Air Conditioning - R12 replacement for older cars

I went to have my a/c recharged with Hychilll, which is meant to be a replacement for the now outlawed R12. My air discharge temperature dropped from 10deg on 134a to 1 degree on Hychill. Also, the molecules are bigger, so I'm told, so that should mean it'll hold the charge longer.

I had it done by Dixon at Intermarque Services in Collingwood. Although I'd heard of him, I'd never met him. His workshop is great, and he did very careful and attentive work.

Cost $165.00. Highly recommended.

 

I've heard of Hychill, but haven't heard of anyone using it yet and I have not used it myself yet either.

Great to hear PP. Sounds like it's a good thing thus far!

**The cost of R134A has nearly tripled over the last 2-3 months to $1500 for a 20kg bottle now. **

 

Actually, wrxmike has used it and is very impressed with it.

 

Cool.

 

I'd like to hear what Phil thinks about this product

 

About a year ago I changed my (now sold) 1993 Toyota Tarago from R12 to whatever the modern stuff is called. No issue at all. The TX valves were replaced because they leaked (some Taragos have two, and this was the reason why I lost the R12 gas in the first place) and the condensor (?) and it worked perfectly afterwards and still did when I sold it.

I personally think this drama over changing gas is a beat up by car air conditioning shops to make more $'s. I found a guy that was prepared to work with me at a practical level and give it a go ... and I would not go back to him and go nuts if it leaked out. It didn't.

I've heard of other people doing this successfully also on other cars.
Pete

 

I get it

 

Hi Peter. No....it's not a beat up. A Toyota has good air conditioning in the first place, so losing a little bit of efficiency doesn't matter too much.

An old Ferrari has an undersized evaporator coil and fan for the job required. It hardly worked when new, never mind with the less efficient gas. Remember, compared to the size of the cabin, a Ferrari is all glass!

Like I said, the new gas dropped the temp of the air by almost 10deg. That's heaps.

 

He'll probably message me about it later

 

I think you and phil should go into business together

 

He offered me a partnership, but dad wouldn't give me the money.

 

I'm sure we could all chip in for you

 

need to have the aircon in my 360 refilled with gas, as it was drained before leaving UK
will go to these guys, $165 is reasonable.
Thanks PP.

 

I wasn't actually meaning the temperature or efficiency. I was told by a few places that I had to replace every single rubber seal and rebuild the compressor, etc. otherwise it will leak with the new gas. That is the beat up I meant.

I (via a mechanic) did nothing other than replace already faulty TX valves and the condensor and no problems.
Pete

 

First OilGate and then ChillGate.

 

Thats basically correct, when you go from R12 to R134 you should change the O rings, hoses and compressor seal as R134 has a smaller molecular structure and will leach out through all the rubber fittings. In a 308 this is a particular problem because there are something like 7 metres of rubber a/c hoses, front engine cars have only a metre or so. The other big problem is that the oil used in R12 systems is not compatible with R134 so the system needs a full flush and oil change. Lastly, r134 is not as efficient as R12, so a system designed for R12 won't work as well with R134.

Hychill does not have of these problems, it is compatible with both R12 and R134 systems, has a large molecular size and a similar efficency to R12.
Best of all its cheap, and because its a hydrocarbon based refrigerant you don't need to be licensed to use it, and it doesnt deplete the ozone layer.
I've recently filled both the 308Gtb and the 412 (with dual air ) with hychill and it works great.
M

 

Thanks for the tip!!! Although Carl tells me I had it put in his car for him 10 years ago. Bad memory I guess.

 

Mike, does that mean that a system designed for 134a would work better with Hychill? Further, does it mean that Hychill could be used in a 134a system with no modifications?

If this is so, thats a bl##dy good tip - A/C performance upgrade for a couple of hundred bucks!

 

Sounds like a lot of Cold Air.

 

Yes, thats what the manufacturer claims, that hychill is a drop in replacement for R134, although I have only used it as an R12 replacement. There is good info on their website at www.hychill.com.au, and they are also very helpful over the phone.

Somethiing else, you only need to charge the system with one third the amount of Hychill compared to R12.

M

 

Once again I had to struggle with my air conditioning being on the lowest fan setting and the thermostat setting at the lowest and still getting too cold! The poor old compressor was off more than it was on (you can hear it engaging).

It's nice knowing I'm back to factory outlet temps and running at pressures the system was designed for, rather than the 134a gas that many people use.

Still very happy with Hychill. Black Stallion Motors does it now too btw.

 

Had Hy-Chill put into the car last week. 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo.

Airconditioning mechanic I have trusted and used for past 25 years or so told me he was very impressed with how quickly it brought the temperatures down and how much less stressful it appeared to be on the whole system.

I used a different temperature gauge than the last time the system was gassed with 134 some four years or so ago, so comparisons are not comparable. FWIW vent temperature got down to 5.5 degrees Celsius this time and last time down to 7 degrees Celsius.

We haven't had a day above 23 degrees since I had it done so it is still an absolute unknown as to what it will get down to, but I always said I would be pretty happy at 6 and ecstatic at 5. Looks like I'm right in the middle. I don't expect it will drop anymore even if I were to test it on a hotter day.

At present, at around 23 degrees ambient, the compressor engages for 8 seconds and disengages for 20 seconds. I can hear the sensor in the dashboard "clicking" on and off.

Thanks for the advice Peter. You can be such a nice guy.
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Good to hear. Has he used Hy-Chill before your car?

Or was he impressed at how quick it brought them temps down in your car itself?

 

No, he'd never used it before. Only did it for me as a favour because I asked him to and also to satisfy his own curiosity I think. He knew of Hy-Chill, but wouldn't use it because the sales representatives would not guarantee it to work better than 134a.

 

Who does a/c recharge with HyChill in Sydney?

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