Vehicle aircon type

[WynandJean]

Can anyone tell me how to tell which refrigerant is in a vehicle's system? They are all supposed to have a sticker under the bonnet - but don't! See handbook??? I've pored over it - not a word. Tried looking online - no help. Surely there must be a way to find out as the different types are incompatible and it has to be correct.

Wyn

 

[Richard n Ann]

How old is the van? Up until a few years ago it was always R134a but new vans have got R1234 something or other, never used it myself.
Sometimes you can tell roughly what type of refrigerant by the standing pressure and taking into account how warm the day is but I suspect the 2 refrigerants above will be very similar

 

[gus-lopez]

What base vehicle is the van ?
What age is it?

 

[Lanerboy]

WynandJean
Not all to do with vehicle age my 2019 carthago has the old 134a gas yet my wifes golf 2018 has the new 1234yf gas

You can tell which gas it has in it by the 2 connectors 134a normally have black caps and 1234yf normally have grey caps on the ports and the ports are slightly different in size between the 2 different gases

 

[WynandJean]

It does seem difficult to tell. Particularly for different vehicles. The age of the vehicle can be misleading - our van for example is 2017 reg. but that is not the date the base vehicle will have been manufactured.

Wyn

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[Lanerboy]

It does seem difficult to tell. Particularly for different vehicles. The age of the vehicle can be misleading - our van for example is 2017 reg. but that is not the date the base vehicle will have been manufactured.

Wyn

Look at the colour of the caps that go on the filling ports are they black or grey ????

 

[WynandJean]

Look at the colour of the caps that go on the filling ports are they black or grey ????

Black. But surely with something so critical there should be a more definitive way of being sure? ☹

Wyn

 

[Richard n Ann]

Black. But surely with something so critical there should be a more definitive way of being sure? ☹

Wyn

Doesn't look that critical actually. The Bitzer app says they are within about 3½° of each other and both use synthetic poe oil.

That would be classed as interchangeable once upon a time

Why do you want to know anyway?

 

[Lanerboy]

Black. But surely with something so critical there should be a more definitive way of being sure? ☹

Wyn

More than likely if black caps its the older 134a gas, the connectors for the new 1234yf gas WILL NOT fit the old style ports

If you measure on the outside of the port how far down the thin indented ring is i can tell you which it is as the newer gas has this ring further down the port than the old ports

Hope this helps

 

[Lanerboy]

Or take thecap off and take a picture of the port from the top and the side and i will see if i can tell

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[joka250]

So what's mine, still got original caps, low pressure grey high pressure red. I know but the caps alone tell you very little. Their should be a label under the bonnet on the slam panel next to the paint code probably only in Italian.