Dounome
LVC Member

2001LS8Sport said:Technically, you shouldn't be able to buy 134A either without a certificate...but you can.
Calabrio said:How is that? They sell it at Walmart and every autoparts store?
R134A if a flourocarbon, not a chloroflourocarbon (CFC). The chlorine in CFCs is the part that does the damage to the ozone; the problem with CFCs is that they're stable enough to survive being lifted to the stratosphere, where the chlorine is liberated from the CFC molecule. (Chlorine acts like a catalyst; it's not consumed in the reaction, so a tiny amount of chlorine can destroy a tremendous amount of ozone.)2001LS8Sport said:I know. But when the Montreal Accord was first adopted into law banning the use of R12 and all ozone depleting substances, it also made provisions for the requirement of being licensed to buy all types of freons...including the blends that used to be out there. It also required the capture of all freons...including R134A by capture equipment when working on an a/c system. However, I know of several shops that do not capture R134A. I'm guessing that everyone decided that R134A was safe to work with and chose to ignore the original ruling.
R134a is a passable, at best, refrigerant, IMHO, but my LS has been blowing fairly cold air, and we've had afternoons with temps well over 100F for the last week or two. Turning on the recirculate mode helps quite a bit; normally I start by using the central roll-down to open all the windows and moon roof (to evacuate as much of the heat in the car as possible). Once I start the car, I set the moon roof to the vent position; once the air starts blowing cold, I roll up the windows. Once the interior starts to cool down, I close the moon roof and set the HVAC system to recirculate. Before too long, it's circulating fairly cold air, even when the temperatures are close to 110F.beaups said:on above 90 days I think the system is just a bit overworked. We've had some real heat here lately and my A/C has struggled. checked charge and it's perfect....