When did Ford go to r134a?

 

I could be wrong, but I seem to remember reading somewhere it was in 1994 for our trucks..

 

That's the conclusion that I'm coming to. Thanks for responding.

 

Yep, 1994 was the first year for R134a in these trucks.

 

1993 was the conversion year.
early production models had R-12, late production models had R134-A
by 1994 everything had R134-A

 

I go by my Ford service manual. I'm sure it does not account for mid-year production changes.

Both of my '93 Lightnings were R12. Never checked the production dates.

 

well, when you consider they started building the "94" vehicles in mid July/early August, the mid year 93 actually makes a lot of sense.

i have seen vehicles tagged as 93's with a July 26 1993 build date, and 94's with a July 30 1993 build date.

 

My 93 has an April build date and r134a. Is there an obvious way to tell if it's factory or an aftermarket conversion? The system works ok, holds pressure, but doesn't cool very well at idle. Also the air temp at the vent is 10-15°warmer once the truck is at operating temp.
Is the coolant system designed so that coolant flows continuously through the heater core? If I reroute it so that hot coolant isn't reaching the core, would that help keep the cabin cooler. I live in new orleans so this is a VITAL question.

 

if it has the underhood tags, it will say what it came with or it should have a conversion sticker on it.
an april 93 build date SHOULD have had R-12 in it when new.
if the AC is working properly but still not blowing cold, i would bet one of the blend doors is sticking partially open when it should be closed. .