I am preparing to replace the compressor, dryer, nozzle tube and hoses on my 93 F150 XL inline 6. The clutch went out earlier this week and I am considering using R152A, replacing the R12.

Has anyone tried this? It is a very inexpensive refrigerant. It does have the slight disadvantage of being flammable. This does not concern me as much as some of the other considerations.

Do you need a different nozzle size?

Is R134a oil correct?

And do you need a parallel flow condenser?

Any advice or answers would be greatly appreciated.

 

Where do you plan on buying 152a from? Its not common outside of some odd industrial coolers. If you want to go that route I suggest using EnviroSafe refrigerant and stock mineral oil. Don't use PAG oil unless using R134a.

 

Is the compressor bad i.e. is it leaking from the front seal, noisy or not pumping? Are the hoses leaking? If the clutch is bad you can replace just the clutch and pulley on the truck and not open up the system. Why are you against R-134a as a replacement?

 

I have EnviroSafe in both my pickups, love it. I have the sealer in the Ford also. First time in 29 years of ownership I didn't have to add refrigerant in the spring, and the vent temps on both are a constant 40 deg. I adjusted the cycling switch to where those were the temps I got, but still able to cycle.


If you use it, add according to their directions. Don't overfill. Less is more with it.

 

The source for the refrigerant is cans of computer keyboard duster. You can buy it at Office Depot. I paid $800.00 to get a pressure line repaired and have the system charged last year. It was working fine until the clutch failed and the idler bearing is bouncing all over the place. A friend who is a mechanic and owns a shop told me that the heat from the failing clutch and bearing goes directly into the seal and bakes it and it is 27 years old. I don’t own R12 gauges so I don’t know if the system is still pressurized. I do own a set of R134A gauges though. The problems related to R134A conversion don’t exist with R152 and it works. I don’t know anything about EnviroSafe. I will look into it. I live in California and to make things worse LA County. That takes the fun right out of a lot of things. I already bought the compressor and will be receiving new lines and o-rings and filter and dryer. All the hoses show signs of leaking even the one the AC repair shop repaired.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my thread. I will let everyone know how it goes.

 

First things first, I would try to get a refund from that shop if they are leaking after one year!! Most shops here guarantee their work 2 years or 20k miles. Some longer.

Now, R-12 is going to give you the coolest and most reliable operation. Idk about California, but R12 is actually quite available where I live to the tune of $20-$30 a can. You only need 4-5 14oz cans, so is $100 for freon really out of the question?

R134A gauges work fine for R-12 btw. Pressure is Pressure, PSI is PSI, unscrew the quick connects and wallah you have 1/2 acme R-12 fittings. Just google the proper R-12 temp/psi chart and don't overfill. 56 oz max, but read the sticker on your rad support to be certain.

Do not mix oils. Mineral and ester are compatible with R12. PAG46 or Ester for 134A.

Since you are going through the trouble of doing replacing every thing, do it right. Flush and back flush the entire system components several times or until the flush comes out clear. (with AC flush bottle kit, use proper AC flush fluid or acetone) Blow out with air afterwards and let it dry for another couple hours. Then fill each system component with proper amount of oil. 3oz in condenser, 2 oz in evaporator, 2 oz in accumulator, 3 more oz in new compressor--READ instructions that come w/ compressor, it will detail oil fill.

-Do not uncap new accumulator until the last moment before assembly and vacuuming, it will absorb moisture and become useless if left exposed.

Next, vacuum down system with deep vacuum pump for 2-3 hours to -30 Hg. Next, let it sit for at least 1 hour or overnight and see if it lost vacuum. If not, you are ready to fill.

Go one can at time, you will have to jump cycle switch to get it started drawing Freon in the beginning.

If you do R134A, flush and replace all oil with PAG46, fill to ONLY 75-80% of original charge spec. use red R134A orifice tube from 1994-1996 trucks. You may have to readjust cycle switch to suit 134A...