Cajun on board

[xj14y]

Bought a 1996 XLT V8 (Explorer B engine) with 227,000 miles on the broken odometer. I've put a fuel pump and an EGR valve in it in the year I've owned it, and I can't complain. I've got an 80 mile round trip commute, and though the gas prices give me indigestion, the fuel pump issue was the one time the truck didn't start.

I am debating whether or not to fix the AC issue. It currently has a non-operational factory unit. Since I live in rich, moist south Louisiana, AC is an important consideration. Should I convert to 134, or save a little more money for a newer model that would be built for 134 originally if there's an AC issue? And maybe a 6cyl with a little better mileage too...

Your input is greatly appreciated. I've driven Fords before and didn't have much luck with them, but this XLT is something else. I really like this truck and it was cheap as hell when I bought it. Well maintained except for the AC too.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! R12 was banned a while ago unless you have a special refrigerant license, so R134A is the way to go.

 

[504steve]

Welcome to the forums, I'm stuck in warm, moist Metairie at the moment

I didn't think they made vehicles that took R12 refrigerant after 1994, but I think the conversion would be well worth it. I had a buddy of mine convert one of his vehicles, either his first gen Explorer or a Bronco, to take 134a, all he did was buy one of those conversion kits and slap it on properly. Didn't cost much more than $150 with the r134a if I recall. I found a decent write-up online at this site. There is also one made specifically for Explorers that I found here on these forums.

I'll check and see if I have any left over in my 30lb bottle of the stuff, if I do, it's all yours.

As far as the gas mileage goes, my 6cyl 4.0 doesnt get much more than 15 on the highway on a good day, and the way I drive in the city, I usually end up getting close to 10mpg.

If you have an older car it may have R12 refrigerant in the air conditioner system. You can still buy R12, but it is very expensive. If you are ready to convert your system to R134, here is a brief explanation of the procedure with a few insider tips to help you. To begin you will need a conversion kit with all the necessary materials. It will include: 2 new adapter fittings, 2 -3 cans of R-134, and a hose with adapter. Once you have all the materials, you can begin the process.





The first thing you have to do is have the R12 recovered with a refrigerant recovery machine. (It is illegal to just open the valve and let it out in the air.) Now that the air conditioning system has no pressure, it is time to install the new valve kit. At this point some people freeze up (no pun intended) because they are afraid of mixing up the adapters on the high and low pressure ends. Don’t worry, they are different sizes. The bigger one goes on the low pressure side of the system and the refrigerant hose will only connect to the low side valve. It is pretty hard to mess this up.


Now that the adapter valves are connected, it is time to start the car and put the air conditioner on high. Turn the blower fan to its highest setting as well and open the windows. Grab a can of R134 and hook up the hose and T valve that came with your kit. With the hose hooked up to the can begin to twist the T valve until it punctures the can. Then open the valve to let some freon out and purge the air in the line. Turn the can upside down and hook it up to the low side adapter valve. Now slowly open the valve and let the Freon flow into the system.


At this point the compressor will begin to cycle on and off. Don’t panic, this is normal. Keep adding Freon until the system begins to cool. You can feel the low pressure line begin to get cool and condensation will accumulate on it. (Do not grab the high pressure line. It can burn you.) You probably will not need all 3 cans and be careful not to overfill the system. If the air conditioner is still not cooling after the second can, something is wrong. You may have a leak in the system or some other difficulty. Do not be tempted to keep pumping Freon in the lines. If the low side line is cold and dripping with moisture you are done. If you have a air conditioning manifold gauge set, the low side should have a pressure of 40 – 50 psi. Good luck and stay cool!

 

[1Aauto]

Welcome to the site,thanks for joining. If you post any issues in the tech forums you can usually get a pretty quick response in here.

Tony