alia176
SILVER Star
It's summer and some of us are experiencing A/C troubles so I think it's time to do a writeup on how to remove the cooling unit, evaporator and expansion valve out of a '97 80 series.
Removal of the cooling unit is very straight forward, plan on about half hour and minimal cursing You need to first evacuate the system of all refrigerant before starting this project unless of course the system is already empty to a leak somewhere
This is my third time removing the cooling unit so this is becoming old hat. I can remove the stupid thing in about 15 min.
If you're a big dude, it may help to remove the front pass seat out of the vehicle to allow for more work room
Tools needed:
long phillips screwdriver
10 mm socket (shallow and wobble)
12" ratchet extension
10 mm box end wrench/gear wrench
Safety:
- eye goggles. <== can't stress this one enough.
- good gloves to prevent frost bite
- Please be aware that this is a closed system and is capable of achieving very HIGH PRESSURE. So, use caution and common sense when opening up the system.
R134a is not toxic to the environment as R12 was but still, try not to breathe this stuff!
I'm going attach the pics to this thread rather than going through photobucket for a better long term picture storage solution. I may not have a photobucket account in the future!
There are couple of ways to detect A/C system leaks:
-using R134a with colored dye that can be detected using UV light and special glasses
-pressurize the system with compressed air (has moisture) or Nitrogen (no moisture) and then look for leaks using soap bubble test or listen for air escaping sound.
I use both the UV dye and the Nitrogen system to find leaks. I took a hose that came with a R134a kit and then cut it in half. Using some brass fittings and a schrader valve, a home brew hose connection was constructed so that external air/Nitrogen can be pumped into the A/C system using the Low pressure port at the compressor. The pressure is set to about 40 psi.
Removal of the cooling unit is very straight forward, plan on about half hour and minimal cursing You need to first evacuate the system of all refrigerant before starting this project unless of course the system is already empty to a leak somewhere
This is my third time removing the cooling unit so this is becoming old hat. I can remove the stupid thing in about 15 min.
If you're a big dude, it may help to remove the front pass seat out of the vehicle to allow for more work room
Tools needed:
long phillips screwdriver
10 mm socket (shallow and wobble)
12" ratchet extension
10 mm box end wrench/gear wrench
Safety:
- eye goggles. <== can't stress this one enough.
- good gloves to prevent frost bite
- Please be aware that this is a closed system and is capable of achieving very HIGH PRESSURE. So, use caution and common sense when opening up the system.
R134a is not toxic to the environment as R12 was but still, try not to breathe this stuff!
I'm going attach the pics to this thread rather than going through photobucket for a better long term picture storage solution. I may not have a photobucket account in the future!
There are couple of ways to detect A/C system leaks:
-using R134a with colored dye that can be detected using UV light and special glasses
-pressurize the system with compressed air (has moisture) or Nitrogen (no moisture) and then look for leaks using soap bubble test or listen for air escaping sound.
I use both the UV dye and the Nitrogen system to find leaks. I took a hose that came with a R134a kit and then cut it in half. Using some brass fittings and a schrader valve, a home brew hose connection was constructed so that external air/Nitrogen can be pumped into the A/C system using the Low pressure port at the compressor. The pressure is set to about 40 psi.
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