Shaggin' Wagon Mk II is back in Biznatch!

[danzo]

After festering on my driveway for the better part of 6 months, my T4wd is finally mobile again! If you remember our hero was sidelined with an f'ed up carb, which apparently caused 'er to run on three cylinders. A few weeks ago I scored a rebuilt unit from ebay and finally had time to slap it on today. This turned out to be Crackerjack Timing since my old BMW lost its shift linkage today ironically on the way home from purchasing the last hose needed for the carb install. I was able to trot back down Bellaire Blvd and recover the offending linkage, and gawd love Roadside Assistance.

She runs fantastic now on all pots, though unfortunately I was not able to get the a/c working (a guy can dream, can't he?). I squirted in only 6oz of 134a, but the gauge said I was getting into the danger zone. Not relishing a faceful of coolant, I put the can down. This didn't seem to be doing too much good anyway since the vents were blowing air hotter than a Sahara afternoon in August. Suggestions? I'll consult my store-bought a/c handbook in the meantime since having working a/c would really be the Cat's Meow here in Texas.

Tonight on my pseudo-inaugural run I smurfed in 10 fresh gallons of petrol, procured some sauces, washed/removed topsoil, and got back in time to see my Rangers win their fifth in a row. I need to get this sucker inspected/smogged in a week, hopefully running it on 3 cylinders didn't burn the cat (the one on the car, not my beloved Daphne). Next on the agenda:

- Tint windows (f'ed up a/c remember)
- Reassemble interior
- Prep for autocross Sunday. I'm not kidding, since my other car is out of Biznatch I need to keep my year end points up. Will post quality pics if it happens.
- Collect Hoes

Hopefully your Friday went just as well. Nice to drive this car again, it's very different than what I was used to.

[CathodeRayTube]

I squirted in only 6oz of 134a

thats probably a bad idea...R134a is incompatible with R12, wich is what im pretty sure all these tercels use...unless you properly converted it...r134a will eat up seals and doesnt mix right with r12 and the systems use differant oils for compressor lubrication. my advice, if you cant find real r12, use Propane. yes propane...like bbq grill propane...or the higher quality colman bottle type to be specific. propane is chemically compatible with freon 12, mixes with it and boils at around the same point so it acts like refrigerant and it wont degrade seals or not mix with the oil etc (and no it really doesnt increase the risk of exploding either)...this is also illegal...but for no good reason...so enjoy your AC and keep quiet about whats in it...

[splatterdog]

This car might be done as far as a/c is concerned. At least without MAJOR work. If 134 was added, it was retro'd. As far as how good is anybody's guess. Most likely not anywhere near the proper way.

See if the compressor is locked up yet. Most the retro'd systems I see have this critical failure. Pretty much have to replace everything except maybe the evap core, if it can be flushed out with very expensive ac solvent.

Should've kept it R12 man. It's still plentiful on c-list and ebay......

[danzo]

Thanks for the a/c tips guys. I guess I should have posted a bit of history: When I bought the car last Dec the seller (who only had the car for a few months) said the a/c had been converted. It does have the 134a fittings but I'm not sure of the thoroughness of the conversion. The seller said it would blow cold for only a few days on a charge, so there was obviously a big leak.

So last week I hooked up a 13oz can of 134a with a gauge on it and began squirting 'er in. After just a few ounces the gauge on the can very quickly went up to 70psi which is where the Warning Zone starts. Like I said before the air at the vents was as warm as the ambient temp (about 100F that day) and I didn't want to chance a blow up so I stopped. The compressor is not locked up and I do have what is claimed to be a rebuilt unit that is 134a compatible. First I want to see if I can get it to work with what's in the car now.

I'm a little leary of using Propane despite being a huge King of the Hill fan. I don't doubt it has similar properties, but I already have a bunch of 134a laying around. If I can get it to work for at least a month or two I won't mess with it until next year. Today I'm going to adjust the lash in the now-manual steering rack back to safe levels. This is really what kept me from autocrossing last Sunday (would have failed tech inspection), funny that having no first gear isn't too much of an issue.

I forgot to mention that I did replace what I believe to be the incorrect Schraeder valve in the low side port. It had a red sealing surface, and the "134a compatible" valves are green, which I think is a color code. This might have fixed a leak, as the system showed the same 70psi a week later. One other item - where is the damn high side port? I can't find it anywhere, and it might be helpful in diagnosing the system. I do have a R12 gauge that goes up to 300 psi.

Thanks again!

[splatterdog]

Whatever you do, I wouldn't recommend the use of r134 with sealant or any other kind of "conditioner". Lots of the consumer level can's with a gauge have this stuff. Luckily I haven't run accross it yet. But I have seen pics of sealant related failures. Things like compressors with green cottage cheese in them, and exploded compressors and condensers. I could just imagine the noise when they detonated.

The only truly effective way to get rid of this "contaminant" is to replace everything!