ac needs recharge

Anyone know where I can find some r12

Craigs List.... It's hard to come by at retailers or wholesalers.

Ahhh thanks

True R12 is ridiculously expensive. Consider a substitute such as Freeze 12. Works well and much more affordable.

Olds Weighty Eight wrote:

True R12 is ridiculously expensive.  Consider a substitute such as Freeze 12. Works well and much more affordable.

Read about Freeze 12 but have no expierience with it,does it work at the same pressures as R12?

Will definitely look it up thanks

Well, no system changes (including o-rings) are required when using it so it stands to reason that the operating pressures will be on par with R12. The actual Freeze 12 brand may be discontinued at this point but there are others such as Duracool. My OCC is currently running an R12 substitute but I had a local shop vacuum and charge the system so I don't know all the particulars. Years ago I topped the A/C system with Freeze 12 and it worked fine until the condenser sprung a leak.

Freeze 12 is a hydrocarbon refrigerant like Duracool and RedTek (ie: a blend of denatured propane and isobutane). It is illegal to retrofit directly to an R-12 system in the US, So to use it in the US, you must first convert the car to R-134a, then convert to HC. Even then, it's still illegal period in some US states.

In Canada, it's the only available option for the shadetree mechanic.

High-side operating pressures are actually lower than R-134a or R-12 because of the different vapour pressure. In theory, this will mean less wear and tear on the compressor. It is compatible with the oils used in R-12 and R-134a systems.

I personally experimented with it for a year in my wife's car. While, in theory, the HC blend should be capable of blowing colder temperatures, in reality, I don't think it performed as well as the original 134a and I swapped it back out this year. However, in an older car originally designed for R-12, it is possible that an HC blend will perform better than an R134a conversion would. I have not tried that.