Look for a sticker in your engine compartment. If the tech convertered it he should have put a Sticker noting it. There is now a direct replacment for R12, its not R12 but it can be mixed. I am not sure it was availible 5 years ago, meaning I think 5 years ago the only option was to switch to R134.

Some how we skipped the issue that your coolant leaked out. You have a leak. It could be a small leak or your coolant could come out as fast as you put it in. Compressors that sit unused tend to have the front seal go bad.

The first question would be is there any coolant in your system or is it completely empty? Note even an empty system will have a small amount of pressure in it do to changes in temps, a half full system will have a large spray and be very cold as it leaves the system.

 

Ok, had this taken care of.

Here's the deal....putting this out there for anyone else who may need it.

I had two shops tell me r12 is illegal, and can no longer be used. They wanted $300 for a conversion so the car could take r134, + about $170 to do the refill. As it turns out - and as Cam69 alluded to, r12 is NOT illegal. It is illegal for me to buy and use, b/c I am not licensed by the EPA. ie, both people from these shops were full of sh it, and were trying to scam me out of money.

I spoke with some other people, one other shop, and the EPA. That's where I got the above info. The third shop gave it to me straight: I can do the conversion if I choose, but two things to be aware of. 1) r134 is not as cold as r12, and 2) it is not uncommon that soon after the conversion, the compressor will die, due to the extra load. I was told this does not always happen, but it happens often enough where he felt a need to warn me. He told me to do some legwork, and spend some time to find a shop who 1) has the proper equipment to do r12, 2) actually has r12, and 3) is licensed by the EPA. Later that day, I got my return phone call from the EPA rep, and he basically echoed what the guy from shop #3 told me. Made a few phone calls, and found a shop who met all of the above criteria. Brought the car in, and now my a/c works beautifully, Cost me a little over $200, which seems a bit steep, but hey - it is what it is. Now I have to bring the car back to the guy to see if there is a leak; he added some type of dye, so that he would be able to find a leak with a black light.

Now for my next project...replacing the power window motor in my passenger door....

 

There is a direct substitute for R12 that you can add to a R12 system without any changes, except for two fitting adapters, and it is legal. Do a search for "Freeze 12". You will also need the special recharge hose.