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Was looking into it as a starting point to get my AC working. Its freakin hot in Texas and its really hot with T tops. Any info- good or bad is greatly appreciated
You will be happy with it. I believe your engine bay is similar to mine. To change the condenser, disconnect the lines. Take the cover over the radiator off. Push the radiator to twords the back of the car and carefully lift the old condensor out. Reverse for install.
Remove all old lines, flush out the evaporator with alcohol. Make sure you lube the O rings with the proper oil for your system.
Draw down the system with the pump to the losest inches of mercury you can get.
It should be around 28 to 30, Depending on your altitude.
Here are some instructions from an install on a Chevy. Same thing.
Thanks for the info. Should be pretty close to the same. I have a serpentine belt and the compressor is on the passenger side but it still looks pretty straight forward.
I am not sure if the compressor bracket will work for the passenger side. Before you start, I would call Nathan at their Florida office. He will give you all the correct info. Also, the lines will be much shorter than mine. Measure the lines and get back with the dimensions.
Put the link to the auction so I can see the kit.
Tel: 813-251-2356
Louis
Last edited by Ct1987; 07-02-2018 at 05:20 PM.
Reason: add info
I installed a stage 3 kit on my 1990 Firebird; piece of cake. There are a few errors in the instructions, though. Make sure to remove both of the Schrader valves before installing the R134a high and low-pressure fill connectors (instructions only mention one, not both). Also, the condenser they provided would not mount as they made it. Where the side bracket screws hold down the lines the screws need to be reversed, as the tips of the screws hit the radiator. I removed the sheet metal screws and used small nuts and bolts after discussing with their tech support. Oh, and one of the compressor mount holes won't work; you will need an extra bolt. It appears they expected a clear hole where there is a threaded hole, on the lower mount if I recall correctly. This is on a 1990 model, your 1988 might be different.
Thanks for all the input. I am still waiting for the kit to arrive. I went ahead and removed my old compressor, hoses and dryer from the car. I'll remove the condenser today when I get home from work. Cant wait to get it all together and ride in comfort!
I installed a stage 3 kit on my 1990 Firebird; piece of cake. There are a few errors in the instructions, though. Make sure to remove both of the Schrader valves before installing the R134a high and low-pressure fill connectors (instructions only mention one, not both). Also, the condenser they provided would not mount as they made it. Where the side bracket screws hold down the lines the screws need to be reversed, as the tips of the screws hit the radiator. I removed the sheet metal screws and used small nuts and bolts after discussing with their tech support. Oh, and one of the compressor mount holes won't work; you will need an extra bolt. It appears they expected a clear hole where there is a threaded hole, on the lower mount if I recall correctly. This is on a 1990 model, your 1988 might be different.
Can you take a pic. of the compressor installed.
i'm thinking of installing one on my 90 IROC.
Did you need to move or modify the heat diverter or smog stuff
Can you take a pic. of the compressor installed.
i'm thinking of installing one on my 90 IROC.
Did you need to move or modify the heat diverter or smog stuff
Heater valve stayed put. I removed the AIR pump and associated plumbing before replacing the A/C (installed headers). I should qualify my statement that this was "a piece of cake" to install; my car only has ~17,000 miles on it, so nothing was rusted or caked with 100,000+ miles of baked on crud. Photo as requested:
That looks very very professional. I like the fact that they supply a belt tensioner with the passenger side kit. They do not have one for my system. This is my only complaint. I see your dryer is cocked over to the side also. I did not use Classic's dryer, used one from Rock Auto. I guess they use this dryer for many applications. the top port on the evaporator is off center by a half inch.
Louis
Last edited by Ct1987; 07-15-2018 at 08:20 AM.
Reason: add info
My car has 27k on it , I'm not expecting any problems.
I had Headers put on 20 years ago at the same time I had the A/C removed including changing the A/C housing to non A/C.
Why did you change your system and go with the stage 3 ?
My compressor seals were blown, and I wanted to switch to R134a. Not experienced enough to try and mix and match components; wanted everything made and tested to work together. I went with the Stage 3 system because it was only $50 more. Had I gone Stage 2, with my luck, the evaporator would have had a leak and I would have had to buy one anyway.
Here's a pic of my install. I have the smog pump and all of that still installed. The compressor is close to the smog stuff and the heater control valve? but it fits.
Overall, the installation was not that difficult. I did run into a problem that was mentioned earlier about a mounting bolt. The bolt supplied with the kit for mounting the compressor to the OEM bracket was not threaded all the way to the head of the bolt. Instructions say to thread this bolt into the OEM bracket. It threads in just fine, but will not bottom out because of the shank on the bolt. Easy enough fix, just get a new bolt.
Also, the low pressure port on the accumulator that was supplied with the kit is not correct. The one I got is the same size as the high pressure connection and my gauges will not connect. I'll have to track on down to make that work.
I think the kit is well worth the money. I am anxiously awaiting the cool air!
Here's a pic of my install. I have the smog pump and all of that still installed. The compressor is close to the smog stuff and the heater control valve? but it fits.
Overall, the installation was not that difficult. I did run into a problem that was mentioned earlier about a mounting bolt. The bolt supplied with the kit for mounting the compressor to the OEM bracket was not threaded all the way to the head of the bolt. Instructions say to thread this bolt into the OEM bracket. It threads in just fine, but will not bottom out because of the shank on the bolt. Easy enough fix, just get a new bolt.
Also, the low pressure port on the accumulator that was supplied with the kit is not correct. The one I got is the same size as the high pressure connection and my gauges will not connect. I'll have to track on down to make that work.
I think the kit is well worth the money. I am anxiously awaiting the cool air!
My low pressure port was fine. Kit came with conversion ports.
Great info
Pics show exactly what I needed.
Did you need to change any of the wiring?
The high pressure switch plug going to the back of the compressor needs to be cut off and wired together, then tucked into the harness jacket. Also, this compressor is grounded via the case/mount, so you don't need the separate ground wire that the OEM compressor uses.
I haven't done the wiring yet. The OE compressor has two plugs, I think one for the clutch and the other for? not sure. But the instructions say to eliminate one plug by just connecting the wires together. the power for the compressor is the green wire and is connected to the red wire on the compressor. I hope to get it going this week.
I'll be ordering,just need to decide if I'm going to reuse my condenser.
Going to install over the winter because I need to reinstall the A/C box on the firewall and want to keep using the car this summer.
It's been 18 years of hibernation.
Well I got it all charged up and running! It was 98 degrees F in my garage and I was getting vent temps around 58F. Once I got to driving around, the vent temp dropped to 42F. BRRRRRR! LOL
The compressor runs much more quiet than the old R12 one.
I ended up borrowing another high pressure hose from a set of manifold gauges in order to get the system charged. I will search for the elusive fitting I need in the meantime so I will have it should I need it in the future.
And I did replace my condenser with a spectre unit I got off of eBay. If you go this route, be sure to flush the condenser with lacquer thinner or similar and blow clear with compressed air. I did this and found some metal shavings.
Just installed my Stage 3 kit. Just need to go get it charged. Overall the install was pretty easy. The instructions could be a little better, but they're sufficient. As with others, I had minor issues but nothing show stopping. My biggest complaint is the length of the suction hose. Coupled with the angles of the neck, it was a bit of a pain to install. I ended up having to route it with a small hump because the angle of the neck wouldn't allow me to do anything else or it would have routed uncomfortably close to the headers. Anxious to see how well the system works.
06-25-2018, 08:03 AM
