CFC REDUCTION AND REFRIGERANT RECOVERY (RECYCLING PROGRAM)

VEHICLES AFFECTED: ALL MODELS ALL YEARS

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are believed by the international scientific community to cause harm by depleting the layer of stratospheric ozone which helps protect us from the sun's ultraviolet rays. In response to this discovery, an international accord known as the Montreal Protocol became effective January 1, 1989. This accord controls CFCs internationally and requires reducing the Production and consumption of CFCs worldwide.

General Motors of Canada fully supports the Montreal Protocol and has been actively working with the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association, the Mobile Air Conditioning Society, the Society of Automotive Engineers, Underwriter Laboratories (UL) and recovery/recycling equipment manufacturers to develop and validate equipment and to implement a program allowing air conditioning service and repair facilities to recover and recycle CFCs. Two materials which are scheduled for reduced usage under the Montreal Protocol and which are frequently used in dealership service areas are R-11 (CFC-11) and R-12 (CFC-12).

CFC-11 is primarily used in dealer service areas to clean failed mobile air conditioning refrigeration systems by flushing. In place of flushing the system with CFC-11 during repair service, General Motors recommends the use of liquid line filters. The filter should be used after repeated orifice tube plugging or when replacing a seized compressor. These filters are available through Service Parts Operations and eliminate the need to use CFC-11 to flush a failed mobile air conditioning system.

The second material, CFC-12, the refrigerant in mobile air conditioning systems, accounts for approximately 25% of all domestically consumed CFCs and makes the mobile air conditioning system the single largest user of CFCs.

Procedures to recover CFC-12 were not deemed necessary in the past. The service practice was to exhaust the CFC-12 refrigerant to the atmosphere when an air conditioning system was serviced. Emissions of CFC-12 to the atmosphere which resulted from such practices will be substantially reduced with the adoption of recovery and recycling during service.

An industry research effort has shown that CFC-12 refrigerant recovered from vehicles in service can be reused if recycled. Purity and equipment certification standards have been developed through laboratory analysis and testing. An equipment certification program has been established with Underwriters Laboratories to assure recycling equipment meets standards for operational safety and compliance with SAE Standard J1991, which is the test procedure to validate equipment to industry standards.

General Motors has determined that CFC-12 refrigerant recovery and recycling is a necessary step in reducing the amount of CFC-12 vented to the atmosphere.

General Motors of Canada has announced publicly, and that all GM of Canada Dealers will have recovery/recycling equipment at the start of model year 1991. The recovery/recycling equipment used by General Motors of Canada Dealers under this program must be, the UL certified Kent-Moore (J-3800 -B) ACR3 to insure new car warranty will not be voided by its use.

All dealers are encouraged to obtain and utilize the ACR3 as soon as possible to minimize ozone depletion and to maximize the return on investment made in the recovery equipment.

As detailed in previous correspondence from General Motors of Canada, major Dealers will be receiving the ACR3 by mail December 1989. All others will be receiving the ACR3 by June 1990. Your dealership will be aprised of the sentinent details prior to the start of shipment.

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.