1987 BMW Convertible 325I R12 to R134A A/C Conversion

[Ron Ege]

Help! I am overwhelmed with information/parts availability for the conversion. Has anyone successfully accomplished it with aftermarket parts -since BMW parts are cost prohibitive? Specific vendors, part numbers, how-to articles, technical bulletions, etc. would be very much appreciated. Thanks!

[Bear]

Son-in-Law did a drop in conversion (the WALMART Special) about six years ago on their '90 325ic and so far so good, if you have no leaks in the system you may wish to try this way cause as George Foreman says "it ain't gonna cost you a lot of money).


I did a conversion on my '88 750il about 8 years ago, but I changed the receiver/dryer, expansion valve, and evaporator as well as all of the "O" rings, was not cheap but I used all aftermarket parts and she is Cold, Cold.

[Bear]

One more thing, in order to convert you must first discharge the system and the EPA frowns on discharging R-12 into the atmosphere.

[witeshark]

Old refrigerant must be handled as hazmat.

[ScottinAZ]

have the old system drained of refrigerant, replace the expansion valve under the dash with one calibrated for r134, replace the reciever drier with one compatible with r134, flush the system and go for it. I am using the standard behr/bosch compressor that came with the car (supposed to not be compatible) but have had no issues this summer and the car blows COLD.

replacing the expansion valve could be considered optional, but replacing the drier is mandatory as the dessicant inside the old one is not compatible with the oil or the refrigerant used in a conversion. Did my whole system for about 120 bucks or so.