I've finally been bitten with a leaking heater core. I'm ready to dig in and probably (hopefully) have a good radiator shop fix it. There's good info on the job though no videos, If i feel like the community would benefit from one I may go ahead and do that. This thread is a write-up for the disassembly of the dash, in addition to the following:
"while I'm in there", I'm thinking of converting my A/C (which has been inop for 10+ years) to R134a. I don't know much about why it doesn't work other than when I jump the compressor clutch the air temp hardly changes. I don't want to try to source R12 only to find I can't hold it.
MODS: It seems that there's a lot of diverse opinions on weather or not the retrofit is a good idea, and how to go about it. Being that there's nothing in the FAQ's about this, My goal for this thread is to come to a consensus on how (and even when) the conversion should be done, So I hope to hear from the experts.
Assuming my system can't hold pressure, I think it's fair to say the conversion is the smart (and legal) way to go. So far it seems like I'll need to replace the following for best results:
-all 0-rings
-drier
-retrofit valve fittings for R13a
-what about the expansion valve? Is this a common wear item?
From there, the procedure seems to look something like:
-drain the system: use the jumped compressor to empty out the opened system; remove compressor and drip drain the rest
-add oil to drier and replace all the aforementioned hardware
-evacuate (apply vacuum to) the sealed system
-add new R134a freon.
If someone could chime in and confirm that I my thinking is correct to this point, we'll move on to the specifics.
Does anybody have experience with these rigs not holding pressure due to anything besides the old O-rings?
Drew
"while I'm in there", I'm thinking of converting my A/C (which has been inop for 10+ years) to R134a. I don't know much about why it doesn't work other than when I jump the compressor clutch the air temp hardly changes. I don't want to try to source R12 only to find I can't hold it.
MODS: It seems that there's a lot of diverse opinions on weather or not the retrofit is a good idea, and how to go about it. Being that there's nothing in the FAQ's about this, My goal for this thread is to come to a consensus on how (and even when) the conversion should be done, So I hope to hear from the experts.
Assuming my system can't hold pressure, I think it's fair to say the conversion is the smart (and legal) way to go. So far it seems like I'll need to replace the following for best results:
-all 0-rings
-drier
-retrofit valve fittings for R13a
-what about the expansion valve? Is this a common wear item?
From there, the procedure seems to look something like:
-drain the system: use the jumped compressor to empty out the opened system; remove compressor and drip drain the rest
-add oil to drier and replace all the aforementioned hardware
-evacuate (apply vacuum to) the sealed system
-add new R134a freon.
If someone could chime in and confirm that I my thinking is correct to this point, we'll move on to the specifics.
Does anybody have experience with these rigs not holding pressure due to anything besides the old O-rings?
Drew
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