Questionmy son is replacing the compressor in my 1995 525i and I need to get the coolant drained and then replaced after the new compressor is installed. Do you know which air conditioning coolant was used in that year /model?
AnswerJeanne,
Unfortunately there is no way of telling by the year of the vehicle. If it was a 2006 I would have a good guess, but 1995 may have been R12 or R134. The best way is to look under the hood and see if the refridgerant has been changed. Shops are required by law to place a sticker under the hood denoting if the refrigerant has been changed to R134 or R12. There should be a sticker under the hood, near the A/C lines that says how much R12/R134 should be in the system. The sticker might be in German, but you will still be able to see "R12" or "R134"
Check the owners manual as well.
You can also tell by the fittings to replace the coolant. If it is, or has been changed to R134, it will have special adapters for the guages needed to refill the refridgerant.
After all that, I am going to discourage you from doing this yourself, for several reasons. First, if you do not have the correct tools, you will be wasting money, as the R134 will mix with air, and be ruined. Second, you will likely have to evacuate all the refridgerant from the lines, and this means that you need a recycling apparatus (which is extremely expensive). So this means the freon in the system now is going to escape into the air, and help eat a hole in the Ozone layer. I urge you to be responsible and take the vehicle to a A/C shop to have this performed correctly (If your son doesn't have the correct tools and knowledge).
Good luck,
Josh
