Technical R134A replacement on the horizon?

^^^^ that does away with that 'high-pitched-whine' near the passenger seat......
I was occasionally having...^^^
Another fine example why I don't have AC in my (M-word) hotrod! ^^^^^^^^
It's suppose to be a 'fun-thing'....driving around in a noisy car
6sally6

 

That's nonsense. My wife is awesome.

The only whine is from the quick change, and the 6-71.

 

I don't mind a/c, have had it for years, rarely use it. I'm happy @ ~82*f. Once in awhile it's worth it, although the wife doesn't like it much at all. Doesn't like convertibles, either... . Not going to complain about wife, either, happy w/her. But I don't live in southern TX, FL, AZ, CA, where it's warmer.
& btw; while propane can be explosive, anything containing chlorine, used around an internal combustion engine - or external combustion anything, is not the safest thing in the world, either - *if* there is a leak of freon. The result of molecular decomposition under heat &/or pressure ("burning", like say, getting sucked into the intake of a running engine) = phosgene gas. AKA: nerve gas. Not a pleasant thing to experience. & even breathing in "raw" "freon" will result in damage to the lungs & subsequently, the body, since there's no way to easily get rid of it out of the body. It is an accumulative process.
The need to be careful & ensure a leak-free a/c system, + correct & very careful handling of chlorine-containing materials, is, as far as I'm concerned, primarily a self-protection (& for other people) mentality, & I don't care that OSHA mandates it. Knowledge of possible & probable outcomes from shoddy or sloppy work, that can harm others, not to mention self, is the strongest motivator to do it right. Mechanical failure sucks.

Probably not going to get on a soap-box on cyclical "freon" changes. You can look up what/why/who benefited from the legislation(s). [Hint: DuPont]. You can still get r-12, nbd. May not be cheap, but it's available, in 30lb containers, out of Mexico. Just need that "license to operate". Intentional "legal loophole" created in law for forced/required "working fluid cooling medium" changes. No reason to doubt the same will occur for r-134a. Haven't followed r-22, so I don't know about exemptions for that one. Get ready for the $$$ hit to *your* pocketbook when the blended "freons" need replacing due to some form of leak(s). They can't be properly "just topped off", due to nobody knowing what portion of the blend leaked, & therefore, the blend(& operating performance) would change. & no, they aren't equal in weight or molecular size. This means that the tech is *required* to pull the entire system, do the repairs, & then fill w/new proper blend. The old stuff??? Funny you should ask; it's sent to a "properly licensed" facility to be disposed of. How? By burning... Contrived shortages, ozone depletion, & "better systems" indeed.

Many choices, many answers, different outcomes.

& to you cats in the warm areas, I'd gladly trade you 6+" of MWSfH(Miserable White Sh*t from Hell) & ~0*f for some of your heat. Haven't figured out how to accomplish that trade. Yet. . I've found that shoveling 6" of sunshine is less trouble & more enjoyable than 6" of MWSfH. Bring your trucks up here. As much MWSfH as you can load, up to everything that's here. Free, no charge, Seriously! .

Marcus...

 

FWIW, propane has the approx same pressure-temperature curve as R-22. It is not the same as R-12, although it can work since it works with mineral oil. Most likely problem is freezing up the evap core using propane or R-22 in an R-12 system.

I agree that being a sealed system, propane is not inherently dangerous as long as the system is sealed and not leaking. Even then if the leak is small, no fire/explosion hazard. The big question is in a wreck with a bunch released at once and around hot engine components or sparks. But you also have pressurized gasoline or a big tank of gas that are also in sealed systems (for most part, yes carbs have vents). R-12, R-22, R-134a are all non-flammable, although the oil in the systems can burn when aerosolized.

Blended refrigerants are a PITA as stated because you have to empty the system and refill, no topping off. The hydrocarbon refrigerants are also typically blends to mimic the R-12 P-T curve.

 

Add me to the list of guys who don't want ban talk of A/C in rods or customs. The reason why? If it lets any of us with age or health problems stay on the road a little longer I'm all for it. I feel the same way about power steering, hand controls, etc. I would rather see these old cars on the road instead of being an undriveable barn find.

 

I get constant dictation about how I should have built my car. It would appear that it is not my choice to make, I am less of a man, and do not understand that "tradition" requires sacrifice. I am told that my version of driving enjoyment, which includes not listening to the engine alone for 8-hours-straight, while sweating through my anti-perspirant/deodorant (you DON'T want this!) is not "correct".

My car has electric wipers, power brakes, power steering, AC/heat, about 60lbs. of sound deadening, and (gasp) an amplified bluetooth stereo with a subwoofer.

I drive it as much as weather allows, and that is only because it still has compromised paint. It goes upwards of 35-smiles-per-hour.

I don't post here about how I managed to get all of those things into a Falcon, but it keeps me driving that car, and will, well into the future.

Without them, we're taking the wife's car. That car is a functional, but joyless, appliance.

 

Don't worry...you'll have-the-last-laugh......When the heat & humidity are both equal numbers!!!!....When we can actually SEE the air we are trying to breath.....at 10:00 AM!!!...When we have already removed all the clothes we can legally remove (and the mosquitoes and F'ing GNATS are gorging on us!).....When we need to chill the water in our out door pools to get cool.....When we need to stay submerged in that pool because those durn yellow flies/deer flies are waiting for us to come up.....When a Cat 5 hurricane comes and the electricity goes off for weeks at a time because it blew all the trees on the lines....(IN AUGUST!)
Oh Yeah.....come to da sunny South!!!!(just leave your politics home)
6sally6

 

Hey, 38C;
I agree w/ you.
I didn't go into the differences on purpose. Thanks for adding info. A lot of evap freezing can be overcome w/a properly calibrated & functioning expansion valve, & a freeze-stat as a final check. & iirc, a lot of the small cans of a/c-charge "top-off" have propane in them, + other freon blends.
I also didn't want to get into the industrial-political-complex side of things. Following comments are not specifically political. Point was, rules written to create $$$=opportunities(by force) for some, at the cost(by force - the opposite side of that same coin) to most others. Nevermind if it was truly more efficient, wanted, needed, etc. Nothing new. & if some are paying attention, a lot is unfolding right before their very own personal lyin' eyes - but they still won't accept reality as fact. <shrug> .
While freons won't burn like gasoline, they will combust (oxidize), the result of which is worth avoiding. & in fact, one style of freon leak-detectors did just that, using a small flame that changed color, iirc. I refused to use it( it was outlawed not much later), bought my own electronic leak detector.
It was always amusing to me when discussing amounts of "freon" needed to get the job done. In most cars n trucks, only ounces are needed. In the buses I worked on, anywhere from 17 pounds for a 40', to 41 pounds for a 60' artic.
While I didn't get into the R-12 much(~1999), I did use R-22 & R134a since. & very few of the controlling parts were interchangeable between the systems. The company has a few buses w/407C, but the shop I worked at didn't have proper equipment for that, so I didn't have to work w/that headache.
Yes, people have forgotten, or aren't paying attention, to how dangerous gasoline really is. Propane fuel systems are also usually very trouble-free & safe. For some reason, people go waka-waka over the mere thought of propane *inside* a sealed a/c system. For some reason, folks immediately project the absolutely worst-case scenario for each & every event. Actually happens rarely. Not zero times, which is preferable, but not attainable. Doesn't mean that therefore that must be banned/etc "for our own good".
Like the saying goes - you pays your money for the choices you make.
Everybody has different needs, & quite often, different solutions. Works for me.
Requested opinions or advise is one thing, but Gimpy is right - way too many people dictating to others what others should do w/their own money. Or they use childhood games/techniques to ridicule into their form of desired compliance. (Amusingly enough, there are some folks that that doesn't work on... ). Don't like it, step up to the plate n offer to pay for it to be done the way you want(demand) it done. One solution for everyone, everywhere, dictated by some "self-appointed authority", doesn't work. Been tried many times before, in many different fields, companies, & even countries. Has never, does not, & never will work. Read into that what you will, but before bitching - take a real long look into a mirror.
Marcus...

 

Hey, 6sally6;
We in MN already have most of that. Except hurricanes. Haven't had that experience yet. Tornados, wall cloud storms, white-out blizzards, yes. Invite you up here for a helping.
My politics? .
To paraphrase Brother Dave Gardner: "While I may not have been lucky enough to have been born in the DeepSouth, or even the regular South, I was born n raised in SOUTHERN Minnesota. Anyways, it's ALL South of Canada!.

Marcus...