Reply to "Yet another Pantera for sale that needs "A/C recharged""

There are and have been issues with the DeTomaso A/C ever since the car entered into service. The early reviews of the car by R&T, MotorTrend and C & D mention that the A/C did not appear to work.

Problems that occur on some cars ’71-’74 (I stress, not all, but some):

1) The large line that attaches at the evaporator (under dash) is attached with a flare fitting that may not mate well with the “custom” flare fitting on the evaporator core. Early fixes were to insert a copper gasket. This met with some limited success. Most A/C leaks occur here.
2) The original old York compressor is not as durable as modern rotary units. The York service life is not as long.
3) Flare fittings are used throughout the system. If attached well, they should work OK with R12 - but expect a recharge, in any case, every few years. If flare fittings are used with R134 (the molecules are much smaller than R12) the leakage will be greater – with a need for a recharge at roughly yearly intervals.
4) A/C hoses deteriorate. A 35 year old car should have had its lines replaced over the years. Otherwise, expect the lines to leak.
5) R134 requires a different “barrier” type hose than R12. If a retrofit was done from R12 to R134, without changing the type of A/C hose, expect some leakage through the hoses.

I have learned these details by research and experience (school of hard knocks). Yes, I drove a few seasons with the windows down. In the hot, humid, sunny, dog days of Ontario summers, nothing beats A/C. In a car, the windows make me feel like I am sitting in a greenhouse.

So, the fix I am doing is:

1) Already replaced the York compressor with a Sandon Rotary unit years ago.
2) Replacing the Evaporator with a newer unit that has a denser A/C core and has O-ring fittings ($550).
3) All A/C lines replaced with the latest and greatest barrier type with O-ring fittings throughout. ($300)
4) Replacing the Condenser with a denser A/C core ($200).
5) I will be evacuating and charging the A/C myself

Not all cars need to do what I am doing. Many cars have A/C systems that work well or have been made to work well (with a few minor fixes).

Finally, mgreene has made at least 10 posts pointing out cars that advertise problems with their A/C. I think it is worthwhile to point out problems with advertisements regarding cars for sale. On the other hand, maybe 10 posts starts to be like beating a dead horse.

I hope the information provided here will finally help with any concern about the DeTomaso Pantera A/C.