A/C Troubles

[TampaTom]

Happy 4th. We drove our 92 LC from FL to Lake Placid this week for vacation. 1/2 way through the trip the A/C compressor bit the dust. I think the bearings went and then took the clutch with it. We will start driving south in another week. Any ideas on cost effective solutions? Where should I look for a new or rebuilt compressor. Can I get my compressor rebuilt?

Thanks,

 

[warpdriv]

If you decide to get a new compressor, send cruiserdan ( another member on this forum) a message. He can get you a good price on what you need.

 

[Junk]

You could get in touch with James at www.cruiserparts.net . I would not normally go used on that, but he's up in NH, so he could get you what you need quickly.

 

[SteveLCetc]

AC Oil?

Here's the situation. My AC is a little anemic - it doesn't cool much. I compared it with the 97 T100 and it's definitely not as cold. Then I checked the window and sure enough I have bubbles. So, I'm considering just buying a can of Freon and dumping it in. The trouble is, last time I did that I burned up the compressor, I'm thinking due to lack of oil which maybe came out at the same rate as the coolant(??)

Anyway, I was thinking of just putting in a can of oil before the freon.

The question is (are) how do I tell if I have enough oil, and how much is too much?

Thanks in advance...

 

[e9999]

enough oil?

well...

asked the same question some time back to a number of people. Seems like the only way to know for sure is to empty everything and put in a known amount. Consensus seems to be that a minor leak will not cause you to lose much oil. So, adding a can of coolant with oil in it would probably be OK. But no easy answer on this one, I'm afraid.

E

 

[97 FZJ80]

Steve & E,

For AC system that uses R134 , the sight glass bubbles are meaningless. When I had AC cooling problems, I first checked the AC system pressure and found that it had too been overcharged. Unlike R12 systems, R134 system leaks very little and does not respond well to overcharging.

Other things to do to improve the AC is to wash the condensor with a hose weekly and ensure that all the fins are straight. A clean condensor really does increase the efficiency of the AC system. BTW, a clean car does not equals to a clean condensor. So even if your paint is still shining from your last wax job, you might still want to wash out that condensor.


John

 

[e9999]

John,
the FSM for my 134 '97 goes on about how you basically charge until the bubbles disappear, IIRC...
E

 

[97 FZJ80]

John,
the FSM for my 134 '97 goes on about how you basically charge until the bubbles disappear, IIRC...
E

I believe that is a leftover piece of info from the R12 days. The Lexus service did just that on my AC while under warranty- charge the system until no bubbles. The performance was actually worse and when measure the pressure, it was way over pressured on both the high and low side - which meant overcharged system.

Can't recall the erxact pressure for R134 off the top of my head, but it's around 35PSI low/300PSI high with 85F and 60%RH. When the system is overcharged, the low side will be very high (>75PSI)

John

 

[RavenTai]

The most accurate way to fill an automotive system is by weight, both pressure and the presence of bubbles will change with temperature and operating conditions,

In service specifications only the weight is given, the rest are trouble-shooting aids

“Refrigerant charge volume 850 ± 50 g (59.98 ± 1.76 oz.)”

Next best is by pressure, but I would not fill until the bubbles go away,

The 96 manuals also says

“Add refrigerant until bubbles disappear”

but later it says:


"*: Bubbles in the sight glass with ambient temperatures higher
than usual can be considered normal if cooling is sufficient."

"higher than usual" is that for a Atlanta day or a Seattle day? Or maybe Tokoyo day?


When I was a kid I filled my 280 from a can using gauges, a few months later the compressor died, I think I over serviced it,

 

[sjcruiser]

A while ago when Eric asked about the exposed AC line in the engine compartment (at least on later models), I went to HomeDepot and bought a few hot water line insulation (1/4 in. inner diameter); then virtually patched every possible inch of the exposed area of the cold line- secured the insulation to it using zip ties. Don't know if it's just in my head (since no measurements made - just the feel here), but the AC performance has greatly improved. Faster, cooler air blasting through the vents, especially when the temperature is above 90 degree.

Frank.

 

[RavenTai]

uh oh, now have a new task to add to the list. gonna have to try that, can't see how it would hurt can only help

 

[Koffer]

I took the Cruiser 92 out to find out why it runs like a POS as of late and the the A/c in that thing will freeze me out ( I never turn down the a/c in the summer ) Its a stock R12 converted to R134a by me and only thing I did was vacuum the system down for over a hour then hooked it up with the oil and R134a in cans . set it by pressere and its been good since . It's going into the 4th summer and still working well. I also did my fj60 1st as it was my "test run" at the same time and its working well also .
Now my 96 just bites . I haven't checked it out yet but Im hoping its low as the R12 to 134a is working better

 

[e9999]

sheesh, here I am asking a question and then people dash off to Home Depot, get their rigs to work much better, but does somebody tell me about it...? Noooooo Sirreeeee, nobody.....

[j/k]
Eric

 

[TampaTom]

I got a used compressor from Cruiserparts and hope to get it intalled tomorrow before I leave the family up here on our vacation (need to fly back to work.) Hope to find someone to flush it and make sure correct oil is used (converted to R134). Plan on adding a new dryer when they get home. CrusierDan had good prices and expect to check with him in the future. Thanks.

 

[TampaTom]

Oh yeah. Anyone know what oil and quantity should be used with 134? Think I've seen PAB 100??