A/C Freeze12 vs real R12
 

Excuse my lack of car knowledge but I'm trying to get my A/C working in the most cost effective manner and can't seem to find any clear answers when I searched.

Can I buy the Freeze 12 synthetic R12 and just use that? http://www.amazon.com/Freeze-12-Refr...8595626&sr=8-1

Is it that straightforward or are there some complications associated with this? I read somewhere that this can eat at the orings and possibly cause more damage.

Or should I be looking more toward actual R12 like this? : http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/R-12-...Q5fAccessories

I'm trying to avoid doing a conversion because it would cost too much since I probably couldn't do it myself.

I'm in socal so a working A/C is pretty crucial so I don't end up drenched in sweat by the time I get to work. Again, my car know-how is very lacking so if layman's terms are possible it would be appreciated. Thanks

Freeze 12 has some pretty mixed reviews. Some people say it works, most don't.

R12 would be the best solution, but that ebay listing has gone way too high. I bought 3 cans of R12 last summer for $30. Here's one for $10 right now (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/R12-V...item27bbd2561a). Remember that you will need to buy an R12 charge hose too.

R134a is another option. Our member BlueKitsune & several others are running R134a on a completely stock system. $40 for a conversion kit and that's about it.

What's involved with the conversion though? Taking out the whole system?

Having a shop put a vacuum on your system to make sure it doesn't leak, installing new fittings and refilling it with the correct amount of refrigerant.

Mine was already drained out. All I did was attach the new fittings and fill the system with R134a.

Hmmm. Good to know. I'll probably just go with the R12 if that can Nismo picked out stays that cheap or I can find another one. I'll only need one?

And this charging hose, right?

http://cgi.ebay.com/R12-R22-R502-CHE...aultDomainQ5f0

How much you need depends on how much is still in your system. I can't remember the total lbs, but it's in the FSM (and the sticker under the hood).

As for the charge hose, you need a can tapper if you are going to fill w/ 1lb cans: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/R12-F...Q5fAccessories

And I believe that ebayer selling that can for $10 has more listed.

Remember that a lot of these "replacements" are COMPATIBLE and not actual R12 or R134A which means a substitute like propane.....

thanks for all the info guys. I think I'm going to end up doing the conversion so I won't have any problem getting R12 in the future if it needs to be recharged again