Re: [gtivr6list] R-134A Coolant

[HANSRANDAL@aol.com]

Our cars use r-134a *freon* in the A/C system.  

The word *coolant* refers to the antifreeze that cools the motor, G11 (green 
stuff) in the early years, 95-97 the stuff should be flushed and replaced 
every 2 years or 24k miles and G12, red/orange coolant in the late model cars 
that is supposed to last 5 year 100k miles.  

If your A/C is warm most likely it is low on freon (r-134a) however it is a 
sealed system and you need to take it a step further and ask why is there no 
freon in the system. Most probable answer is that there is a pinhole leak 
somewhere in one of the line fittings, or worse the compressor or some other 
$$$$ item is slowly leaking.
The proper way to find this out is add a fluorescent dye to the freon when 
recharging. 
This dye will show up under a black light and tell you where the freon is 
leaking. (freon is a gas so you cannot see or smell it and there needs to be 
some type of tracer, i.e., dye). It sometimes will show up right away, other 
times it will take a week or two of using the A/C before there will be any 
sings of a leak.

The bad news is that recharging your A/C cannot be done by yourself. Someone 
must have a machine to inject the freon and measure the amount of pounds 
being put in and also inject the dye at the same time. Average cost will run 
you $100 to $250 depending on if you go to a local garage or the dealer. If 
you do end up having a leak in the compressor or some other item DO NOT go 
with an aftermarket part. There are too many bad rebuilds out there to even 
bother with. 

Scott
95 gti black
96 gti red