Heating and Air Conditioning

GENERAL INFORMATION

R-12 SYSTEMS

The refrigerant used in the air conditioning system is Refrigerant-12. Refrigerant-12 is non-explosive, non-flammable and non-corrosive. It has practically no odor and is heavier than air. Although it is classified as a safe refrigerant, certain precautions must be observed to protect the components involved and the person working on the system. Use only Refrigerant-12 such as Motorcraft YN-1A or YN-7 or equivalent.
Do not use refrigerant that was canned for pressure operated accessories (such as boat horns). This type is not pure Refrigerant and will cause a system malfunction. Liquid Refrigerant-12, at normal atmospheric pressures and temperatures, evaporates so quickly that it has a tendency to freeze anything it contacts.

R-134a SYSTEMS

The major components of R-134a air conditioning systems are similar to those used previously on R-12 fixed orifice tube type systems. R-12 and R-134a components are similar in design and function. As a result, all diagnosis and testing procedures for R-12 components can be used for R-134a system components. However, it should be noted that R-134a system components can only be replaced with other R-134a components. R-134a components cannot be replaced with components used with R-12 systems. The same rule applies for R-12 components, they cannot be replaced with R-134a components.
To identify which type of air conditioning system a particular vehicle has, visually inspect the system for identification tags located on major components. R-134a system components have yellow R-134a NON-CFC tags. These systems can also be identified by a gold colored air conditioning compressor clutch and green colored O-rings used throughout the system.