Do I have R12 or R134A?

[mentholguy]

Hello,

New member here, just picked up 89 325i last week.

Love this car so far except AC isn't blowing cold air.

I was researching AC recharge, and noticed there are two types of valves.

Attached pictures are my valves, one with red cap, and the other one with blue cap.

Can anyone tell me which valve I have?

Thank you! :up:

[uturn]

Those are the r134 fitting adapters. Non-op a/c usually means there's a compressor issue. Start with the easy troubleshooting stuff first though.

[jeffnhiscars]

IME leaks are more common than compressor problems.

[uturn]

The leak is usually on the shaft seal at the front of the compressor.

[cory58]

My leak was from a failed o-ring.

[flyboyx]

there is an r134 conversion thread in diy section by gluklich21. i would HIGHLY recommend you read it. you never know what kind of work was done with your conversion. to actually get cold air, you really need to change the evaporator and the metering valve. its a really good idea to change all the o-rings to the green ones. as long as your compressor is good, you can retain that part. an r22 compressor will put out plenty of cooling. its pretty likely, someone just refilled your system with r134 but never changed any parts. you will never get decent cooling that way. i find this is common with e30's.