Westfalia/Subaru AC compatibility problem

[tlbranth]

Engine conversion was done by Small Car. AC not putting out very cold air so needs a recharge. Original VW used R12 refrigerant. Subaru used R134a. Small Car put in Duracool which is now illegal to use in vehicles. And the oils used with R12 and R134a are different and incompatible. R134a will leak out of R12 hoses. R12 costs a lot and since I have a leak I may not be able to find, it could get pricey. So what to do?
I would consider replacing all the old hoses with R134a hoses if it's doable without too much strain and cost. Anybody done it? how'd it go? The Bentley shows a few diagrams but they're not for a Westy so I'm not sure what's applicable.
If you've solved this problem, please share.
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Terry

1991 Westfailure. 2004 Forester 2.5 engine. 4speed Standard transmission.

[newfisher]

I just converted my suby vanagon ac system 2 months ago and still blowing cold, no leaks.
Heres what I did:
Removed the vw dryer at left rear wheel area. The vw hoses were cut at the compressor before the engine conversion. I used a Mastercool flush kit on the system. Installed a new dryer. Installed the suby brackets and compressor with belt. Took the van to a buddys shop along with the suby donor car hoses. He has the line swedging tools and tons of a/c fittings. Swedged the high pressure vw line to the high suby line and same with low pressure. Traced the wire for the compresser(red/blk I think). Traced wiring problem at left D pillar to failed relay and power supply issue. Pulled vacuum overnight to ensure no leaks. Added 4 oz. Ester oil (syn pag oil works too) then charged at 80% of what the R12 recomedation was.

Ive converted tons of r12 cars and trucks to r134 and had an inside track to doing the van/suby conversion. The hardest part was getting the electrical gremlin dealt with that must have stumped a former owner when it was vw powered. I always flush, replace dryer, pull vacuum for more than 4 hrs, 4oz pag or ester and 80% r134 with no issues.

[Howesight]

Duracool is another brand of product that is similar to, if not identical to, Red Tek. If your AC previously worked well, then it is possible that your system did not have the mineral oil removed when Smallcar did the work. If not, then Smallcar probably flushed out the system and installed PAG oil or even Ester oil.

Either way, it does not matter because the hydrocarbon-based refrigerants like Duracool and RedTek work just fine with any kind of oil. The key is to not permit PAG and mineral oil in the system at the same time because it turns into a gooey mess that blocks proper system operation.

You might be able to simply add some Duracool or RedTek and get through the summer that way. Your leakage might be less serious, such as dry O-rings or leakage past the carbon seal in the compressor. If so, a recharge now may be a reasonable stop-gap.

Note that neither Duracool nor RedTek are "illegal" to install. Rather, AC techs do not want to install or evacuate it because they are only set up to evacuate and recycle the R12 and R134A refrigerants (they keep them separate) and because they accept a lot of hooey that Dupont put out about the flammability and alleged danger of hydrocarbon-based refrigerants.

For your hoses, I suggest you locate an AC specialist in your area (like a shop that would install AC in hot rods, for example) and get a quote for them to rebuild your hoses. Tell them how many feet of hose are involved and how many fittings. You would remove the hoses and bring them to the shop who would make new hoses from modern barrier-style hose and crimp on your old fittings in the correct orientations. Some folks have had this done for as little as $250.

For any place you cannot extract the hose in one piece, you need to mark an orientation line so that the orientation (about the axis of the hose) can be replicated by the hose assembler.
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'86 Syncro Westy SVX