CamaroMike

Does anyone have pics of your A/C compressor where the lines attach? I would appreciate it if you could post these pics to help me determine if my factory lines are crushed.

Thanks.

RB83L69

You shouldn't need a pic; they're just supposed to be round. Pretty easy to tell about by eye. But here's one anyway.

CamaroMike

RB83 I had to push down my AC lines to clear my Strut Tower Brace when I first got it. I also had to cut and file my A/C Compressor bracket. I then decided to cut an reweld Edelbrocks STB to clear my Compressor. Ended up flipping the tower to tower bar upside down and rewelding it to the cowl struts. I just wonder if I crushed my lines back by the mounting block when pushing them down. The low pressure line looks to be ovaled but the high side line appears OK. I suppose the low pressure line could look like this from the factory. Got any pics from the back. I know...funny angle.

treeohfive

whoa...is that hose safe for a/c use??? i mean...clamps and all? i thought it was supposed to be seriously sealed burst proof wear proof hose?

RB83L69

It is. It's A/C barrier hose, and A/C hose clamps. It leaks alot less than the original did, with those weenie stupid 4-sided crimp things they used. I don't know if it's safe or anything though, it's only been on there for 8 years or so, could burst any moment I suppose.

treeohfive

smartass

CamaroMike

So what exactly is an A/C hose clamp?

RB83L69

Thicker, heavier, wider band material; screw made of better quality material than the usual chinesium; has the little tang sticking off the side of it to locate it properly on the hose nipple; 5/16" head instead of ¼" commonly found on heater hose type clamps of that size

CamaroMike

Interesting enough.

TekViper

thats a pretty big risk you are taking not using the appropriate a/c line connection. if that thing lets go and your under the hood it wont be pretty. im also suprised it has held the refrigerent for 8 years like that, that is quite impressive.

RB83L69

I don't know what you're talking about, this nonsense about "inappropriate line connection". Considering that for at least a quarter of a century that's how car air conditioners were put together, it doesn't seem too surprising to me. It is the right parts after all.

Kind of like how some people seem to think that since a carb doesn't work when it gets cold outside, Grandma and Grandpa must have just stayed home all winter long.

TekViper

i have never seen high pressure a/c line being secured with hose clamps before. i havent been around around cars for a lot of years tho and maybe that is the way they used to do it but ive never seen it and it doesnt look like a good method. do you know what cars came from the factory with ac lines secured with hoseclamps?

CamaroMike

I have seen the clamp method on older 60's and 70's Mustangs, etc.

Fast305

Thats how the rear lines are attached on most suburbans, vans, minivans, limos, etc.

flyitlikustolit

I guess mine have been replaced once, then. or maybe they haven't...... I have the usual non-flexible type, with the crimped on connectors. maybe that's where my leak is... I'm already going to replace the compressor, because it's old anyway, can I just buy fittings, clamps, and a/c hose similar to what you have in the pic, RB? that would save me a nice chunk.


and screw all this nonsense about clamps and improper connections.... the guy's been doing it longer than you, home slice. just nod your head, and say thanks for the lesson. some people pay a couple hundred bucks to learn the same thing.

CamaroMike

New lines for our vehicles costs about $70-$100.

RB83L69

Yes, you could do that; I just used bulk A/C barrier hose from the parts stores, and the factory fittings. I was in a hurry that day to hook it up and didn't have time to go to the parts store that has the crimper setup to make duplicates of the factory lines. I had the hose in stock anyway, but no way to crimp it. I wouldn't particularly advise others to do that, but it got the job done for me at the moment, and has lasted fine ever since.

Seems like most factory setups were hose-clamped up until about 73 or 74.... I was working at a place that (among other things) did aftermarket A/C installations for new car dealers at that time, and I recall opening the hood of a brand-new 74 Impala or something, and of course noticing these new hi-tech crimped fittings... the equipment to duplicate that didn't become commonplace in the service world until about 78 or so, as far as I can recall.

Nowadays you can go to a real parts store, and in their 4 Seasons or whoever catalog, they'll have instructions on exactly how to make up a line for almost any car, with the fittings, ferrules, angles, twists, lengths, hose sizes, etc. all shown; and they'll have a crimper, either a huge hand one like giant bolt cutters or a hydraulic one, to crimp them up. Maybe someday I'll get that done for mine; maybe next time I have to draw the system down. Meanwhile it blows nice and cold. Used it just yesterday.

flyitlikustolit

it sounds like you're telling me to use the pre-crimped replacement lines. If so, looks like I'm going to the parts store soon.

RB83L69

That would be the preferred method; but obviously not a screaming red-alert emergency. Certainly not worth discharging an operating system over.

flyitlikustolit

i would normally worry about discharging the system.... except that when i hit my A/C switches, the A/C doesn't come on... but the heater works. we completely re-charged the system shortly after getting my motor running and the timing set. my first guess is a leak. without paying 30-40 bucks for a vac test, i'm not sure, but how else would the refrigerant get out? I'm thinking new hoses and/or a new compressor for starters. the accumulator dryer is new, as is the line from the evap to the condensor. the evap isn't new, but looks to be in great shape. ( i pulled it from a junkyard T/A). The condensor also looks to be undamaged and free of rust. but both components are not NEW. the compressor and high pressure lines from the compressor are not new either, but they're usually the culprit, especially if the system was discharged before i got the car. (and to make it worse, the A/C compressor wasn't plugged to prevent failure.)

onebinky

iTrader: (1)

Did you pull a vacuum on the system before you recharged it?

flyitlikustolit

nope. probably should have, but i don't have a vacuum guage set.

RB83L69

I guess I'm lucky.... I have a vacuum pump, recycling machine, a couple of leak detectors, several gauge sets, and assorted other A/C tools. About the only A/C things I don't have that I wish I did, is a clutch tool, and one of those hand pumps for putting oil into a charged system.

CamaroMike

I did'nt pull a vacuum on my system when I charged it. Works great. Besides, any moisture in the system should be absorbed by my new dryer right.

black89ws6

nope. those dryers have a very limited capacity.

Moisture in a system generally doesn't have a significant impact on how well it functions. It has more of an effect on the longevity of the system. It will combine with the oil in the system, and in some cases (especially with the r134a oils) form acids, and the system will slowly corrode from the inside out.

If you have enough moisture in the system, under high demand conditions (ie. july), the moisture can freeze in the orifice tube and block refrigerant flow, which will cause it to stop cooling. If that happens, just turn off the ac for a minute or two. It will thaw real quick once the compressor stops, and then you can kick it back in.

I saw it happen when I retrofit my dad's truck last summer. At the time, I did not yet own a vacuum pump, so I charged it up without pulling a vac. It worked pretty good, but would freeze up every 10 or 15 minutes. I few weeks later, I vacuumed it down with my new vac pump, and recharged it, and it hasn't had a problem since.

DENN_SHAH

iTrader: (1)

you ever have a bag that holds the drying agent come apart & you will have a mess. it will take out the compressor & you probably will never get all of it out of the condensor, not to mention the trash from the compressor.
i run a filter between the compressor & condensor on my car. & yes, it has those screw type hose clamps on it.