R134a. R12 was not exactly outlawed, but since new production of R12 was banned by the Montreal Protocol, which was signed by nearly every industrialized country, and importation of R12 by signatories was banned, in 1994 all auto refrigeration systems were R134a.
Please don't try to do it yourself. Recharging by gauge, by ear, by sight gauge, or by vent temperature was easy with R12. It is not even possible with R134a. It is far easier to overcharge the system and damage the compressor than to properly charge the system without evacuating the system and adding the proper amount of R134a. A normal A/C service is about $100; a compressor replacement in your RAV-4 is between $1300 and $1850. Having been very proficient at recharging R12 and nearly destroying my son's compressor when I figured R134a couldn't be much harder (I overcharged by 6 oz), I recommend you go with the $100 when you can scrape the money together rather than with the $1300-$1850 repair.
www.autoacsystems.com
Does the 2001 Toyota rav4 A/C use R134 or R12 refrigerant?
Linear Mode
