1986 Tercel A/C into a 1987

[auxarcsjl]

I own an 1987 Tercel 4wd wagon that was orginally not supplied with A/C. I have located a 1986 with a working A/C and would like to install it into mine. Is there any reason the 86 won't work in mine. They are both automatic Tercel 4wd wagons. Did the systems change any? I know there are expert Tercel guys out there that can easily answer this. Thanks. This is a great website and I've really enjoyed my Tercel that I got two years ago. It had 32K original miles and I've put another 38K since then. Fantastic in the snow! I get about 26 to 30 mpg.

[Petros]

The a/c package should fit fine into the '87. The change can be accomplished, but there are a lot of detail parts you will need from the sourse car. The ducts under the dash (passenger side), the heater control panel with a/c switch, as well as the compressor, condenser, evaporator and all the plumping, and likely some wiring as well. Also, I have heard the cars equipped with the a/c have stiffer front springs as well, so you might consider swapping the front suspension springs to carry the extra weight.

You say you have located a car with a/c, is it a parts car, or in a wrecking yard, or what? it would likely be cheapest to buy a wreck or rust bucket car to get all the parts you need, rather than buying them one at a time. Having the donor car means you also have it on hand to see how it was installed, and all the details and mounting hardware.

Good luck.