My '88 M3 I bought last fall had the coldest A/C of any E30 I have owned. It was still an R12 system. Fast forward a few months, and I had the car down for a few weeks replacing the front subframe, rod bearings, etc. After this, the A/C compressor would not longer engage due to low R12 charge. I did a lot of research on R12, the r134a conversion, Freeze 12...I even went so far as to get EPA certified to buy/resell R12. All that you have to do is pay $20 to take a 25 multiple choice online test. You can then buy R12 off of ebay, sometimes fairly cheap.
Since my system was working perfectly before, I decided against the R134a conversion. Another factor for me is that supposedly the compressor on an M3 must be replaced with a R134a compatible one, whereas on other later model E30's the compressor is compatible. Buying R12 was cheaper that buying a new compressor.
Most of the local shops in my area did not deal with R12 anymore, but used the Freeze 12 substitute. I would not use this-although there are people who have and had no problems, but talking to a couple of these shops revealed that using it had caused some compressors to lock up within a few days of installation.
In the end, a guy where I work just happened to have 5 cans of R12 that he gave me for free. I went to the BMW dealership where they pulled a vacuum on the system, found no leaks, and recharged with 3 of the R12 cans I brought in. It now cools down to around 48 degrees, and would probably be better if I would replace the original receiver/dryer. It works very well in this almost 100 degree, very high humidity Mississippi heat. Needless to say, a non-functional A/C is not an option here for most people.
Since my system was working perfectly before, I decided against the R134a conversion. Another factor for me is that supposedly the compressor on an M3 must be replaced with a R134a compatible one, whereas on other later model E30's the compressor is compatible. Buying R12 was cheaper that buying a new compressor.
Most of the local shops in my area did not deal with R12 anymore, but used the Freeze 12 substitute. I would not use this-although there are people who have and had no problems, but talking to a couple of these shops revealed that using it had caused some compressors to lock up within a few days of installation.
In the end, a guy where I work just happened to have 5 cans of R12 that he gave me for free. I went to the BMW dealership where they pulled a vacuum on the system, found no leaks, and recharged with 3 of the R12 cans I brought in. It now cools down to around 48 degrees, and would probably be better if I would replace the original receiver/dryer. It works very well in this almost 100 degree, very high humidity Mississippi heat. Needless to say, a non-functional A/C is not an option here for most people.
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