Hi My 1982 TA has some leaks in the AC system. The car is completely original with 24K actual miles on it. The AC was converted to 134A in 2012. The system cools perfectly when it is charged. The problem is that it holds a charge for about 4 to 5 weeks. I took the car to a local mechanic to have all of the overdue maintenance items updated. The rubber stuff ie; tires, hoses, belts, and such were original. The reason that I had a mechanic work on it instead of working on it myself is that I am having treatment for prostate cancer, and don't feel very well most of the time. I am trying to work some of the time, and am undergoing chemotherapy which is kicking my butt. I will be starting radiation in a couple of weeks. I am also discovering that when I feel like it, doing some work around the house and tinkering on the cars is theraputic. I am not about to undertake a major overhaul, but small stuff is fun and relaxing. The mechanic got everything on the car repaired and the car is running great. I paid them for the work that they had completed, bescause we wanted to take the car to the Pontiacs in Pigeon Forge show a few weeks ago and they could not get the parts in time to get the AC unit back together before the show. So far the car has gotten a completely new set of brakes. Even though the pads and shoes had zero wear the brakes were spongy and the capillars were sticking. We figured it would be best to start over fresh with all new stuff. All of the fuel hoses, heater hoses, radiator hoses, belts, t-stat, and tires were replaced. The choke was repaired and some other odds and ends. So far I have spent $3400.00. They shot some die in the AC system and used a black light to detect the leaks. It turns out that the system is leaking a little bit from a lot of different places. The compressor seal is leaking. The hoses are leaking, and the evaporator is leaking. The only part that is not leaking is the condenser. I can take the car back to the dealer, or I can replace the items myself. I use to do AC service in the Freon 12 days and have all of the tools. I have a vacuum pump, a set of 134A gauges, and a big tank of 134A. I have all new parts from NAPA, so basically I would be installing a new AC system in this car. I think that I could do this work myself since it can all be done with the car on the floor from the open hood. It might actually be fun to turn some wrenches again. I am saving the OE comprssor so that if a future owner wants to return the car to all OE components they could have the unit rebuilt and re-installed on the car. We show the car, but only show in the 100 point charity shows. That level of show does not care if the parts are all original or not, just that the car is in stock configuration. I just want the old car to look good, be dependable, and run perfect, so we can take her out on the weekends and have some fun with her. I understand that the system will need about 5 oz of oil to properly lube the compressor. Are there any tips that I should consider? Thanks in advance!

 

Sorry that post all came out as one paragraph. It was four paragraphs, and when it posted the computer combined it.

 

The reason it is leaking in all those places is the o rings designed for r12 rot fast when exposed to 134. Change out all your o rings to 134 compatiable new ones and you will be good to go.

 

The new system will be getting 134A compatible O rings with the new parts. 134A will find leaks that 12 never will. It is not leaking at the O rings though. It is leaking at the front compressor seal, the molded hoses where the high pressure and low pressure lines are held onto the metal fittings with compression fittings, and somewhere in the middle of the evaporator core. The hoses are sold as a complete assembly, so there is no point in trying to repair a 32 year-old hose. The compressor can be rebuilt, however I bought a brand new one from NAPA designed for 134A for around $200.00.

 

Did you get the Sanderson compressor?

 

No, going back all stock. The car is an all original with 24K actual miles. I am trying to resist modifying the car in any way from as built condition.

 

https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/...33025658_n.jpg

 

If you are going with all new everything, you will be trouble free. Reusing the old condenser will be ok to, but the old R12 tube & fin type do not work as well with R134A.

Good choice on the NAPA compressor, it's a quality piece.

Go liberal with the oil. A little extra will do no harm, but will aid in compressor cooling & lubrication.

 

Definitely get a new set of hoses. All new hoses are "barrier" hoses and do much better at preventing leaks than the old ones from 35 years ago.

Buy some "blue" Nylog and coat everything with it. All the O-rings, metal threads. The stuff is the A/C equivilent of blue thread locker. It's basically like sperm and glue combined into one. The stuff never hardens and stays gooey and sticky forever. Works great for preventing leaks as well as makes it easier to take stuff apart in the future.

How did the shop know that your evaporator was leaking? Are you getting dye dripping out the drain hole when the system is running?

 

Thanks. I have been on the fence about the condenser. It sounds like a new condenser is a good investment? Then the whole system will be brand new and more compatable with the 134A.

 

I'll check out that sealer. The evaporator case has a slight amount of green around the condensate drain. So there is some leakage. Also, since the OE evaporators were the weak point on these systems we figured that it is most likely failing or going to fail. This system will hold a charge for 4 to 6 weeks, and cools great until the charge leaks out of it. it leaks slower if the car is not driven and faster if the car is driven and the AC is used. It never dumps the whole charge. It must be leaking under pressure, as it drops only to the point where it does not cool well. I could probably replace the compressor, accumulator, and hose assembly and get reasonable service from it, however these parts are not that expensive. It seems like it will be best to start fresh. Thanks for the insights and tips! Charles

 

Now the problem is finding a new condenser... I looked at NAPA, Rockauto, Advance, and a bunch of others and no one lists an available part.

 

Ok, found a Spectra Premium 7-3231 on Amazon that is the 6mm design. No parallel flow units available for our cars. The 6mm design is supposed to give better performance than the OE design which is a serpentine design. Amazon list the unit as fitting 84 to 92 Camaro, however Spectra list the unit as a direct fit for 82-92 Camaro and Firebird. The Spectra unit has a two year warrenty.I tried to find a Delco 15-6652 unit, however everyone who lists this condenser is out of stock.

 

I bought a Spectra Premium 7-3231 condenser. The part is supposed to fit 85-92 Firebird and Camaro. No one seems to be able to locate a condenser for the 82-84 cars. Most companies don't list a part number. The Delco 15-6652 is supposed to fit 82-92 cars, but I could not find one of those either. The Spectra condenser looks like it will fit into the car and work. The connectors are the same size and design. The condenser is designed differently as it has a manifold on the sides of it to distribute the Freon flow across the coils parallel instead of the serpentine design that is original to the 82. This must be the 6mm design that others have mentioned? The Spectra condenser looks identical to the condenser in my 86 which has a manifold on the ends of it also. The 86 still has it's original condenser in it also. Does anyone have insights about this part, and if it will actually work in my 82? To me it looks like an updated design, but looks interchangeable with the earlier design. Thanks in advance. Charles

 

Charles,did you ever consider Delco for your AC ACDelco Parts

 

The radiator support and basic unibody chassis never changed over the 10 year run of theses cars. No aftermarket part is a 100% oem fit but, in general, fit reasonably well. The biggest issue may be it doesn't fit the rubber isolators perfectly.

edit: reid, that's some interesting sealant... thanks

 

Thanks for the suggestion Mantaguy. I checked on Delco parts and although there are Delco numbers listed for the parts we could not find many of them instock. Several of the NAPA parts are Delco. We could not find a Delco condenser. The Spectra unit looks like it will fit perfectly. The only difference that I can see is that it looks like a paralel flow unit and the OEM unit is a serpentine flow design. Other then that it looks like an exact fit. Charles