INFORMATION ON CONTAMINATED R12 REFRIGERANT TESTING. Chevrolet S10 Pickup

REVISION: 03/04/96

THIS BULLETIN IS BEING REVISED TO INFORM "GM OF CANADA" AND "NAES" DEALERS THAT THEY ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO UTILIZE THIS SERVICE BULLETIN. ----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUBJECT: INFORMATION ON CONTAMINATED R12 REFRIGERANT TESTING AND HANDLING

MODELS: 1994 AND PRIOR PASSENGER CARS AND TRUCKS WITH R12 A/C SYSTEMS

********************************************************************** IMPORTANT: "GM OF CANADA" DEALERS AND "NAES" DEALERS ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO UTILIZE THIS SERVICE BULLETIN. **********************************************************************

THE J39851 "PUREGUARD" R12 REFRIGERANT MONITOR WAS RECENTLY SHIPPED TO ALL GM DEALERS AS AN ESSENTIAL TOOL TO TEST R12 REFRIGERANT. DEALERS ARE STRONGLY URGED TO INSTALL THIS PROTECTIVE DEVICE ON THEIR ACR3 OR OTHER R12 RECOVERY EQUIPMENT IMMEDIATELY. THE PUREGUARD IS EASILY INSTALLED ON ANY RECOVERY CART (20 MINUTES), REQUIRES NO RECOVERY CART MODIFICATIONS, IS FULLY AUTOMATIC (NO TRAINING REQUIRED) AND DOES NOT INCREASE THE TIME REQUIRED TO PERFORM NORMAL A/C SERVICE PROCEDURES. PROPER USE OF THIS TOOL CAN:

- PREVENT DAMAGE TO YOUR R12 RECOVERY/RECYCLING EQUIPMENT. - PREVENT CONTAMINATION OF PREVIOUSLY RECOVERED R12 IN THE RECOVERY TANK. - PREVENT LOSS OF YOUR RECOVERED R12 AS CONTAMINATED REFRIGERANT WILL ACTIVATE AUTOMATIC AIR PURGE SYSTEM. - PREVENT THE SPREAD OF CONTAMINATED R12 TO OTHER VEHICLES YOU SERVICE.

IF YOUR DEALERSHIP HAS MULTIPLE R12 RECOVERY STATIONS WHICH ARE NOT PROTECTED, USE THE PUREGUARD TO CHECK THE REFRIGERANT IN THESE RECOVERY TANKS FOR CONTAMINATION AT LEAST ONCE EACH WEEK. SIMPLY CONNECT THE PUREGUARD BLUE SERVICE HOSE (THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE CONNECTED TO THE VEHICLE LOW SIDE SERVICE PORT) TO THE RED OR VAPOR SIDE OF ANY RECOVERY CART TANK AND RUN THE TEST. IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO CHECK A TANK CONTAINING RECOVERED/RECYCLED MATERIAL FOR PURITY BEFORE INSTALLATION ON YOUR CHARGING EQUIPMENT. EVEN NEW R12 REFRIGERANT PURCHASED FROM SOURCES OTHER THAN GM SHOULD BE TESTED FOR CONTAMINATION PRIOR TO USE.

SOURCES OF CONTAMINATED R12 REFRIGERANT

SINCE REFRIGERANT TESTING HAS NOT BEEN A STANDARD PRACTICE IN THE MOBILE A/C REPAIR INDUSTRY, THE AMOUNT OF R12 REFRIGERANT CONTAMINATION IS UNKNOWN. AS R12 PRICES RISE AND SUPPLIES ARE DEPLETED, IT IS ANTICIPATED THAT CONTAMINATED R12 REFRIGERANT MAY BECOME MORE PREVALENT FROM THE FOLLOWING AS WELL AS OTHER SOURCES:

- THE USE OF R12 REFRIGERANT SUBSTITUTES WITHOUT INSTALLATION OF UNIQUE SERVICE FITTINGS AND PROPER IDENTIFICATION LABELING.

- IMPROPER USE OF R12 SUBSTITUTES, SUCH AS TOPPING OFF R12 SYSTEMS WITH R134A OR OTHER REFRIGERANTS AVAILABLE TO "DO-IT- YOURSELFERS".

- POOR QUALITY OR CONTAMINATED NEW OR REPROCESSED R12 REFRIGERANT.

R12 CAN AND SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE USED TO SERVICE VEHICLES BUILT WITH R12 AS LONG AS IT IS AVAILABLE. COMBINING ANY REFRIGERANT WITH R12 RESULTS IN A REFRIGERANT MIXTURE WHICH CANNOT BE USED IN AN A/C SYSTEM.

R134A IS THE ONLY SUBSTITUTE REFRIGERANT APPROVED BY GM AND SHOULD ONLY BE USED WHEN THE APPROPRIATE RETROFIT SERVICE BULLETIN PROCEDURES ARE EXPLICITLY FOLLOWED. USE OF ANY OTHER SUBSTITUTE REFRIGERANT REQUIRES THE PURCHASE OF ADDITIONAL DEDICATED RECOVERY, RECYCLING (IF APPLICABLE) AND CHARGING EQUIPMENT TO SERVICE EACH SUBSTITUTE REFRIGERANT USED.

HOWEVER, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) HAS LISTED SEVERAL PRODUCTS AS ACCEPTABLE REPLACEMENTS FOR R12 MOBILE A/C SYSTEMS UNDER THE SIGNIFICANT NEW ALTERNATIVES POLICY (SNAP). SOME OF THESE PRODUCTS ARE: R134A, R401C (A DUPONT REFRIGERANT BLEND) AND FRIGC (ANOTHER REFRIGERANT BLEND). IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE SNAP PROGRAM ONLY CONSIDERS THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A CHEMICAL. IT DOES NOT TEST FOR A/C SYSTEM COOLING PERFORMANCE OR DURABILITY. THAT JUDGMENT IS DEFERRED TO THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER. USE OF ANY R12 REFRIGERANT SUBSTITUTE WITHOUT DEDICATED SERVICE EQUIPMENT, UNIQUE FITTINGS, LABELS AND REFRIGERANT TESTING PRIOR TO RECOVERY, COULD RESULT IN CONTAMINATION OF THE R12 SUPPLY AND THE LOSS OF THE R12 RECYCLING PROGRAM.

WHAT TO DO WHEN CONTAMINATION IS DETECTED

REPEAT THE TEST TO VERIFY CONTAMINATED REFRIGERANT IS PRESENT. CLEAR THE PUREGUARD FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS LISTED ON THE FACE PANEL, THEN PERFORM A SECOND TEST TO VERIFY THAT THE VEHICLE A/C SYSTEM CONTAINS CONTAMINATED OR MIXED REFRIGERANT.

CONTACT THE VEHICLE OWNER TO ADVISE THAT PREVIOUS A/C SYSTEM REPAIRS WERE APPARENTLY PERFORMED WITH AN R12 REFRIGERANT SUBSTITUTE. SUGGEST THE OWNER CONTACT OR RETURN TO THE PREVIOUS REPAIR FACILITY. EXPLAIN THAT ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS PROHIBIT REPAIR FACILITIES FROM DISCHARGING OZONE DEPLETING A/C REFRIGERANTS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. EXPLAIN THAT RECOVERY OF THIS UNKNOWN REFRIGERANT COULD DAMAGE YOUR SERVICE EQUIPMENT.

IF THE CUSTOMER WISHES TO PURSUE REPAIRS THROUGH YOUR FACILITY, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE PROPER A/C SERVICE EQUIPMENT BE PURCHASED. GENERAL MOTORS RECOMMENDS THE KENT-MOORE J41428 "SCAVENGER", AN AIR OPERATED REFRIGERANT RECOVERY STATION, BE USED TO REMOVE UNKNOWN REFRIGERANTS. THE AIR OPERATED FEATURE REDUCES THE HAZARD OF RECOVERING POTENTIALLY FLAMMABLE REFRIGERANTS. DEALERS SHOULD EVALUATE THE NEED TO PURCHASE THE EQUIPMENT BASED ON THE NUMBER OF CONTAMINATED VEHICLES THEY ENCOUNTER.

AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE INITIAL PURCHASE OF A RECOVERY ONLY STATION, DEALERS SHOULD CHECK LOCALLY FOR A/C SPECIALTY SHOPS WHICH MAY HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO SERVICE SUBSTITUTE OR CONTAMINATED REFRIGERANTS. THEY MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE CONTAMINATED REFRIGERANT RECOVERY SERVICE TO THE DEALER.

THE GM SERVICE TECHNOLOGY GROUP HAS TESTED A RECOVERY PROCEDURE WHERE A 15 OR 30 POUND DOT APPROVED REFILLABLE TANK IS FULLY EVACUATED THEN CONNECTED TO A VEHICLE A/C SYSTEM TO RECOVER THE CHARGE. TESTING HAS SHOWN THAT EVEN WHEN THE RECOVERY TANK IS COOLED DOWN IN DRY ICE, THE PROCEDURE DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ENTIRE CHARGE WILL BE RECOVERED. SINCE EPA REGULATIONS REQUIRE FULL RECOVERY OF OZONE DEPLETING SUBSTANCES, GM DOES NOT RECOMMEND THIS PROCEDURE.

CONTAMINATED REFRIGERANT DISPOSAL

ALTHOUGH A/C REFRIGERANT TESTING AND DISPOSAL HAVE NOT BEEN A SERVICE PRACTICE IN THE MOBILE A/C INDUSTRY, IT HAS BEEN COMMON IN THE STATIONARY A/C SERVICE INDUSTRY FOR MANY YEARS. LISTED AT THE END OF THIS BULLETIN ARE COMPANIES THAT PROVIDE REFRIGERANT DISPOSAL SERVICE FOR THE STATIONARY A/C INDUSTRY. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT GM HAS NOT INDEPENDENTLY EVALUATED THESE COMPANIES AND IS NOT IN ANY WAY ENDORSING OR PROMOTING THE USE OF THESE COMPANIES. EACH OF THESE COMPANIES HAS EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN PROVIDING REFRIGERANT DISPOSAL SERVICE TO GM DEALERS.

IN WORKING WITH THE STATIONARY A/C INDUSTRY, THESE COMPANIES TYPICALLY RECEIVE LARGE VOLUMES OF DIFFERENT REFRIGERANTS THAT HAVE BEEN MIXED TOGETHER. UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE THE VOLUME OF MATERIAL RETURNED BY THE MOBILE A/C INDUSTRY WILL BE IN MUCH SMALLER QUANTITIES, THE COST OF HANDLING WILL BE GREATER.

TO ARRANGE FOR RETURN OF THE REFRIGERANT, SIMPLY CALL THE COMPANY NEAREST YOU USING THE PHONE NUMBER LISTED BELOW. THE COMPANY WILL ADVISE YOU ON BILLING AND SHIPPING PROCEDURES. DISPOSAL COST WILL VARY BETWEEN $3.00 AND $5.00 PER POUND PLUS FREIGHT AND HANDLING. SHIPPING CHARGES WILL VARY BY DISTANCE AND LOCATION. IN GENERAL, A 7 TO 10 DAY TURN-AROUND TIME ON THE TANK CAN BE EXPECTED. THE TANK CAN BE SHIPPED VIA COMMON CARRIER. DOCUMENTS THAT YOUR REFRIGERANT HAS BEEN PROPERLY DISPOSED OF WILL BE SENT TO YOU WITH THE RETURN OF YOUR TANK.

AS AN ALTERNATIVE, MANY DEALERSHIPS ALREADY HAVE CONTRACTS IN PLACE WITH A DISPOSAL COMPANY WHO MANAGES THEIR HAZARDOUS WASTES. IN THESE CASES, THE DISPOSAL SERVICE MAY AGREE TO HANDLE CONTAINERS OF MIXED REFRIGERANTS. INITIALLY, THE LOCAL DISPOSAL COMPANIES MAY BE SURPRISED BY THIS INQUIRY. THEY MAY WANT TO EVALUATE HOW MUCH MATERIAL WILL BE COLLECTED BEFORE DECIDING WHETHER TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE.

AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PRACTICE OF TESTING R12 REFRIGERANT, IT WILL TAKE TIME FOR ALL THE QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED. STG WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AS SOON AS IT IS AVAILABLE.

UNDERSTANDING THE PUREGUARD

THE PUREGUARD IS A HIGHLY SENSITIVE INSTRUMENT CAPABLE OF DETECTING R12 WITH 3% OR LESS CROSS-CONTAMINATION WITH OTHER REFRIGERANTS. ANY REFRIGERANT MIXTURE IN EXCESS OF THIS AMOUNT POSES A THREAT TO BOTH YOUR REFRIGERANT SUPPLY AND RECOVERY EQUIPMENT. THE PUREGUARD USES A PASS/FAIL APPROACH WHEN MONITORING THE REFRIGERANT AND IS PRECISELY CALIBRATED TO CUT POWER TO THE RECOVERY MACHINE IF IT ENCOUNTERS R12 MIXED WITH ANY SUBSTITUTE REFRIGERANTS. THE PUREGUARD IGNORES THE PRESENCE OF THE AIR, DYES OR OILS IN THE REFRIGERANT SAMPLED.

AT LEAST 20 PSI MUST BE PRESENT IN THE VEHICLE'S A/C SYSTEM FOR THE PUREGUARD TO FUNCTION. OTHERWISE, REFRIGERANT CANNOT BE INTRODUCED TO THE PUREGUARD'S TEST CHAMBER. IF A VEHICLE'S A/C SYSTEM CONTAINS LESS THAN 20 PSI, IT IS AN INDICATION THAT THE VEHICLE'S SYSTEM IS NEARLY DEPLETED OF REFRIGERANT.

OCCASIONALLY, ERRATIC PUREGUARD OPERATION OR SERVICE CODE 002 DISPLAY WILL BE ENCOUNTERED WHEN A/C SYSTEM PRESSURE IS EXACTLY 20 PSI. IF THIS OCCURS, SIMPLY CYCLE THE ON/OFF SWITCH TO RESET THE PUREGUARD. AFTER THE 30 SECOND PUREGUARD WARM-UP CYCLE, PROCEED IMMEDIATELY WITH VEHICLE RECOVERY OPERATION.

FEEDBACK FROM THE FIELD HAS INDICATED PUREGUARD SERVICE CODE 002 WILL ALSO BE DISPLAYED IF THE OIL DRAIN PORT IS NOT SEALED. MAKE SURE THE "O" RING SEAL IN THE CAP IS IN PLACE AND THAT THE CAP IS TIGHT.

IF THE PUREGUARD FAILS TO CLEAR OR IF YOU EXPERIENCE ANY OTHER PROBLEMS OPERATING THE PUREGUARD, CONTACT KENT-MOORE TECHNICAL SERVICE AT 1-800-345-2233. THE UNIT SHOULD NOT BE RETURNED WITHOUT FIRST CONTACTING KENT-MOORE TO OBTAIN RETURN AUTHORIZATION.

REFRIGERANT DISPOSAL LOCATIONS:

UNITED STATES REFRIGERANT RECLAMATION INC. 12420 NORTH GREEN RIVER RD. EVANSVILLE, IN 47711 800-207-5931, FAX - 812-867-1463

OMEGA REFRIGERANT RECLAMATION 5263 NORTH FOURTH ST. IRWINDALE, CA 91706 310-698-0991, FAX - 310-696-1908

REFRIGERANT MANAGEMENT SVCS OF GEORGIA 216 F. ATLANTA HWY. CUMMING, GA 30130 PH/FAX - 800-347-5872

REFRIGERANT RECLAIM INC. 122 OLD STAGE COACH RD. DUMFRIES, VA 22026 800-238-5902, FAX - 703-441-0393

GARTECH REFRIGERANT RECLAMATION CTR. 2002 PLATINUM GARLAND, TX 75042 214-272-4070, FAX - 214-272-8548

NATIONAL REFRIGERANTS, INC. 11401 ROOSEVELT BLVD. PHILADELPHIA, PA 19154 215-698-6620, FAX - 215-602-8205

CFC RECLAMATION 1321 SWIFT NORTH KANSAS CITY, MO 64116 816-471-2511

FULL CYCLE-GLOBAL 550 JAMES STREET LAKEWOOD, NJ 08701 908-370-3400, FAX - 908-370-3088

REFRIGERANT RECLAIM SVCS, INC. DBA FULL CYCLE-GLOBAL 121 S. NORWOOD DRIVE FT. WORTH, TX 76053-7807 817-282-0022, FAX - 800-831-6182

FULL CYCLE-GLOBAL 2055 SILBER, STE. 109 HOUSTON, TX 77055 713-681-7370, FAX - 713-681-9947

FULL CYCLE-GLOBAL 343 SOUTH AIRLINE HWY. GONZALES, LA 70737 504-644-5303, FAX - 504-644-1809

FULL CYCLE-GLOBAL 2966 WIRETON BLUE ISLAND, IL 60406 708-388-8551, FAX - 708-388-8550

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GENERAL MOTORS BULLETINS ARE INTENDED FOR USE BY PROFESSIONAL TECHNICIANS, NOT A "DO-IT-YOURSELFER". THEY ARE WRITTEN TO INFORM THOSE TECHNICIANS OF CONDITIONS THAT MAY OCCUR ON SOME VEHICLES, OR TO PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT COULD ASSIST IN THE PROPER SERVICE OF A VEHICLE. PROPERLY TRAINED TECHNICIANS HAVE THE EQUIPMENT, TOOLS, SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS AND KNOW-HOW TO DO A JOB PROPERLY AND SAFELY. IF A CONDITION IS DESCRIBED, DO NOT ASSUME THAT THE BULLETIN APPLIES TO YOUR VEHICLE, OR THAT YOUR VEHICLE WILL HAVE THAT CONDITION. SEE A GENERAL MOTORS DEALER SERVICING YOUR BRAND OF GENERAL MOTORS VEHICLE FOR INFORMATION ON WHETHER YOUR VEHICLE MAY BENEFIT FROM THE INFORMATION.