[Ceenit]

Bought my current 968 ('92 cab) about a year ago and air had been blowing pretty cold until a few months back, then it slowly lost its 'chill'.



I figured, no problem, car was converted to 134a (according to the receipts) several years back. I've done recharges in the past, so no big deal.



Well, I bought some 134a and had my trusty guage/refill hose and fitting. But when I went to clamp it on to the low pressure fitting on the car, it didn't fit. It actually shot back out just a bit of the fluid that was in there.



Couple of questions for those that have had the conversion done.



1) Is it possible that they did the coversion, but left the old 'freon' fitting on there? And would this be standard procedure for doing the conversion?



2) The fluid that came out was green in color, not sure I've ever noticed the color of freon or 134a, but does the color give an indication of which fluid may have been in there?



3) If it was coverted (as indicated by receipts) to 134a, but still has the older freon fitting, anyone know if I can just buy the appropriate adapter for the 143a can to the freon fitting?



I may end up taking the car by an a/c specialist. I'm hoping they can quickly ascertain whether the car has been retrofitted, and the appropriate connector to use.



Any feedback appreciated.

Thanks

Chris

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[968rz]

I never noticed a color difference in freon; they may have put a dye in the system to make leak checks easier.

The fitting/hose is not normally replaced but an adapter is installed, possible they took it off or got stuck on the gauges when removed.

I'm sure you can buy adapter kits but not sure where, I got a set when I bought an upgrade kit for the Trail Blazer (it had gauge, hose, adapters, freon and simple instructions) I got the kit at NAPA.

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[chudson]

1) Are you sure you were on the low side fitting? It's directly off the compressor. If so, did they accidently install the high side adapter onto the low side?



2) The "fluid" was likely lubricant. Refrigerant is a colorless and, for all intents and purposes, odorless gas. The poster who suggested it may be dye could be correct, but it would likely be dye that was added to the lubricant. Some refrigerant lubricants are also green in color. There is some R 134 refrigerant with dye suspended in the gas, but none of my suppliers want to stock it anymore. It was noticably more $$ than the regular product.



3) If it has the R 12 fittings you will see threads on the circumference. If it has R 134 fittings it will look similar to a quick disconect for a shop air hose. No visible threads.



"Freon" is the Dupont Company's brand name for R 12. 90 % of my staff still says "freon" to this day, and we're coming up on the 20th anniversary of its demise. Drives me crazy..........



Hope this helps

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[968gene]

chudson, no comment on recover and recharge?

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[chudson]

Good question G man, but I tried to give direct answers to his questions. The 968 is one of the few cars that retained its sight glass in the receiver-drier when it underwent the R 134 redesign, so it is possible (although not 100% accurate) to charge it until the sight glass is free of bubbles.



Yes, a recovery and recharge (with the exact amount of refrigerant) is preferred. A quick DIY check of refrigerant level is to inspect the sight glass for bubbles (after insuring the compresser is operating) and topping up the system through the low side port until the sight glass is free of bubbles while FOLLOWING ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS SUPPLIED WITH THE KIT!!



My sight glass has clouded over probably from a rupture of the desiccant bag. I plan to open my system to clean the glass, make an attempt to determine the amount of system contamination, flush the system if necessary and replace the drier.

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[Ceenit]

Thanks for the responses. Took it by a shop this afternoon and they said it just needed the adapter fitting for the 134a. It looked like the prior owner or mechanic removed after the last a/c service. I'll take a closer look and report back over the weekend.



Thanks again,

Chris

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[tamathumper]

I hate it when my dessicant bag ruptures...

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[Ryan]

You should really change out the drier when you convert to 134. Too bad the aftermarket driers don't have window glass anymore.

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[chudson]

Ryan - my sight glass is in a separate housing that bolts to the top of the drier and will be retained even after I replace my drier. I've already looked at the drier I'm using to confirmed this and my supplier shows no other option or version.



The Porsche Katalog shows 2 versions (illustration 813-15). Perhaps this is correct and there is also a one piece drier? Can someone else confirm?

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