Thanks Big Jim, gonna do it this weekend, and keep my fingers crossed that the compressor actually kicks on and I can get some cold air going through this thing. Condensor and radiator look realtively new, maybe a front end accident before I bought it, but the rest looks original 1987, so I guess I'll find out if the evaporator, hoses, or accumulator are any good...the hard way.

Thanks again guys for the advice, I'll let you know how it goes. Mike.

r12 oil and r134 oil or not compatable. You need to change the r12 oil. its the quickest way to burn up a system.

scuuuuze me BB But how is a shade tree going to get it all out? Your post is the first of it's kind I have ever seen.
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Yeah it would be good to know how to get the R12 oil out, if I have to. I don't want to destroy the system or make it any worse than it might already be.

Sunder..Did you have any issue with this when you did the switch over? Thanks.

Not a single problem. The oils can be incompatable from what I understand, but usually when the refrigerant leaks out, so does the oil...

Yeah that's what I was thinking, I looked around for oil build up anywhere, just figuring I might be able to spot a leak, but I didn't see any. But like I said, both the condensor and radiator look new like maybe this thing had some front end damage repaired, so all of the oil may have come out with the refrigerant when that happened or when the condensor was replaced......who knows. I'm just filling the thing up with 134 and see what happens, I paid $200 for the thing, it's got 160K on it, if I smoke it who cares, I'll deal with it then. I'll let you know what happens Monday. Thanks for the help. Mike.

The oil used with R12 is not compatable with R134a. When 134 first came out the oil had to be changed but The kits these days come with an additive/oil in the freon that makes changing the oil unnecessary. Just get the changeover kit ($36 + tax) and screw on the adaptors and add the freon. I just did my Cherokee and it is working very well. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Thanks JeePete. Read around a little this week and found out the same thing, most of the kits come with the additive to make the oil compatible, so I'm just gonna get one of them and do it up. Couldn't find it in Wal-Mart, but found some online, found one kit in JC Whitney for like $53 with all of the things you'd need. Just gonna get that one and see what happens.

Thanks again.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> It sounds like the price is a little high but that's ok with me. Did you check the discount parts stores? That's where I got mine. I checked a couple of web sites of the local stores but they didn't have the kits available online, in store only. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />