Who's interested in converting to R152a?

Discussion in 'The Big Chill' started by Bogus919, Apr 18, 2021.

  1. Bogus919

    Bogus919 Silver Level contributor

    Hello Folks, so I recently ran an experiment with the AC system in my '72 Buick and a spare A6 compressor I had laying around. I had been doing some reading on converting to 134a and saw that a majority of people were not too excited about the results. Further reading on this forum and others showed that I could convert to R152a fairly easily with little change to the system.... I was unable to locate a good "how-to" for these older cars but have spoke to a couple individuals here that are using it... there was a ton of information out there for early 80's R-22 systems as well. I decided to document my experiment and my results for others in case they are interested.

    First off, I realize some people are very passionate about the AC trade, I'm not posting this to start a debate on what is right or wrong. R152 is not regulated by the EPA as it's damage to the ozone is almost non-existent (The reason it's in canned air (like Dustoff). This refrigerant is also listed as mildly flammable so there is risk involved with using it. I was unable to get it to light with a propane torch myself but I did see that individuals attempting to light it under certain conditions, had success.... it appears to burn real slow like oil. Also, since the molecules of R152a are smaller than R12 and R134a, you will get some loss through the hoses every year... so I suspect that I will have to top off the system (at $3 a can) every summer.

    If you are interested, I think you can get away with simply adjusting the POA down to around 23PSI as well you need to switch to Ester Oil, flush your system of any of the old stuff and at the very least replace your filter drier. I detail all of that in my video below, enjoy

     
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  2. jaye

    jaye Well-Known Member

    How is cold air compared to before.
     
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  3. Bogus919

    Bogus919 Silver Level contributor

    Jaye... I don’t have much of a comparison... the ac has been out on the car since I’ve owned it. .. 10 years. I’m cruising at 36-37 degrees right now and I can probably do a little better if I rewrap the crusty insulation on the condenser pipe.

    I can post an update on performance once the heat and humidity of summer hit.
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2021
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  4. FLGS400

    FLGS400 Gold Level Contributor

    Ryan, thanks for doing that video and sharing! I'm looking forward to the next update now. Fixing the air in my car is definitely on my to-do list for this summer!

    BTW... I'm also in the Tampa Bay area (Zephyrhills)!
     
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  5. 12lives

    12lives Control the controllable, let the rest go

    Thanks!
     
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  6. Bogus919

    Bogus919 Silver Level contributor

    Hey Rich, seems to be a good amount of board members out here. I plan to make further and further trips away from home as I get the Buick more reliable. I’m sure I’ll be seeing all you local guys someday. Let me know if you need any help or info about the R152a conversion if you end up doing it.
     
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  7. FLGS400

    FLGS400 Gold Level Contributor

    I'm in the same frame of mind. Haven't taken my car out of Zephyrhills yet. Finally got it running decent, now have to work on the cooling system issues. After that is the leaky pinion and front seal at the balancer. Things I didn't consider when buying a "mostly" original car... LOL
     
  8. Bogus919

    Bogus919 Silver Level contributor

    I could go broke if I started fixing everything right now lol... that's why I have to try to plan this out. I have a 455 in the machine shop right now that's gonna set me back a bit (so I am trying to save) but I don't want to go fixing things on this 350 or changing things that will only work with the 350 (like fan shroud). I have cooling issues as well, I know it's the radiator... I don't want to pull it yet though so I thought of just dumping all of the 50/50 mix I have in there and see if I can get any benefit from running straight distilled water with an additive in it. .... I think right now if I had to pinpoint anything that is keeping me from cruising further it's the cooling and the tires (which are pretty old, and a chunk of money to replace). This has been 10 years in the making so I can't really be in a hurry now lol
     
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  9. Andrew Sury

    Andrew Sury Well-Known Member

    I have had really good results using a POA bypass/CCOT setup.
    s-l1600 (1).jpg
     
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  10. Bogus919

    Bogus919 Silver Level contributor

    Several places I researched said that the A6 compressor shouldn't be cycling on and off which is what that bypass does. This was the main reason I tried to get my POA setup to work instead of going to the bypass. It was going to be a last resort though if I couldn't.
     
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  11. bw1339

    bw1339 Well-Known Member

    Thank you for taking the time to make that video. Very interesting stuff!

    I have a '66 Toronado with a stock POA system, currently with R-134A, with mediocre cooling. When I lose air over the condenser (low speeds), temperatures really suffer.

    I had tried R152A some time ago, but didn't work well at all. I suspect it was the POA setpoint or that over/under charged it. May try it again.

    The vent temperatures you mention, what was the approximate ambient temperature at that time? Recirculation or outside air?

    Thank you.
     
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  12. Bogus919

    Bogus919 Silver Level contributor

    I was recirculating air in the cabin … outside was about 85 with high humidity, center vent was 37 degrees on high. I’ve been meaning to test it here again in the summer heat… it’s been at least 93 every day for a month.
     
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  13. EricVC

    EricVC Member

    I live in Arizona and have used R152 on several R12 cars for my buddies and my own personal cars.. Works great ! I've done the conversion with Ester oil and even some with the original mineral oil. no problems with any of them.
     
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