A/C Refrigerant - Contamination

File In Section: 1 - HVAC
Bulletin No.: 43-12-23
Date: September, 1994

Subject:
Contaminated A/C Refrigerant

Models:
1994 and Prior Passenger Cars and Trucks with R12 Air Conditioning Systems

Government regulations limit the production of R12 refrigerant, commonly referred to as Freon, during 1994/1995 and restrict manufacture of new R12 material effective January 1, 1996. As R12 prices rise and supplies are depleted, it is anticipated non-approved substitute refrigerants and/or poor quality R12 material sold as new or reprocessed may become more prevalent.

The Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) recently expressed concern over reports of the sale of R12 refrigerant containing as high as 15% contamination by R22, a refrigerant commonly used in stationary home systems but unsuitable for use in mobile units. GM dealers should be careful to protect against contaminating their existing supplies of R12 or the A/C systems in customers' vehicles they service by dealing with reputable suppliers. All R12 refrigerant purchased for warranty repairs should be purchased through GM SPO to ensure GM quality standards are met.

The use of non-approved R12 refrigerant substitutes, some of which contain flammable materials, has also been reported by MACS. These products are available to "do-it-yourselfers" who, in many cases, believe they are harmless replacements for the small cans of R12 used so commonly in the past. Once added to the A/C system, the vehicle can no longer be serviced using R12 recovery/recycling equipment without:

- Risking permanent damage to recovery/recycling equipment

- Contaminating the previously recovered R12 material in the recovery tank

- Spreading the contamination when the recovered material is used to charge other vehicles

or

- Possible loss of the recovered material if the contaminated level is high enough to activate the air purge system

Contaminated refrigerant also impacts customer satisfaction through poor vehicle A/C performance and loss of A/C system compressor/component durability. System or component failure resulting from the use of refrigerant which does not meet GM specification is not covered by the "New Vehicle Warranty".

Unfortunately, there is no simple method to identify if a "do-it-yourselfer" or repair shop has added to or recharged a system with a non-approved refrigerant. The inability to protect against the spread of contaminated refrigerant threatens the recycling program and the industry's desire to maximize use of the remaining R12 supply.

Beginning in 1993, General Motors STG, Harrison Division, Research Labs and Kent-Moore worked in conjunction with suppliers of various technologies to develop a tester to identify contaminated refrigerant in vehicle A/C systems before recovery. During development of the technology, several dealer service manager focus group studies were conducted to identify design features to best suit dealership needs.

The discussions and surveys clearly indicated the desire for a dedicated instrument, permanently mounted to the refrigerant recovery cart to ensure ALL vehicles are automatically tested prior to recovering refrigerant. Testing ALL refrigerant for contamination prior to recovery is the ONLY means to ensure customer satisfaction, protect recovery equipment and avoid unintentional venting of refrigerant by your dealership.

General Motors has evaluated all available technology for this project and only the J 39851 R12 "Pureguard" meets General Motors' specifications. The J 39851 R12 Pureguard Refrigerant Monitor has been classified as an essential tool and will be shipped by Kent-Moore to your dealership beginning in September of 1994. The essential price of the R12 "Pureguard" is $561 (for Canadian dealers the price is $800 Canadian). If your dealership has multiple R12 recovery equipment, additional units may be ordered from Kent-Moore for $561 at 1-800-345-2233. Features of the R12 "Pureguard" include:

- Universally mounts to R12 Recovery Equipment

- Automatically interrupts power to the Recovery Equipment when contaminated refrigerant is identified

- Fully automatic design does not require technician action, training or interpretation

- LCD displays Pureguard functions

- Meets GM contamination sensitivity requirements

- Self calibrating

- Micro-processor controlled

- Audio alarm alerts technician

Other Refrigerant Identifiers are being advertised which may be available this A/C season. However, ONLY the Kent-Moore J 39851 R12 "Pureguard" meets General Motors' current specifications which ensure recovered refrigerant is compatible with General Motors vehicles and General Motors approved recovery systems.

An R134a Pureguard Refrigerant Identifier is currently under development and is anticipated to be available in early 1995. The contamination of R134a refrigerant is not expected to be a concern until the program to retrofit R12 vehicles to R134a becomes more widely used.

Future bulletins will be issued to address the recovery and disposal of contaminated refrigerant.