/C system when I got it) to 134A simply by charging it with 134A. I used 134A that has a florescent dye in it, I fully expected it to leak out after a couple days, however I've had great working A/C for over a year now, I didn't replace a single hose or seal, just charged it up.. (this is rare.. don't get your hopes up).

I of course "evacuated" the system first.. using my air compressor powered harbor freight vacuum pump.. I poured a little PAG oil in the top of the compressor (there is a removable plug) before I pulled vacuum on it. I charged it with 134A and used a PAG oil.. "air charge" type oil can.. the kind that's pressurized rather than the kind your pour into the system.

Its perfectly fine for the R12 oil to remain in the system it is not able to become "air borne" when using 134A so it just lies in the bottom of the condenser or where it last was.. PAG oil does become air borne when using 134A and it circulates through the system with the refrigerant.

cool stepahn . ive read alot of guys just evacuating the system and putting in r134 and some pag oil. ive also heard it could ruin the compressor as well. but i have a spare compressor...i have a mittyvac vacuum pump. is the plug youre talking about that bolt right on the top all by itself or are you talking about. ive never evacuated a a/c system before though. do i need a special container to evac into?