A/C refrigerant capacity?

[TorqueEffect]

Well, since I will be soon getting A/C installed, and was wondering what the Festiva's refrigerant capacity is?

In the shop manual it says 1400cc, when I convert that to ounces it is a ridiculous 47 ounces. There is no way in hell that the Festy A/C system holds that, the Subaru in the demonstration video on youtube from ericthecarguy only held 19 ounces.

Of course I will be converting the system over to r134a, no sense in locating R12, and now even the Freeze12 is nearly impossible to find outside of ebay.

[Team Lightning]

My Haynes says 25oz for 93 and older.

[MasterTec]

When converting to R134a you have to add only 70-75% of the original charge amount. So if it holds 25 oz of R12 then after converting you should only put in 17-19.5 oz of R134a.

[TorqueEffect]

When converting to R134a you have to add only 70-75% of the original charge amount. So if it holds 25 oz of R12 then after converting you should only put in 17-19.5 oz of R134a.

Thanks for the info.

[Movin]

We sell 134, R12 and hybrid freon. "replacement" "Drop in" what ever. 134 conversions work and for now we can get the gas reasonable but 134 is the worst of the gases available. Its molecular structure is finer than all the other possible gases except co2 and as such it can leak through hoses, orings ect easier and need a refill much sooner. Combine this with the fact that this 134 gas is also the least efficient!! It requires higher and hotter pressures to make cold. This breaks down the same hoses and orings that it already leaks easier through much quicker!! While all this lovely stuff is going on it takes a lot more gasoline to pump this stuff...the reason the guvment commanded this is what we are to use.

There is a lot of government sponsored propaganda against the gasses that easily outperform the gas that they have licensed for us to use. The guvment charts show some as dangerous because they can ignite at 1500 F ....134 ignites at around 500 F. No mention of that. Hmm.

Our customers favor the legal but not endorsed hybrid gas over the 134 and r12 gasses combined. Reason is the hybrid stuff works better. It gets colder quicker and stays there at idle, 134 will not stay there even when under charged to levels that allow pressures to almost look normal.

134 can be effective with the larger components needed to make it work, but it sure takes more fuel to pump the stuff and to draw more are through both heat exchangers.

One more thing, all you guys trying to get a little more by running the compressor all the time. You will absolutely not get any better cooling at idle because a properly charged system will be running all the time anyway!!What will happen is if the ambient temps cool off and you still run this sucker the expansion valve will close off the freon flow to keep the evaporator pressure where it should be. And the compressor will shut off. But those who have wired around this will keep there compressor going....with out freon flow.....and the oil necessary for the compressor to stay alive. Stack the higher pressures of 134 into the equation and the mineral oil that probably was not flushed out and then mixed with pag....We will be needing a good source for compressors! As long as the weather is hot freon flow will be fine and this will not be a problem, just be aware, it only takes one time in a cool spot with the ac on to seize the compressor.

Anytime you are charging the system the capacity is a guide. Use your thermometer to get the lowest temp out of the duct. If you have a high miles system you may get the lowest temp an oz or so undercharged because the pressures are lower there. If you have aftermarket parts such as a bigger drier installed, you will be undercharged with 28 oz, you will get colder duct temps with a little more freon. All hybrids I have used get the lowest duct temps slightly under charged by weight but site glasses look good. 134 gives lower temps with the engine revved and the condenser watered down But it needs to be under charged until bubbles appear in the site glass or the electronic site glass in the real world. It will never equal R12 or hybrids for good cooling in small systems like ours are.

All of this is just my opinion from experience in this part of the country, altitude , humidity and the preferences of people living here. I should say that 134 flash ignition temps seems to vary a lot depending on the source.