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Ha! I'm sure there are others just like us....I'm going to run a dedicated 30A circuit to my AC like I did for my air compressor!...
I just had a company install a mini-split in my garage and they ran a dedicated 30A for it. Was a pain cuz the main panel was on the other side of the house. Took them almost 8 hours to run the electrical. Then next day they came out to do the install, 4 hours. Now it's comfy-cozy in there!
Did you separate (I hope so) the condenser from the radiator?
Yes. If you look closely at the photo, you’ll see the screws are removed from the condenser. I separated the condensers from the rads and used that old paint brush to clean out the big chunks trapped between them. Then I used an air compressor to blow out as much dust and dirt as I could from both the condensers and radiators.
I did my first radiator clean-out today. It was daunting to remove the bumper cover but not too difficult. I’m glad I did it.
Clearly the previous owner had not done it for a long time. I took a full dustpan of junk out including leaves, rocks, dead bugs, feathers(!), part of a cigarette package, and a whole ATM receipt that was wedged behind the radiator. That doesn’t include all the dust and crap I blew out with the air compressor.
Mine looked almost like that after 1 year (about 12K miles) of driving.
That's why people add the screens.
The top hole is completely open.
I got this far.(Took me about 20 minutes)
Decided I‘ll do the cutting and removal tomorrow evening.
I‘ll probably complete it then too.
Next comes going through the console to repair the other door.
That one is in much worse condition I’m pretty certain.
It’s the one that bothers me most!
The front windshield Frosts up so I can’t see during the summer.
I decided to do the easy one first.
Edited to add:
I just can’t sit and relax.
I just had to go do this real quick:
Now I’m inside the house relaxing...by fixing the door.
Yet Another Edit:
Blend door is back in the car.
I stopped short of reinstalling the battery, plastic cowling, and wiper arms.
Yeah, I can’t sit still
Time for a shower before I go back out and finish...and test drive...and start the other blend door...
What exactly is this about please? Is this the dreaded foam from HVAC vents fix? Not sure I'll need to do it but it looks fun.
It was. Hopefully I'll have it in the garage and on the mend this weekend. In the meantime I need to source a good jack and four jack stands. Probably my first purchases for this.
Well, I hate to tell you this, but the alternator was likely shot before you bought it. Dealers often have car batteries die down and go bad on them if not properly cared for, but even good dealers put these cars on chargers all the time. So the battery was charged enough to last you 20 mins it seems.
I get street cred for filling the UOA bottle without dribbling all over it
But get sent back to go based on the oil filter inspection. This is the biggest piece of unpleasantness found
There were 7 or so pieces this size: Sorry the picture is poor, but you can gauge the size
On closer inspection, every 10th or so pleat you would see 10 to 20 really small reflective dots. I didn't see these until after the filter element had drained. No picture. I'd have to get out my old camera with the macro lens to capture them. I also did not check whether they were magnetic. The UOA will tell the story.
This was not really a surprise. The engine started 'the tick' 6 or so months ago. An FSI rebuild has already been scheduled. Can't wait!
So, what to do after you find out that your engine is failing? GO FOR A DRIVE!!!!
What exactly is this about please? Not sure I'll need to do it but it looks fun.
This is how you repair no heat during the winter, and frosted windshield during the summer.
The picture you quoted was the heat/cold blend door.
Now I'll have heat during the winter...um, not a huge deal down here, but it can be nice at times to warm up a bit.
I started the vent blend door (defrost/dash/floor) blend door.
It is harder to do IMHO.
I had problems getting the foil tape and foam on the blend door.
Also, I only had access to one side and the edge of the blend door.
I have it covered as good as I could get it.
I stopped after I was almost ready to re-install the radio.
I found an unplugged wire, and I don't know where it goes.
It is a single brown/blue wire with a spade connection.
I think it is a ground to the ground spade on the radio chassis, but I'm not certain.
My wiring diagram says brown/blue is a speaker wire.
But this wire can't reach that far, so I doubt that's correct.
Anyone know what this wire could be for?
Last edited by TexSquirrel; 08-03-2020 at 04:33 PM.
This is how you repair no heat during the winter, and frosted windshield during the summer.
The picture you quoted was the heat/cold blend door.
Now I'll have heat during the winter...um, not a huge deal down here, but it can be nice at times to warm up a bit.
I started the vent blend door (defrost/dash/floor) blend door.
It is harder to do IMHO.
I had problems getting the foil tape and foam on the blend door.
Also, I only had access to one side and the edge of the blend door.
I have it covered as good as I could get it.
I stopped after I was almost ready to re-install the radio.
I found an unplugged wire, and I don't know where it goes.
It is a single brown/blue wire with a spade connection.
I think it is a ground to the ground spade on the radio chassis, but I'm not certain.
My wiring diagram says brown/blue is a speaker wire.
But this wire can't reach that far, so I doubt that's correct.
Anyone know what this wire could be for?
The top hole is completely open. I got this far.(Took me about 20 minutes) Decided I‘ll do the cutting and removal tomorrow evening. I‘ll probably complete it then too.
Next comes going through the console to repair the other door. That one is in much worse condition I’m pretty certain. It’s the one that bothers me most! The front windshield Frosts up so I can’t see during the summer. I decided to do the easy one first.
Edited to add: I just can’t sit and relax. I just had to go do this real quick:
Now I’m inside the house relaxing...by fixing the door.
Yet Another Edit: Blend door is back in the car. I stopped short of reinstalling the battery, plastic cowling, and wiper arms. Yeah, I can’t sit still Time for a shower before I go back out and finish...and test drive...and start the other blend door...
Nice work! HVAC work on cars is a true labor of love. Mine is in the phase of blowing bits foam seal out the vents. The doors still actually work. The last heater core I put in was on an RX7. The dash had to come out. I guess I loved that car. How does your windshield frost up in summer? Is your area so humid that the evaporator doesn't dry the air enough and it just re-condenses on the windshield?
Nice work! HVAC work on cars is a true labor of love. Mine is in the phase of blowing bits foam seal out the vents. The doors still actually work. The last heater core I put in was on an RX7. The dash had to come out. I guess I loved that car. How does your windshield frost up in summer? Is your area so humid that the evaporator doesn't dry the air enough and it just re-condenses on the windshield?
There was no foam at all on the defrost/dash/floor blend door.
I guess that's why it had pretty much quit spitting foam at me.
Yeah, very humid in the Houston area.
If I drive my car first thing in the morning, in about 10 minutes my windshield looks like a steamed bathroom mirror.
I have two black socks filled with plastic beanbag filler that I toss on my dash during the summer months.
That's not going to work at the track later this month, so I finally decided to fix both blend doors.
Yes! I was waiting for the call-out! The best parking spots are in front of no parking signs.
Yes, Nor-Cal. This is Calaveras Reservior off of Calaveras Road. It's winding with hairpins and ups and downs. I wish I had a 3rd radiator. Fans were on the whole time at 95F outside.
Yes! I was waiting for the call-out! The best parking spots are in front of no parking signs.
Yes, Nor-Cal. This is Calaveras Reservior off of Calaveras Road. It's winding with hairpins and ups and downs. I wish I had a 3rd radiator. Fans were on the whole time at 95F outside.
Looks awesome.
What's even weirder is the google maps photo looks like it was taken from the same exact spot!
I stopped after I was almost ready to re-install the radio.
I found an unplugged wire, and I don't know where it goes.
It is a single brown/blue wire with a spade connection.
I think it is a ground to the ground spade on the radio chassis, but I'm not certain.
My wiring diagram says brown/blue is a speaker wire.
But this wire can't reach that far, so I doubt that's correct.
Anyone know what this wire could be for?
Well, I hate to tell you this, but the alternator was likely shot before you bought it. Dealers often have car batteries die down and go bad on them if not properly cared for, but even good dealers put these cars on chargers all the time. So the battery was charged enough to last you 20 mins it seems.
Anyway, congrats on the purchase - and welcome!
Bentley book came today. Shipper says I should be seeing the car by the end of the week. Maybe some wrenching this weekend. It’s ok. I think I remember having to fiddle with the dome light when I picked it up. “As is, where is”. Yup. It’s ok, might even get it running well enough to take the family to Dairy Queen for ice cream. Well worth it.
That was my take when researching the wiring prior to my head unit swap. I saved this picture of where it plugs in. I'm guessing by the green arrow, I stole it from a Pelican how to.
08-03-2020, 12:41 PM
