1st Generation Specific 1979-1985 Discussion

Air Conditioning

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Old 07-31-2003 | 07:27 PM
  #1  
walshb6413's Avatar
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Ok Guys,



I'm honestly about the worst mechanic in the world. So be gentle...



When I press in the AC button... it lights up but nothing else happens, no cooling, no idle changes, nothing. The fan motor and heater work great tho. Since I don't even have a clue what the parts/connections look like for the AC assembly, I was hoping someone could throw up an image with the parts in it, so that I could look under the hood to see if the previous owner simply took it all out, or to see (if it exists) whether or not it is fixable.



Thanks in advance,



Limey
Old 07-31-2003 | 09:33 PM
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Not to worry, your willing to learn, thats the important thing.

I've got a couple of pics that might help.



This is all the air con components after being ripped out...





And this is the gap (next to the dizzy) from the removal.





I'll see if I can dig up some other pics.
Old 08-01-2003 | 11:30 PM
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If the AC is intact... and you had someone check to see if there is pressure from the nipples... look under the plate just behind the cooling fan... 4 bolts and it comes off... mine had 2 leads that was unplugged so the AC wouldn't work.. plugged them in and voila (wa la) air conditioning... just a dumb thought.. good luck
Old 08-03-2003 | 03:16 AM
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Just a thought.. I have an '84GS



Inside the cab I, too, have the button for A/C which lights up when pressed, however I *know* that my car never had A/C to begin with! It was just never added to the car, it was an "option" that was never opted for. This could possibly be your situation, if you've never had any indication that you had working A/C in the past. Otherwise, your A/C may be out of juice, removed, or not working properly. The big indication you'll look for is another pulley belt that goes to a pulley further to the driver's side of the car than the Alternator. On cars w/o AC, the only pulley on the driver's side of the main (drive) pulley is the alternator, if there's a second one, it'd be your A/C compressor.



Jon
Old 08-03-2003 | 03:25 AM
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Or check to see if you have a A/C fan belt on it. Everything could be fine but the belt could be missing form the compresor (sp)
Old 08-03-2003 | 12:05 PM
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The system is probably just dry. When was the last time you ran it? I'm not sure if the rx-7 is this way or not, but with the compressors on most cars, the freon acts as a lubricant for the compressor. The compressor has a sensor of some kind that won't allow it turn on without freon in the system.



So go by an AC shop and ask them to put a little in and see what happens. Only problem here is that even just a little bit costs a lot unless you convert to R14 or whatever.



The AC on my car doesn't work but it hasn't been run in a good four years. The PO swears it worked before, so I'm guessing mine is just dry, I'm half considering just pulling it out though, but then I remember I have a black interior and live in the South... sigh, decisions, decisions
Old 08-03-2003 | 03:31 PM
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Yeah, freon (R12 I think it's called) is illegal here.... It's really hard to find someone who still has some, even though it's only been illegal since like 1994 or something (my '91 dodge shadow had an A/C system running R12). But if you *do* find someone who has it, they don't wanna have it, so it's pretty damn cheap to get them to refill you



Jon
Old 08-03-2003 | 04:35 PM
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I know that it's not produced anymore but it's not illegal here yet (at least I don't think so, I got my old VW filled last summer). The stuff is really expensive though, like $70/lb or something like that.



So in Canada I guess yall are basically forced to do the conversion?
Old 08-04-2003 | 01:11 AM
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Can't you Canucks get Freeze-12? That should be perfectly legal--it's just a much improved version of 134a...



I recently found out that I had a busted hose, thus my system was empty. Got a guy to fill it with Freeze-12. Then found out that my high-side pressure was about 100 psi too low, althought the A/C feels great (weird, huh?).



FS
Old 08-04-2003 | 01:28 PM
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Yeah, from what I've heard we're basically forced to do the conversion. Hence the reason my Dodge Shadow hadn't had A/C since 1995 when it ran out. Freeze-12 I am not sure about. I hadn't really bothered looking into it, since my Rx7 doesn't have A/C, my shadow's long gone, and my dad's Sunfire's A/C runs on the new stuff.



Jon



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