R12-R134a AC Conversion?
 

Anybody done one on a Subaru. Debbie's L will likely need one after finding the leak.

AC compressor won't kick on no matter what buttons you press, but clutch kicks in and compressor turns fine if you hot-wire it.

I am assuming there is a low pressure switch and thus that there is a leak and the system is empty.

Read This Link on Nasioc, but would like to talk to someone who has done one.

Dad has a vacuum pump and gauges I can borrow. Not sure how you find a leak in an uncharged/vacuum system. Dye isn't going to help. Seems silly to charge a system to find a leak.

Heard Walmart has "kits"... not sure what is in them... Assume it needs a drier, oil and R134A.

Personally, I think Rachel should just rough it... ;) This is going to be her college car.

It's easy. Just need one of the kits to change all the seals, then take it to a pro to be evacuated and charged.There is no way to do that at home. The charge will be $120 or so, but the seal kit is really cheap and there's nothing real difficult about replacing them.

^what he said.

I have done this before on a couple non-Subies way back when. The AC will not work as well as it would on a full R12 charge, but it will work much better than no AC at all.

Just curious, what does my AC use? Whatever it is, it rocks!

Yours is R134-a. R-12 only came in older cars. Typically early 90's and back. R-12 cools better than R134-a, but the EPA decided that it's too damaging to the environment if the ac system develops a leak, so 134 was developed and is considered "less harmful"...

Which I think is weird because it tastes the same.

Do they both taste like burning?

yes