What a/c system do I have on my 93 ford taurus?

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

I have a 1993 ford taurus 3.8L V6 automatic GL. My freon level is getting low and I need to determine what kind of a/c system I have in my car. Do I have a R-12 a/c system or a R-134a a/c system. I bought the car used in 1998 and have never had the a/c system serviced. Assuming it has the same a/c system in it when it was built, how do I determine if it is a R-12 or R-134a a/c system?

2

R12 was phased out starting with the 1976 Montreal Protocol, an international agreement to get rid of R-12. By 1993 almost very car had R-134a. I had one of the last units with the old R-12, a 1984 Caprice.

Your OWNER’S MANUAL has a page on Specifications; it lists all the dimensions and the fluids required for your car.

3

A 1993 might still have R12, 1993-1994 was the year when most of the switchover seemed to happen. My friend has a 1993 Buick Skylark with R12 and another friend has a 1994 Chevrolet Corsica with R134a. There is sometimes a sticker under the hood that specifies which refrigerant the system was designed for.

4

Most Fords were R-12 in 93. I know that my 93 T-bird was. In 94, Ford was completely or almost completely switched to R-134.
I would guess that your Taurus has R-12, but why guess. There should be a label under the hood that indicates how much and what kind of refrigerant your car takes.

5

"I had one of the last units with the old R-12, a 1984 Caprice. "
Wrong - R12 was still the refrigerant of choice right up to the early 90s.

6

Open your hood and look around at the messages written there, it probably tells you that you have 134a.

7

Open the hood. Look along any of the refrigerant lines and see if you can find anything that looks like the cap you would see on a tire stem valve. If you see this type of cap, it’s an R12 system. If you see larger blue/red caps, it’s R134a system.

Tester

8

My 93 Caprice has R12, I believe 93 was the last year for R12 in domestic vehicles.

Ed B.

9

You must look at the technical data. The manuals can be found on the web if you know how to search. Seems to be a good idea to have the manual with you when you need a repair problem. asigurare rca ieftin