Replies

Sounds like it. Banned in EURO in 2011 and new cars in the US starting this year will no longer use it. Seems like the SAE wants HFO-1234yf which of course is expensive. NAPA has 8oz can for $28.99 while 134a comes in 12oz cans. Supposed to take less 1234yf to do the same job but I don't know how much less. Is 8oz of it the same as 12oz of 134a?

1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane was introduced in the early 1990s as a replacement for dichlorodifluoromethane (R-12), which has massive ozone depleting properties.[13] Even though it has insignificant ozone depletion potential (ozone layer) and negligible acidification potential (acid rain), it has a 100-year global warming potential (GWP) of 1430 and an approximate atmospheric lifetime of 14 years.[2] Its concentration in the atmosphere and contribution to radiative forcing have been growing since its introduction. Thus it was included in the IPCC list of greenhouse gases.[14] HFC-134a atmospheric concentration since year 1995.

R-134a was consequently banned from use in the European Union, starting with cars in 2011, by a directive of 2006 banning gases in air conditioning systems with a GWP above 100. [15]

1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane is subject to use restrictions in the US and other countries as well. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has proposed that it be best replaced by a new fluorochemical refrigerant HFO-1234yf (CF3CF=CH2) in automobile air-conditioning systems.[16] By model year 2021, newly manufactured light-duty vehicles in the United States will no longer use R-134a.[4]

California may also prohibit the sale of canned R-134a to individuals to avoid non-professional recharge of air conditioners.[17] A ban had been in place in Wisconsin since October 1994 under ATCP 136 prohibiting sales of container sizes holding less than 15 lbs of 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, but this restriction applied only when the chemical was intended to be a refrigerant. However, the ban was lifted in Wisconsin in 2012.[18] During the time that it was active, this Wisconsin-specific ban contained loopholes. For example, it was legal for a person to purchase gas duster containers with any amount of the chemical because in that instance the chemical is neither intended to be a refrigerant [18] nor is HFC-134a included in the § 7671a listing of class I and class II substances.[19]

""" California may also prohibit the sale of canned R-134a to individuals to avoid non-professional recharge of air conditioners """

Glad I'm EPA certified still have all my AC stuff. I was doing mobile auto repair in Florida and being able to do AC is a must down there. Back then there were still some cars with R-12 systems but you needed the EPA cert to buy it.

HFO-1234yf had the lowest switching cost for automakers among the proposed alternatives.[14][15] The product can be handled in repair shops in the same way as R-134a, although it requires some different, specialized equipment to perform the service. One of the reasons for that is the mild flammability of HFO-1234yf.[16] Another issue affecting the compatibility between HFO-1234yf and R-134a-based systems is the choice of lubricating oil.

HFO-1234yf is compatible with PAG oil which I think is the most widely used. New equipment and new procedures due to it being slightly flammable. It's already been in use in a few models of new cars for a few years. https://www.underhoodservice.com/r-1234yf-refrigerant-service-equipment-safety/

I think I'm going to start stocking up on 134a.