My 2001 has always been a tad crappy in the A/C department. The drivers side outlets for the heat and A/C seem to be lacking in the output department. The center outlets and passenger side have always been good, but the drivers side suffers from reduced output. I took it back to the dealer when it was new and was typically assured "they all do that". I never followed through and have lived with it for 15 years. Now that the truck and I are getting on in years I am giving thought to upgrading the refrigerant if that is a viable option. The truck has the original freon, the R134A. And although I have a slight leak it takes two seasons to get to the point of needing a recharge. I always have been hit with warm air for a few minutes after starting the truck but the cool air comes, and given enough time it is quite comfortable. Has anyone upgraded their refrigerant to the newer one, R410A? Is it simple enough to do or does it require changes other than the gas itself? And obviously is it an improvement or just an expense? I know that when R22 was eliminated the R134A wasn't as good at cooling, but I'm wondering if the R410A might be better than the R134A.

Or do I just leave well enough alone??

 

Nope, won't happen. The systems are designed for entirely different pressure ranges. R410a utilizes much higher pressures than R134a does.

Get the leak fixed.

The distribution problem, drivers vs center and passenger outlets isn't related to the refrigerant. It's due to the design.

 

X2! Get the leak fixed. The heater/ac box has been known to collect all kind of leaves and debris that can reduce the output of the ac. The debris clogs air from flowing threw the evaporator.

 

The newer the Freon...the more expensive the SCAM. Thank you DuPont and the US Patent Office. The "science" used to justify is nothing more than propaganda.

 

every new refrigerant usually means radical change

 

Back in the day, I upgraded a car from R22 to R134. I researched quite a bit before I did. I had to clean out the old oil and freon, as they didn't mix. I remember running a pressurized can of flush through the system. They also expand at different rates so the amount of R134 added was adjusted down, to avoid over-pressurizing All in all, it went well and the car cooled nicely. In your case though, R134 is readily available, so I wouldn't bother.

 

Fix the leak.

 

You are missing my question. The leak is a minor inconvenience.but I'm not thinking that it is the problem. I KNOW the leak is there, but repairing it probably costs way more than a bi annual recharge!

As for the lousy discharge issue, that too is a design problem and the refrigerant won't make a difference either.

The question was just about changing the coolant, the rest was peripheral information and chit chat. And I see that the refrigerant question was answered with a simple no. Thanks. No problem, I was just wondering if it was possible.