David Floyd

Put me next in line if Mark passes.

Marks951

I have credit due at 944online which is why I was thinking about their kit. So I'll pass on your offer, but thanks anyway, it is a good deal considering it is normally twice that much.

azmi951

WOW what a coincidence. Last weekend I bought all the stuff for the 134a conversion.
The total with a new high pressure line (the cause of the AC failure) and without charging yet was $110. All it is is a
new dryer, $23.00
the flush fluid,
new oil for the compressor (the R12 oil is not compatible with 134a),
different fill fitings for both the high and low pressure fill ports,
and new O rings (I dont know if you have to change the O rings but I will *** preventitive maintaince)
I was told by the very reputible AC shop/parts wharehouse that this was all I needed. When asked about the expansion valve he said that it should not need to be replaced.

Let me know I'm in error in any way.

azmi951

bump...

alengyel

bump, SM, how's the write up coming?

sm

Here it goes:

I had to replace the siezed compressor on my car, so the following new parts were installed to make the R-134a retrofit a proper one:

-New expansion valve and tar tape (my 86 car needed an EX-V that's different from those most vendors sell - bought mine from Griffiths)
-New drier (Any P-car vendor, for the most part)
-All new o-rings (can be purchased at AutoZone)
-Nylog on all o-rings and connections (try Griffiths,ACSource.com or ACkits.com)
-Another OEM compressor

If you're going to replace the expansion valve (*generally* not needed unless you have a siezed compressor which might have caused debris to be trapped in the ex. valve), gently remove the old tar tape and note the placement of the copper coil prior to ripping the whole valve out. You will need wrenches sized: 14mm, 17mm, 19mm and whatever 7/8" is in mm.)

Tip: Turn only the compression nuts attached to the metal lines/hoses, NOT the expansion valve. Put a wrench on the ex. valve only to hold it while you're turning the compression nuts.

To get rid of possible contaminants left behind by the siezed compressor, I flushed the:

-Condensor and straightened out the fins
-Evaporator and cleaned the fins
-All hoses
(You should not flush the drier and expansion valve)

I used a Flush Gun and Flush Agent(liquid) specifically designed for A/C systems (bought from TheToolwarehouse.net). To use the Flush Gun and for general flushing, I bought a $99 air compressor from Sears (Craftsman).

After forcing the Flush Agent through the compressor, evaporator, and hoses a few times, I used compressed air to blow out all remaining liquid and whatever else might be hiding in there. Having a helper momentarily put a thumb on the hose's/component's outlet while you blow air through it will be even more effective.

From the information I found here on the Forums, our systems take about 3.9 to 4oz of A/C system oil. Because I'm now running R-134a, I used an Ester oil. Buy the best quality oil that you can and purchase extra oil to "flush" your compressor. Prior to installing the compressor, pour some oil into the intake port, turn the compressor clutch by hand a few times, and pour out the oil. Repeat this a few times until the old oil is flushed out and the oil coming out is clean.

I poured about 2oz of oil into the compressor, 1oz into the drier, and 1oz into the evaporator.

Tip: Using a straw will make it easier to pour into the small openings of those parts.

Then put new o-rings that are lubed with Nylog on each of the connections and tighten them up, but don't over-do it. Putting some Nylog on the threads of the compression fittings might be beneficial, too.

Tip: Make sure the drier is pointed in the proper orientation (inlet/outlet are sized the same, but there is an arrow on the drier).

When all the connections are buttoned up, hook up a set of Manifold Gauges and hoses to the high and low ports of your A/C system. Then hook up a Vacuum Pump (found good prices and free shipping from TheToolWarehouse.com) to the gauges and run it for about 30 mins, stopping to see if your system is holding a vacuum. Wait about 15mins and run the vacuum pump for another 30 mins to get a nice, deep vacuum. Detailed vacuuming instructions from ACKITS.com can be found here:

Vacuuming Instructions

When your system is vacuumed and holds it, attach a can tap to your can of refridgerant (again, R-134a in my case) and attach it to the yellow hose of the gauges. I used the can taps that look like a faucet as it seems safer than the side-taps (bought from AutoZone, along with cans of R-134a).

Then charge your system THROUGH THE LOW SIDE PORT with the high side closed according to these instructions from ACKITS.com:

Charging Instructions

If your can of refridgerant gets cold, you can dip it into a cup of warm water to help force the refridgerant out. I used about 28oz of R-134a and charged my system according to this temperature/pressure chart, again from ACKITS.com:

Pressure/Temp Chart

Tip: When you remove the hoses (Turn your car off first) from your high/low ports after charging, they will still be under pressure. So wrap a towel around the connections prior to disconnecting them.

And your pressures, especially the low side, will be high while you're charging the system with your engine and A/C off. This is called static pressure and will fall back to its normal range when the A/C is on, at which point you should go by the pressure/temp chart above.

I hope this helps and this is just what worked for me.

Edit:
Picture of the proper expansion valve for my 86 car:


Picture of the wrong expansion valve for my car:


Picture of where ex. valve is located, below the blower motor under the hood:


Picture of metal hoses after ex. valve is removed:


Picture of new ex. valve installed (prior to tar tape):


If you are getting water in the passenger compartment while running your A/C, check to make sure this drain hose is not clogged (rubber elbow at back of console):

alengyel

SM, you hope this helps? This helps tons! Thank you for taking the time to help, it is much appreciated!!!!!!

sm

Made some edits...

azmi951

WOW this does more than help. Thank you.

Rennlisters are the best