Reply to "The Truth about A/C"

A totally stock Pantera A/C is iffy. Some work, some work for a while and some never work. The fixes vary: 1)- the OEM compressor is a piston type right out of the dawn of the industrial revolution, which many swap for a modern rotary that increases efficiency, weighs less and doesn't shake the car when working. 2)- The dashboard heater control is mis-designed such that the linkage is wrong for completely turning on, or off, the hot water. And the heater core is between the circulating fan and the AC evaporator, so the AC must typically overcome a partially-on heater before blowing cold in the passenger compartment. 3)- the Pantera has some 20 feet of rubber hose snaking all over the car and trying to contain the freon that does the cooling. Leaks abound, especially if the car was converted to cheaper R-134a freon, which is both less efficient and more leak-prone than the almost-unavailable OEM R-12 freon. 4)- cooling efficiency with the condenser in the rear will depend on your having the trunk liner in place. The rear fan is a sucker and pulls air in from behind the car, & depends on the trunk liner to direct the spent air out of the rear and away from a second trip through the condenser. The efficiency of this arrangement varies with speed. It works OK at lower speed but at high velocities, theres a partial vacuum right where the fan is trying to suck air. There are other, minor issues, but straighten out those 4 and you'll need mittens with it full-on!