Thanks to the contributions of many very knowledgeable ih8mud contributors I was able to refresh the AC on my 1997 FZ 80.
A few of those contributors surely saved me a lot of time, $$, mistakes and reworking. @flintknapper and @alia176 stand out in my mind though I'm sure there were a number of other valuable contributors to the AC information that I read. Alia176 has a great writeup that shows the easy way to get the evaporator core out, which surprisingly only took about 20 minutes on my first try. FlintKnapper seems to have deep knowledge and experience with automotive AC systems and has done a great job of clearly explaining the hows and whys of servicing and recharging an AC system. Flint's posts in particular gave me the confidence to proceed.
Here are a few of the threads that I used. These cover a lot of ground and not all applies but you can learn a lot from them:
In preparation for this job I compiled a lot of the information that was relevant for my project including parts lists and how to guides and I thought I'd share my notes here in case it helps anyone else wanting to overhaul the AC in their 80.
Parts replaced (using Toyota or Denso in all cases):
Costs:
Results:
A few of those contributors surely saved me a lot of time, $$, mistakes and reworking. @flintknapper and @alia176 stand out in my mind though I'm sure there were a number of other valuable contributors to the AC information that I read. Alia176 has a great writeup that shows the easy way to get the evaporator core out, which surprisingly only took about 20 minutes on my first try. FlintKnapper seems to have deep knowledge and experience with automotive AC systems and has done a great job of clearly explaining the hows and whys of servicing and recharging an AC system. Flint's posts in particular gave me the confidence to proceed.
Here are a few of the threads that I used. These cover a lot of ground and not all applies but you can learn a lot from them:
- Complete A/C system replacement? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/complete-a-c-system-replacement.945343/page-2
- 80 series AC compressors - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/80-series-ac-compressors.1079554/page-2
- A/C system - how to remove the cooling unit, evaporator, expansion valve - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/a-c-system-how-to-remove-the-cooling-unit-evaporator-expansion-valve.296748/
In preparation for this job I compiled a lot of the information that was relevant for my project including parts lists and how to guides and I thought I'd share my notes here in case it helps anyone else wanting to overhaul the AC in their 80.
Parts replaced (using Toyota or Denso in all cases):
- compressor
- evaporator
- expansion valve
- dryer
- condensor
- AC and Alt belts
- $845
- Including parts, refrigerant, oil, flush agent, having the system evacuated at a shop ($60), etc.
- I rented the vac pump, gauges and flush tool (free from local auto parts store)
- 7 hours wrench time
- This was just the time spent working on the system and doesn't include research, parts acquisition, etc. Extra time was spent cleaning, etc. and I worked at a slow pace. Vac down and vac hold testing added time that I didn't count for the most part as I wasn't actively working on the 80.
- I found that this broke into 3 work sessions nicely. 2 hours for evaporator remove and replace, 2 hours for belts/compressor and then 3 hours roughly for the rest.
There are a few specialty tools needed for this job. I luckily had an air compressor, used to blow out, flush and again blow out the AC system lines a few more times. I also had an accurate scale, which I used to measure the refrigerant cans before/after use so that I knew how much was added to the system. I was able to rent (for free) the AC tools that I needed easily and use basic hand tools for the rest of the work.
Results:
The AC in my 80 worked well before but it is noticeably cooler now. I'm really glad that I did this myself as I was able to spend extra time cleaning under the dash, the radiator and trans cooler. Details like straightening out fins, greasing fasteners, etc. wouldn't have been attended to by a shop I'm sure.
The following posts will contain the parts list and step by step guides I followed, etc.
Last edited: