R134a Retrofit question

My wife's car (91 Civic LX) has a dead A/C .. The compressor itself leaks.

I'm considering buying a remanufactured compressor and was wondering if
it'd be cost-effective (since the compressor is already out, and should be
empty.. right?) to just go ahead and get the system retrofitted. Are there
seals elsewhere that need to be replaced?

Thanks!

 

All of the seals should already be compatible with whatever you plan on
using. But you will need to flush the entire system to remove all of the
oil.... because you cannot mix the two types of oil. Also, R134a will run
at a higher pressure than the R12, so if you have any weak spots that
weren't leaking before they might start.

 

I'd suggest you take a browse through the forum Q&A at
http://www.aircondition.com/ - a search on "black death" will tell you some
of the bad things which can happen on quick conversions. Strictly
speaking, all the seals should be replaced, the system should be flushed
with solvent to remove the old R-12 lubricant and dried with forced venting
before pulling vacuum and recharge. You'd also want to replace the
receiver/drier and there are questions of whether the old expansion valves
are compatible. At that point it becomes a question of how well you want
it to work; how much work you want to do also depends on how long you want
it to last. The old seals might last for say 4-5years.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??