johnw991

I charged my LS400 1990 with R12 Dupont from Pep Boys and the A/C now works great. I got certified on the web. I would like to get some R12 for future use at a reasonable price. I have a chance to buy 2 lb cans of virgin R12, brand SPI, on Ebay for about $14 a pound. Wondered if there is any difference in quality of SPI brand versus other brands.

Monarch, Thanks so much for your help! I got certified from one of the links you gave me, got 2 cans of R12 at Pep Boys, (at $35 each but still cheaper than the $75/lb the Toyota dealer was going to charge me) followed your directions, and put one in and it is pretty cold. The sight glass still has bubbles but it got dark outside so I will finish it in the morning. Your picture was extremely helpful! I'll get some R12 on ebay for the future, and also charge my buddy's van. By the way I read for the certification exam while sitting next to the pool at the local waterpark yesterday after working out and going to a pro tennis tounament. After buying the R12 today I took some friends out on my boat, then charged my car after I got home, so I was able to enjoy the weekend and also charge my A/C.

Thanks!

Do I add the R12 when the engine and A/C are running?

Thanks for the picture. I did get certified yesterday online. I'll get a can of R12 at Pep Boys for $35 and do it-I'm going on a trip and can't wait for Ebay but will order some for the future. My friend has an R12 hose. How do I know how much to put in? I looked at the sight glass and it is bubbly/foamy. The compressor comes on most of the time and the air is sightly cool.

A guy who has done good work at a reasonable price on my 1990 Camry said he can add a can of HC12 for a total of $27.00-he says he can't get R12. He says he put it in his Crown Victoria this April and it is still ice cold. Will HC12 damage my system? Advice?

Thanks a lot for the info on how to get certified. I'll do it tonight.

The service guy didn't know when I asked him if it included new O rings

I think I'll take it to the Toyota dealer who I took my 1990 Camry to for years. They do R12 and charge $49.95 to find the problem. But to charge it is $75 per pound of R12. They say I can bring my own R12. Appointment is Monday 7/11 at 8AM. They say they do not have electronic leak detector. Any ideas where to get cheap R12 by then? Also how to learn to charge with R12 myself? Don't I need guages? By the way, I just sold my 1990 Camry with 180,000 miles and the air was stone cold (R12). Never did anything to the air in the 4 years I owned it.

I agree with the first Lexus dealer that the system needs to be recharged with R12 so the refrigerant gas will leak again and then the AC technician can go looking for the location.of the gas leakage. If you had a little experience, you could recharge the system yourself with two $20 cans of genuine Freon R12 like this http://www.saber.net/~monarch/acrecharge.jpg But if you don't have the time or inclination to learn this, then I guess you'll have to fork over the $300 to the Lexus dealer or see if a Toyota dealer would do it for $150 - $200. Official Toyota Technician Training Manuals advise against using dyes and instead using an electronic leak detector which can pinpoint a leak in a matter of minutes. So I'd find out if the first Lexus dealer has a electronic leak detector and is experienced in quickly finding leaks using the detector. If not, try some local Toyota dealers or independent Toyota specialty shops. It's totally rediculous to think it would take 2 hours to locate a leak using an electronic leak detector. The good news is your system has only a minor, common problem - gas leakage past a worn seal somewhere. These leaks can be avoided by simply running the AC system for a few minutes once every week or two throughout the year. So if you start doing that after your leak is fixed and system recharged with genuine Freon R12, you may not have anymore AC system problems for many years to come. Cheaply priced conversions to R134a are all scams. But you'll be pressured by every shop you visit to convert because the AC industry makes a $mint$ performing the conversion and fixing all the expensive system problems that crop up after a cheap conversion. And for the past 12 years the AC industry has lied to the public about a looming critical shortage of genuine Freon R12. The truth is that the price of R12 has actually been going down slowly but surely the past 3 years because the supply is actually exceeding the demand on account of the fact that more and more cars that use R12 are being retired from service and because the AC industry has so successfully fooled the public into believing they will be money ahead if they invest immediately in a conversion to R134a. During the winter months, cans of R12 are only $10-12 each on ebay - practically the same price as R134a !! ←

The Lexus dealer wanted $300 to add freon before the diagnosis. I figured about 2 hrs. to find the problem which means I would have to pay $470 to find the problem. Sounds high. But a Lexus dealer about 25 miles away says they have been converting older LS400s to R134a for $100 including charging and adding dye. Then I would return after awhile and they would find the problem for free. Sounds like a good deal. Any opinions?

This is my first visit. I bought a 1990 LS400 1 year ago with 115K and it had no cold air. I got the Lexus printout and it had a major service 4K before I bought it. The Lexus service guy knew the car and it had all Lexus service done on time. The non Lexus dealer I bought it from got it charged last July when I bought it and it lasted through the summer last year into the winter, but in the spring it was not cold. Took it to the same A/C place in April 2005 and they found a leak ( I think in the expansion valve?) and repaired it with a 1 year guarantee for that particular problem. Reasonable price I thought for less than $150 including R12 charge. Over the past couple weeks the cold went away, going to only a little cool 2 days ago. I have an appointment with them next Tuesday to check it. I wondered if I should take it elsewhere. Another place told me they could check it this Friday (it is hot here in Pittsburgh for a change) but they did not do R12. They offered to convert to R134A for $150 and find the leak as part of that. The Lexus dealer said it would be $300 for a charge and $85 an hour to find the problem. Advice?