so i have everything back on there. all used stuff except a condenser which i bought today. hopefully i wont have any leaks. but i need a pic of the connector that hooks up to the 2 prongs that are right behind the clutch. i have 3 loose connectors, 2 are for the AIR system which i no longer have. the 3rd (bigger one) i thought was for the compressor clutch but the connector wont fit there. did these compressors have different types of connectors from year to year? dont understand why i cant find that connector when i never cut any of them off.

also is it common for the receiver/dryer to go bad? should i change it? thats the big silver canister thingy right? what do i need to buy to convert to R134a? i know very little when it comes to A/C.

 

2

 

why did you put it back on?

 

Wild guess but I would say that he wanted AC.

 

i got tired of roasting in the summertime

i was stupid for taking it off in the first place. then again that was back when i used to street race and go to the track

now i just wanna chill

LOL shifty. that too

 

Yep... The Deep South can be hellish in the summer. Humidity!

 

The connector your looking for will have 2 spade connectors.The plastic connector housing on most is slim to fit behind the connector.Since the system has been open you'll want to replace the receiver/dryer.They have dessicant is in them to absorb moisture from the system.Do you have access to a vacuum pump?best thing to do before you go any further is to button the system up and pull a vacuum on it then let it sit and see if it leaks down.If it does leak down then you could charge it,adding leak detect to find your leak.You'll want to flush the sytem to get oil residue out.Was the system R12 or R134A and was the compressor working well when you removed it?If you don't have any leaks,replace the receiver dryer and your POA valve - it's a metering valve for the refrigerant.Add the required oil and recharged her.
Hope this can be of some help to you.

 

The correct way to convert to 134a ,the correct way
#1 you need adapters to go from R12 to134A On hoses
#2 134a dryer
#3 134a pag, comp oil
tools
#1 MGS {Manifold guage set 134a}
#2 vac pump
#3 nitrogen cylinder
#4 134a or mp66 freon
#5 scale
Install everything ,including old dryer@,
Hookup mgs"s add 200psi of nitro,record guagereading at begining, let sit an hour or so,if same reading continue,if not repair the leaks,then start again with the nitrogen.
unhook nitro/mgs, replace dryer add comp oil,
hookup vac to mgs, pump down for an hour,again notice any change in pressure,if no change, continue,pump down to -20 psig or better,for an hour or so.
Shut off msg"s leave in a vacuum,unhook vac pump,
charge unit threw the low side {blue},startup the unit,charge accordingly with eng running,low side only,make sure eng fan kicks on with the high pressure{red}before reaching 350 or so psi
charge only what unit will hold,usually 2,or 3 lbs,mking sure clutch cycles,
its very basic to do,, others may do it different,
its about a 15 beer job,anyway

 

thanks. but can anyone post a pic of what the connector looks like that goes behind the compressor clutch? and also what harness that wiring goes into? the only 3 connectors i found are those that are in the pic and none are for the compressor. and i dont remember cutting any off. im gonna go look again in a minute.

 

Look at your pic, on the top of the compressor, right immediately behind the pulley groove. See those 2 little blades? That's where the connector you're looking for will plug to. It's the only connector on the entire car made anything like that, except for the alternator connector.

It will have 2 blade-type female terminals in it, with one black wire and one green wire. It will probably have a diode on the terminals too. It will NOT be in the computer harness.

 

Black Connector:
The connector should be in the same section of harness that connect to the compressor and AIR pump, can't miss it, it's the only one with a diode across the 2 wires at the connector.

 

then for some reason mine has to be missing. took a pic of all the connectors that i have in that section. coolant temp, IAC, TPS, connector at the back of the compressor, the 2 for the AIR valves, and the last one (i guess also for the AIR) wich i thought was the one i needed.

 

Those all look like connectors that are part of the ECM harness. The AC connector will not be in that harness. It will be in the same harness as the alternator, temp & oil press sending units, starter, etc. Given your description of the situation, I'd expect to find it hanging out behind the heads somewhere.

 

Wouldn't it make sense for it to be in the same harness as the other Compressor connector? Instead of the other side of the engine? my '88 has the compressor on the passenger side, and the wiring for it is all in the harness that runs along the right side of the intake and the valve cover as is the Injectors, TPS, IAC, CTS, starter...etc.

 

well guys turns out those terminals do vary from year to year. went to the parts store and bought a reman compressor and that big plug that i thought was for the AIR turned out to be the one i was desperately looking for.

finally got A/C!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

feels like it could be a lil colder. i was told the high side (R134a) should have about 250psi and the low about 40. is this right? im also using a used evaporator. i should've changed it. the condenser compressor and receiver/dryer are new.

only downside,,,,uses even more gas now

 

Nope...

Go visit a car assembly plant, and watch em roll down the line. The reason will be IMMEDIATELY obvious.

Which is, the A/C is a WHOLE SEPARATE ASSEMBLY, that goes into cars that are ordered with air. That is, it is also left out, AS A UNIT, if air is not ordered. Likewise, the engine goes in, AS A UNIT; the ECM harness is part of the engine. On the other hand, the harness that goes to the gauges and stuff like that, is PART OF THE CAR.

So, there are 3 primary chunks of wiring under the hood: the part that's there because it's a Camaro/Firebird; the part that's there because it's a TPI motor; and the part that came with the A/C. All discrete pieces. At places where they touch (for instance, where the ECM gets its power or lights the SES light, or where the AC control head gets its power, and so forth) there are pigtails or breakouts from the harnesses to interconnect. But the harnesses themselves, have their own identity.

The AC compressor wire comes through the firewall near the heater core, with the rest of the HVAC harness; goes to the low pressure cutoff switch on the accumulator; and from there, to the compressor. AT NO TIME does that wire enter the wire loom with the ECM harness (the one that contains all those plugs in the pics), which goes over to the right fender. Two totally discrete assemblies installed into the chassis at different points on the production line.

 

how much does it usually cost to have a system flushed? My system needs to be charged (hasnt been charged in about 10 years.. enough pressure to turn the compressor on, but it shuts off again in a few seconds... also, you open the valve pressure comes out, so i know it doesnt have a leak) I want to change to r134a.

 

i work at a shop where we have an A/C machine so i just paid one of the other guys to charge the system. another question is, is it normal for the compressor to stay on all the time while idling?

 

Pressures look ok,
I would start with, temp guage in vents,to actually see what it goes down to.
see if its keeping temp,, is it going from 45 to 55,?
holdin at 50? not below 50?
Also, was this done with an R12 to 134a kit from an auto parts store,or a/c tools?

 

well i bought an R12 accumulator w/o knowing. the guy that did the work said i should've bought the 134 but this one would still work. the fittings are from a parts store, but they wouldnt fit the new accumulator so he used his own that he had in his box. besides the big machine thats all he used.

 

Geez, you spent some cash$$.

Check your temp yet? at idle and cruisin,
also, if you got elect fan, or 2,is one kickin on?
im sure a/c machine guy checked,but make sure clutch on compressor is spinning,

 

couldnt check it today. it was somewhat chilly and i was told its best to do it when its warmer. i have 2 fans and they are both on whenever A/C is on. the compressor is staying on while idling (thought they were supposed to go on and off?)

well the compressor was about 200, condenser about 110, accumulator about 40, fittings about 5, plus stock exhaust parts/labor and misc. things needed to make room under the hood for A/C parts. think i spend about 600 altogether. but i should've bought a new evaporator as well. i was told this one is not restricted b/c the gas is flowing, but we dunno if it has any leaks. but at least im using 134 now and got cold air.

these cars are a never ending project even when ur not trying to make 'em fast lol. but i guess thats one reason why i like 'em.

 

Compressor running at idle,id wouldnt worry about too much,
its a low capac. system, i would unplug the pressure switch,usually at acuum, or inline and see if clutch stops,
if stops, your fine,
if not,replace it,
Post what you got for temps,at vents.
you may still have a ground issue,or condensibles/moisture.in refrideration,if temp dont hold at 40


These cars are keepers,for sure/ i had a 73,81,89, sold them,keepin my 88

 

If i still lived in lowell,ma. i could meet you, but unfortunatly, i moved north,
with all reguards to cali,and tree huggers, if you know somebody,you can get topped off with R12, or simmular,
to change over, about 200 or so, done right, by the 134a issues

 

i have a big switch at the accumulator and a smaller one on one of the lines. which one is it?

if i have moisture in there how is that fixed? change the evap?

 

checked the temp at the vents. its holding steady at around 60 so its definitely not cold enough.

i was also just told i should change the expansion valve?

compressor still staying on.

 

While the A/C is on? yes.

While the A/C is off? No. The clutch should not be kicking in.

However, the clutch should kick off while the A/C is on every 30 minutes or less and then turn back on. This happens because of your low pressure switch on the evaporator. If the clutch does not kick off within 30 minutes, then either the pressure in your system is too high, too low, or your low pressure switch is malfunctioning.

Get it fixed because if the A/C actually blows cold and you left the A/C on for a good time it will freeze up your compressor.

 

Depends on about a dozen or more factors. It is perfectly normal under the right circumstances. Lots of sunload or none, high humidity or low humidity, high ambient temperatures (above 80*), not much airflow across the condensor or lots, MAX a/c selected or not, engine temperature, etc.

 

what do u guys suggest is the next step? what else should i check? i dont wanna change the evaporator if i dont need to or if it seems to be working fine.

i dunno if the compressor stays on for more than 30 minutes or not.

what about this expansion valve. is that anything to be concerned with?

 

I would say that the system is still low based on my experiences. Start the engine, turn the A/C on Max, High Blower, let it run about 5-10 minutes like this, now watching all the hot and moving parts, hold the line going into the evaporator with one hand and the line coming out with the other. They should both be cold to the touch. If the smaller one is icing up or the larger one is noticeably less cool, you need more refrigerant in the system. The high side pressure will spike and then start to drop as the system becomes fully charged. On a 100* day with a Dual system I run 250/28 at idle. My GMC Jimmy runs almost exactly that as well. Both blow about 38-40* out of the vents on a 100* day.

On your system there is no expansion valve. It is a fixed orifice with a screen over it. It is possibly clogged and they are less than $5.00. I would use the BLUE orifice from a 1990 Ford Tarus. I do it on all my GM retrofits to 134A. It has a .067" hole instead of the standard GM white .072 which works well in keeping the evaporator pressure lower.

 

Just finished my L98 rebuild,
Do like mentioned, to keep it simple,was the temp cold when a/c machine guy finnished?
and now its 60, or is it the same.as when a/c job was done.
and do you still have 40/250 ish?

 

i didnt check temp when the guy finished but going by feel, its about the same as now. after roasting in that car for years even 60 degrees will feel ice cold. the shop where i work doesnt have the machine. i had to go to another one of our shops. but we do have gauges so how do i check it. just pop the hoses on the fittings and read?

i havent tried yet what Fast355 suggested.

 

Yes definate do the feel test as fast says,
if you got guages, hook them up, then open/purge your lines, red/blue at the manifold,to get air out,,just crack for a sec or so
post your pressures,
under 35 /40 on low side blue,your low on juice,
over, like i say, post your pressures with the comp running,

 

ok must be a leak . hooked up the gauges today. i got 100 on the high side and 30 on the low. i was suggested to order a can of 134 with dye in it so i could check for leaks with a UV light. hooked the can to the gauges and put it in. the compressor started to cycle instead of remaining on all the time. and pressure on the high side went up to about 130. dont remember if the low stayed the same or changed. i was told im really low in freon and had room for another 12 oz. can but no point in putting it in when im just gonna lose it. he said one can with the dye should be enough to see any leaks.

i did the feel test on both lines and both felt about the same. also as the can of freon was being put in the system the temp out of the vents went from 60 to about 52-54.

so i was thinking of just changing everything else that i havent changed but ima wait until probably tomorrow to have the system checked for leaks. anything else i can do? where is this orifice tube and how is it changed?

 

Yes keep it simple,
on the things you replaced,did you use orings,where needed,
also,if you still got 100/30,spray the hell out of your ac hoses,etc and look for bubbles,{little amount of soap an water}
with a/c on.
or/ notice any signs of oillish substance on anything,
Pay close attention to evap,any sighs of oil there?

easier/faster with charged nitrogen,but that little pressure may work,to find the leak.
Not to sure where the screen is as fast mentioned,but may be near the accum,or before the evap,
srry not famil, im used to bigger systems that use the xvalve on truck refrideration units.
Fix the leak, and you shall be fine,
and dont drive away from the ac machine unless you got 40 or so.

 

thanx for all the help. since i know i have a leak somewhere, im gonna wait until i gather up more money to replace whatever is bad. i just spent over $400 on rims, so A/C is not a complete priority right now. but am glad at least all the parts are back on

i'll revive this thread once i am ready to get back to fixing my A/C.