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Dura-cool

9K views 29 replies 8 participants last post by  JBone 
#1 ·
I know we have talked a little about different refrigerents in other threads but, I'm trying to dig up some info here for my summer A/C rebuild. Has anyone had anyone had any personal experiences with dura-cool refrigerant?
Especially in a crx, even better if you have a matsu compressor.

-Chris
 
#3 ·
Same here...it works great and it's environmentally friendly. I filled it up about 3 years ago. I gotta find the leak in my system though cuz it's almost all gone now. It's probably cheaper for me to just recharge the system at $5 a can
 
#13 ·
I'm also running duracool on a Sanden system.
It worked great for about 8 months, then wouldn't switch on. I think one of the service ports is the culprit. Last time I hooked up a gauge set, the system was at about 40 psi, and I seem to recall needing to fiddle with one of the valves to get it to close after charging. I guess I'll replace the valve cores and give it another charge as soon as I get some more refridgerant.
 
#18 ·
imgoingforit said:
Is the duracool mobile recharge kit a good deal?
That depends on your long term plans. I bought one of the previous versions of that kit - 3 cans of duracool, a conversion fitting or two and a charging hose with a cheap little gauge on it. The hose worked fine the first time around, but leaked at one of the joints the second time I tried to use it.
If you're at all interested in a manifold gauge set, just order the refridgerant. Pick up a set of conversion fittings and a can tap locally. Harbor freight's $35 manifold set is actually a decent quality set in my experience (though I can't say the same for the case). I bought mine at a HF retail store, so if you have one in your area, you won't even have to wait for shipping.
The can tap should screw onto the yellow hose for charging, the quick release fittings hook onto your A/C ports once you've installed the conversion fittings (though you'll only need the low-side port).
With a manifold set, you can also pull vacuum with a cheap venturi pump if your system has been open.
 
#20 ·
Here was my plan:

That recharge kit with 2 6oz cans a tap and fittings
Harbor freight manifold
Harbor freight pump

Questions:
Is there a way to connect that can tap to the manifold?
Would a smaller(maybe 2gal.) compressor with a 7gal. tank in line with it be sufficient?
Should I go ahead and buy the Duracool oil? or...
Should I use ROCoil like Stickershop mentioned? if so...
Do you have any suggestions of where to buy that?

Thanks,

-Chris
 
#21 ·
imgoingforit said:
Questions:
Is there a way to connect that can tap to the manifold?
Would a smaller(maybe 2gal.) compressor with a 7gal. tank in line with it be sufficient?
Here's pretty much what my kit had in it:

Ignore the whole mess of conversion fittings - there's two universal kits worth of fittings there. Also, it had two more cans of refridgerant - three total. As you can see, the can tap can be separated from the charging hose. The associated screw fitting is the same as found on HF's R-134a gauge set and their R-134a venturi, so I assume it's a standard size. That just leaves the question of whether or not the cans use the standard size thread.
Eh, getting off topic. It looks to me like the can tap is permanently attached to the hose in that charge kit. Connecting it to a manifold set would take a 1/2" ACME to R-134a service port adapter. Good luck finding that.
For the venturi, you might be able to use a small compressor together with a tank (a second in-line tank would be wise) in bursts. That's what I had to do with my 10 gal compressor - start the venturi, open the manifold valve(s) until the pressure wasn't dropping any more, close the valve(s), stop the venturi and let the compressor catch up. Lather, rinse, repeat.
 
#23 ·
The can tap I'm not sure about, but probably most places that sell R-134a. Autozone and Advance Auto both list one for about $6 on their websites, but who's to say what you will actually find on the store shelves.
I got my two sets of retrofit fittings from WalMart and Pep-Boys. My manifold set's quick connects didn't work with the WalMart fittings - they wouldn't latch on properly. The second set of fittings work just fine. Again, you should be able to find conversion fittings along side cans of R-134a. I don't recall what I paid for them... Under $10 I'm sure.
 
#26 ·
The A/C section of the '91 CRX service manual says to charge the system with a total of 30-34 oz of R-12. If you look at the "VERY SIMPLE INSTALL!" section of the DuraCool.com FAQ, it says you only need a 35% charge by weight of duracool when replacing CFC-12 (R-12). 30-34oz * 0.35 = 10.5-11.9oz. So, you need two 6oz cans for a full charge.
 
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