Hey guys since the warmer weather here in SC I tried to use my A/C and it wasn't cold. Last summer I had the same problem and it was low on refrigerant. I used some stuff from Oreillys that had stop leak in it and the A/C worked good through the summer. So this year I bought some synthetic R134a and topped off the system and it seems to be cooling ok but im wondering if there is any additives or tricks to make it cooler than it currently is now. I am by far no A/C tech and im looking for input from someone that knows what they are talking about lol. Ive heard about R12a that is made by red tek I think. What ive read says that it is a direct replacement for the 134 and actually produces lower temps than 134. Just as a note im talking about R12a and not R-12. For the final result I would like for my A/C to get the cabin cold enough that you have to turn it off or move the temp up. I am a mechanic and im very confident working on things and need some guidance. If need be to achieve max cooling I can take it to a shop and have the A/C serviced/repaired but preferably to service/repair myself. If anyone can give me any ideas, tricks, tips, or help it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Here is a link to one site talking about the R12a. http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=145180

 

Every few years, R-12 alternatives show up under new names. The one I remember best is Freeze-12. And every time they show up, people get in arguments back and forth about whether it's the end of the world, illegal, etc. Short answer is it is generally agreed to be illegal to use anything but R-134a in an R-134a system. But nobody will ever check.

That said, I have a good functioning system in my truck and in 100deg weather it gets cold enough to be uncomfortable. That's with plain ol' 134a. I would try to figure out what's wrong before you try to fix symptoms instead of disease.

 

 

There's a lot of variables involved in getting your ac to blow cold. Basically the better the condenser the colder the system. So with that being said, what's the condition of you're condenser? Are the fins bent over or partially plugged? What's the condition of your fan clutch? Did you swap to an electric fan? Is it pulling enough air? What's your orifice tube look like? Is it covered in crap? If you have to add refrigerant then you have a leak, that needs to be fixed. If it's the compressor no amount of stop leak is going to fix it. What are your pressure readings?

I doubt you're going to get a magic bullet fix. You'd probably be better off taking it to someone who knows what they're doing. We're not talking about changing a water pump or spark plugs. You kind of need to know what your looking for otherwise it's going to get expensive throwing parts at it.

 

what the other guys said is right. I have a '96, and in the desert sw, where it gets really hot, the stock and well sorted A/C is as good as it gets. It's the coldest A/C I've ever had--on 90 degree days it's too cold.

Rather than look for a quick fix or some magic snake oil, you'll be well ahead if you have the system checked and fixed by a good A/C guy.