# What a/c system do I have on my 93 ford taurus? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** ford, taurus\ **Created:** [June 6, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-a-c-system-do-i-have-on-my-93-ford-taurus/49918 "2010-06-06T00:18:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![russharv63](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@russharv63](https://community.cartalk.com/u/russharv63)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-a-c-system-do-i-have-on-my-93-ford-taurus/49918/1 "2010-06-06T00:18:43Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-a-c-system-do-i-have-on-my-93-ford-taurus/49918/2 "2010-06-06T00:34:45Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![nfs480](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@nfs480](https://community.cartalk.com/u/nfs480)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 12:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-a-c-system-do-i-have-on-my-93-ford-taurus/49918/3 "2010-06-06T00:53:14Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@tardis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tardis)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 12:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-a-c-system-do-i-have-on-my-93-ford-taurus/49918/4 "2010-06-06T00:55:59Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![tardis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@tardis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/tardis)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-a-c-system-do-i-have-on-my-93-ford-taurus/49918/5 "2010-06-06T00:58:03Z")
"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. ---
**Author:** ![Goldwing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@Goldwing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Goldwing)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-a-c-system-do-i-have-on-my-93-ford-taurus/49918/6 "2010-06-06T01:47:15Z")
Open your hood and look around at the messages written there, it probably tells you that you have 134a. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 2:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-a-c-system-do-i-have-on-my-93-ford-taurus/49918/7 "2010-06-06T02:03:06Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![edb1961](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/edb1961/32/122_2.png) [@edb1961](https://community.cartalk.com/u/edb1961)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-a-c-system-do-i-have-on-my-93-ford-taurus/49918/8 "2010-06-06T02:32:41Z")
My 93 Caprice has R12, I believe 93 was the last year for R12 in domestic vehicles. Ed B. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/1/d/1d47c66a543aa6c5a7873bb2320858f978ff52ed.png) [@system](https://community.cartalk.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 9:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/what-a-c-system-do-i-have-on-my-93-ford-taurus/49918/9 "2011-04-28T09:07:18Z")
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](http://www.rcaieftina.net)