A/C - Retrofiting R-12 Air Conditioning with R-134a: Overview
Group 64Heating and
Air Conditioning
Bulletin Number
64 05 96
Woodcliff Lake, NJ
September 1996
Product Engineering
SUBJECT:
Retrofitting R-12 Air Conditioning with R-134a
MODEL:
E23 / E24 / E28 / E30
Situation:
Retrofit kits are available for the above models for customers who wish to convert their R-12 A/C system to the newer, more environmentally-friendly R-134a refrigerant.
Solution:
A retrofit kit may be installed as a "customer-pay" accessory. Although so far this procedure is not a necessary part of any general A/C repair, we highly recommend encouraging the customer to consider this environmentally-friendly solution. This is particularly the case if the compressor needs replacement; we recommend the retrofit be performed at that time. For the customer, there is only a minimum additional cost for retrofitting his A/C system, compared to the costs of only replacing the compressor.
Some models are equipped with BOSCH A/C compressors, which are not compatible with R-134a refrigerant. Those compressors must be replaced when the system is being converted to R-134a.
The above list shows the models with factory-installed compressors which are NOT R-134a compatible:
The above list should not be the only deciding factor, since a non-R-134a compatible compressor might have been installed on a previous A/C repair on these, or other, models.
A non-compatible BOSCH compressor may be identified by its part number. Please refer to the list of non-compatible BOSCH compressors:
If a vehicle is equipped with one of the compressors listed above, the compressor must be replaced by the compressor P/N 64 52 8 363 550, when the system is being converted to R-134a. For some of the compressors (specified in the above list), an additional adapter wire for the magnetic clutch P/N 64 52 1 386 224 is required.
Compressor and adapter cable are not part of the retrofit kit. They must be ordered separately if required.