electrical gremlins killed
time to move on to ac
pu 134 in system and cooled b4 leaked out
steve at wilkinson pantera recs new condenser, evaporator, compressor and hoses, just seeking second opinion
Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
He missed the dryer. Of course you can't go wrong replacing everything, and not surprising a Vendor would recommend that. I just went through mine. Compressor, hoses, and dryer. That's it. I have yet to try it though. My original hoses looked good, 74' with approx 50K miles.
I think it also depends on how much you plan to use it. I will use mine sparingly, so I probably didn't need the hoses, and don't need a forever solution.
I think it also depends on how much you plan to use it. I will use mine sparingly, so I probably didn't need the hoses, and don't need a forever solution.
I got all my parts from James... great price and I had every part I needed to install 100%..! http://www.malinmotors.com/
I assume 134 is like the R12 which an AC shop could check for and identify leaks unless you just want to renew the whole system.
Previous owner of mine replaced the compressor with a newer rotary type and the hoses as well but installed the dryer backwards. Once I removed it and turned it around mine blows cold and has not leaked down. My condenser, expansion valve and evaporator are original best I can tell.
From what little I know if the system has not been charged and used occasionally or has been open for some period of time naturally the compressor seals may suffer from lack of lubrication.
Replace the dryer. If it breaks up then a system flush and expansion valve will be required as I had to do once on a 380SL.
Previous owner of mine replaced the compressor with a newer rotary type and the hoses as well but installed the dryer backwards. Once I removed it and turned it around mine blows cold and has not leaked down. My condenser, expansion valve and evaporator are original best I can tell.
From what little I know if the system has not been charged and used occasionally or has been open for some period of time naturally the compressor seals may suffer from lack of lubrication.
Replace the dryer. If it breaks up then a system flush and expansion valve will be required as I had to do once on a 380SL.
FWIW my A/C guy says that most classic cars leak down over winter storage as the compressors sits in one spot on the seal. He suggest firing it up monthly and cycling the A/C on.
If its within the budget the R134A conversion is money well spent, but it requires replacement of most of the stuff Steve mentioned. Steve is OK, he wants your car to work well.
The R134A molecule is smaller and far more corrosive than the R12 molecule. It will leak out between the molecules of the R12 hoses. The R134A hoses are known as barrier hoses, and have a lining within them (usually Teflon) to contain the R134A molecule and to prevent the R134A from damaging the rubber hose material. The R134A gas will attack the rubber parts designed for the R12 gas system (i.e. the compressor shaft seal, standard hose material, and even the O-rings used for the fittings). Its not compatible with the lubricant used for R12 either.
Since the hoses, rubber parts and lubricants compatible with R12 are not compatible with R134A, they "should" be changed. That includes rubber compressor parts. You can keep the stock evap and avoid pulling the dash apart; but the expansion valve should be replaced for one designed for the characteristics of 134A. Steve's modified evap increases the evaps cooling capacity to make up for the differences between R12 and R134A. If you don't mind tearing the dash apart, that's a good mod too.
Scott Bell (ZR1 Pantera) has experience with this conversion and with Steve's evap.
The R134A molecule is smaller and far more corrosive than the R12 molecule. It will leak out between the molecules of the R12 hoses. The R134A hoses are known as barrier hoses, and have a lining within them (usually Teflon) to contain the R134A molecule and to prevent the R134A from damaging the rubber hose material. The R134A gas will attack the rubber parts designed for the R12 gas system (i.e. the compressor shaft seal, standard hose material, and even the O-rings used for the fittings). Its not compatible with the lubricant used for R12 either.
Since the hoses, rubber parts and lubricants compatible with R12 are not compatible with R134A, they "should" be changed. That includes rubber compressor parts. You can keep the stock evap and avoid pulling the dash apart; but the expansion valve should be replaced for one designed for the characteristics of 134A. Steve's modified evap increases the evaps cooling capacity to make up for the differences between R12 and R134A. If you don't mind tearing the dash apart, that's a good mod too.
Scott Bell (ZR1 Pantera) has experience with this conversion and with Steve's evap.
thanks all i will talk to steve and get with it