77 Corvette Air Conditioner Repair Help
I've got this older corvette and the air conditioner continually looses freon.My question is if I have to start replacing parts [compressor-dryer etc.] would it pay me to switch to the new freon ? I only ask because I don't know much about the new feron and want to be able to make an informed choice
Answer:
Hang on a minute and read the context of the question. This is not some 97 horse power weakling; this is a Corvette. These cars produce a lot of power. Power is dissipated in the form of heat. Have you ever sat behind the firewall of a Vette in the middle of summer? Retrofitting this car to 134a will compromise the performance of the AC system. R12 is NOT in short supply! It merely cost about 4 times as much as 134a, but you only need about 2 pound to fill the system. So, you're only looking at a difference of about $24 dollars. Most people spend more than that getting an oil change w/ premium oil. It is obvious that you made the conversion and are defending your decision (misery loves company), but stick to the facts when giving advise to others. Don't advise a Corvette owner to compromise a classic. If he owned a Yugo, Geo, or Audi or some other car in that class then maybe, but not a Corvette or any car worth keeping. (OK, so that part was opinion.) Corvette owner: if you convert to anything other than R12, and you live anywhere in the South, you will be sorry. Someone mentioned engine compartment temperature. This is not a major factor in the efficiency of an A/C system, though it is true that the use of the A/C will raise the engine compartment temperature. The heat collected from the interior of the car is dissipated by the condenser. It's not located in the engine compartment, but instead is in front of the radiator. I no longer work as a professional restoration mechanic, but I have considerable experience with show cars and high performance cars of all types. I've resurrected A/C systems on Italian cars that are much more difficult to deal with than a factory installation of a stock Chevy unit. I got the impression from the original query that we were talking about a driver here, and I just don't see what all the controversy is about. I'll stand by my original opinion that the change to R-134a is almost always a good idea when doing repair work on an older system.