boxburn

I am about to strip down my donor vehicle so have a question about the A/C. It's 1993 with different fittings for the gas than mine. I'm guessing that means it runs on the older gas. Would the compressor from that system still work with the newer gas system or are all the seals different for the different gas?

The end result of this question is it will either go in the keep pile or the sell pile.

PatHenry

Is there a sticker under the hood or near the radiator that mentions the refrigerant? It's either R12 or R134A.

IIRC, at least in the 94-96 era there were many (if not all) parts that were the same regardless of the specific refrigerant. For 1995 at least, there were some XJ's that were produced with R12 and some with R134A. My 95 happens to be R134A and uses the threaded fitting type hoses - the sticker is still present and legible indicating as such and the spec refrigerant charge.

You can see if you can get a parts catalogue for the 93 and see if helps clarify.

EDIT - Apparently there's a tag on the compressor body usually that indicates the refrigerant used in it. Maybe hidden under a few layers of dirt and grime...

boxburn

I'll have to take a look, I do know my one is R134A but this other one has completely different line fittings for charging the system with gas. The stickers are badly deteriorated on this Jeep so can't check that way.

The parts catalogue shows different numbers for most of the compressors components, some of them being 1 digit different.

PatHenry

Ugh, that's unfortunate. I wonder if Cruiser has any insight..

boxburn

I peeled the sticker from the compressor can can make out R-12. If it's saying use or do not use I have no idea. I assume use.

4.3L XJ

OK, will the compressor work? Yes. What is different is the oil used between the original R12d and R134A. So when you blend these two systems, mount the compressor and if possible use the R134 hoses. They are different in composition. R134A is a blend of several refrigerants. The lighter ones can diffuse through the old hoses over time. Then you recharge and it won't cool quite as well. So use the newer hoses if you can, new green O rings at all the fittings. You should also use the accumulator with the 134A oil in it. It is preferable however to replace the accumulator on the frame with a new one and use new oil. If the fittings aren't right, then you can get conversion fittings that just slip on.