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    #46
    Originally posted by kishy View Post
    Just nabbed a Spectra CU552 (the chubby rad) for $162 US, with free shipping to the third-party PO box I use in Detroit, via Amazon. Not bad. These things retail well over 300 Canadian at bricks+mortar stores here, and Advance never has them in-stock to be ordered, so while I've meant to replace that for a while I wasn't going to pay what it was going to cost.

    Have a new blower motor on hand, the existing one makes a chirping sound and doesn't seem as fast as it should. But the air distribution doors might be all screwed up too. It's on the long to-do list.



    To complete the thought (discharge lines without the muffler)...

    Thanks. Can't find any of YF-937 out there, but if I look for E1AZ-19972 without the -A I find a E1AZ-19972-B aka YF-1840. Looks like the right part. Presumably a minor revision.

    But, cost-wise, the 4 Seasons version of the part (55674) might be the one to go with.
    Yep, I scored one of the fatties for the Waggin' when I saw the price drop to much less than $200 on Amazon. Congrats on the resurrected A/C!
    ,
    Slicktop '91 GS HO 4.30 rear. '82 Mark VI Tudor HO, '90 F-150 XLT, '62 project Heep, '89 Arizona Waggin' and '88 donor in PA, getting combined.

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      #47
      Originally posted by sxcpotatoes View Post
      Yep, I scored one of the fatties for the Waggin' when I saw the price drop to much less than $200 on Amazon. Congrats on the resurrected A/C!
      Yes...at $162 US I wasn't offended by it. I'd have bought a second, if it were not for only one being available at that price. It's now 30 dollars more, and for some reason that's a threshold I just won't cross. I'll find another one cheap enough, sooner or later.

      The volume I have to deal in when buying car parts is ridiculous. So many cars that all need so many of the same things done to them.

      Just about froze my balls off on the drive to work this morning. I'm sure my short commute is only good for 12 US MPG on a typical basis, and with A/C probably 10, but IDGAF. Money can buy happiness, because it can buy the gas to run my A/C.

      The knowledge gained in this thread will go to good use...I want the air working in all of my cars, eventually.
      Last edited by kishy; 05-28-2018, 03:38 PM.

      Current driver: Ranger
      Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
      | 88 TC | 91 GM
      Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
      Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
      | Junkyards

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        #48
        Just threaten throwing parts at it and things fix themselves.
        ~David~

        My 1987 Crown Victoria Coupe: The Brown Blob
        My 2004 Mercedes Benz E320:The Benz

        Originally posted by ootdega
        My life is a long series of "nevermind" and "I guess not."

        Originally posted by DerekTheGreat
        But, that's just coming from me, this site's biggest pessimist. Best of luck

        Originally posted by gadget73
        my car starts and it has AC. Yours doesn't start and it has no AC. Seems obvious to me.




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          #49
          Hah, if only. I threatened my truck and Ashley's truck last weekend and they're both still broken A/C wise. Her truck needs everything, hopefully just short of the compressor and evaporator. Shitty dealership thing that looks factory but isn't. Hose clamps.

          My truck needs a new compressor, accumulator and thus a suck job & refill. Or I could try the dirty method of junkyard A/C compressor and some 134a & PAG oil from the parts store...
          1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
          1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

          Comment


            #50
            Originally posted by DerekTheGreat View Post
            Hah, if only. I threatened my truck and Ashley's truck last weekend and they're both still broken A/C wise. Her truck needs everything, hopefully just short of the compressor and evaporator. Shitty dealership thing that looks factory but isn't. Hose clamps.

            My truck needs a new compressor, accumulator and thus a suck job & refill. Or I could try the dirty method of junkyard A/C compressor and some 134a & PAG oil from the parts store...
            Were those originally 134A or 12?

            After consulting with some (technically knowledgeable, and personally trusted) friends, the unwavering suggestion for an ex-R12 system continues to be the hydrocarbon "12A" refrigerants. Cheap, environmentally friendly, easy to handle for a DIY job, readily available, and outperforms 134A in a 12 system. Or so I'm told. Anecdotally, it's a great option when fixing a 12 system that's already empty.

            There's a very good chance it's what I'm going to use on the wagon when the time comes.

            Current driver: Ranger
            Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
            | 88 TC | 91 GM
            Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
            Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
            | Junkyards

            Comment


              #51
              Ah, where can I find 12A?

              Both were originally R12. Stuff on her truck is complete garbage. I'll say it again because I'm that disgusted: Hose clamps. F'in hose clamps where proper crimps and such should be. I'm a bone head for missing that stuff. If I had seen that when we were looking at the truck I wouldn't of had Ashley buy it. She still loves the truck though. I did throw a can of gick in from VatoZone and it leaked it out in less than 10 seconds haha. Compressor works though. or at least when the switch is bypassed. Quiet so that's a good sign, right? ...........

              Last year I shot a can of goo in the truck and it worked for a few hours but the front seal on the compressor is toast, you could see it leaking and hear it hissing. Compressor was noisy as frig too.
              Last edited by DerekTheGreat; 05-29-2018, 01:15 PM.
              1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
              1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

              Comment


                #52
                12A is sold under a handful of brands, examples are Duracool and Red Tek. The average parts store here sells them, usually in a kit of 2 cans, sometimes plus a can of stop-leak, and a low-side charging gauge with a low-side conversion fitting (since it uses the R134A quick connect). I'd be surprised if you can't get the stuff over there perhaps even easier and cheaper. But, since you guys can buy 134A (we cannot), maybe the prevalence of "12A" is lower. It's available somewhat by necessity here, since nobody will sell you 134A, the DIYer is going to buy "something" to do the job one way or another.

                The cans seem to be typically R134A compatible, that is, you can use 134A hardware (can taps, hoses etc) to interface with them.

                At the end of the day if you get a reliable seal, I wouldn't care too much how I achieved it. Hose clamps, threaded connections, crimps, JB weld...if it seals, holds vacuum/doesn't leak, and does the job, I'd just run with it (says the guy who wanted to buy new hoses in the absence of any evidence they were bad).

                Current driver: Ranger
                Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                | 88 TC | 91 GM
                Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                | Junkyards

                Comment


                  #53
                  Hmm yeah I think we can't buy 12A here but I'll have to give it a sharper look when I go back up there.

                  GUess I wouldn't care either at the end of the day, like if her current system held a charge I'd run it as is. But since it doesn't and everything looks hokey, it's getting trashed and replaced.
                  1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                  1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                  Comment


                    #54
                    Dealer-installed AC uses hose clamps. There are special type for this, they have a hook to position the clamp properly. It actually works just fine as long as you don't meddle with it. It looks like hokey BS but its functional. Where you might run into trouble is if the evaporator, condensor, or AC mounting is not the same as factory-installed stuff. I really don't know what they were doing in the 90s. Frankly I'm surprised dealer-installed AC was even a thing at that point.
                    86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                    5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                    91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                    1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                    Originally posted by phayzer5
                    I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                    Comment


                      #55
                      Yeah, me too. Accumulator looks right and so do the lines but upon closer inspection there's no Highside port (least nowhere I can see it), the condenser is smaller, the fittings going into the compressor are different and the lines that run along the firewall are a tad too short. I just say the accumulator, A/C control in the cab and compressor. Compressor spun by hand so I thought "oh goodie." Get it home and see the sticker on the accumulator which states; "Factory Dealer Installed A/C."
                      1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                      1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                      Comment


                        #56
                        Sounds like halfass installation if it doesn't fit in there decently. If there is a high side port anywhere it would live between the outlet of the compressor and the inlet of the condenser. Seems kind of amazing it wouldn't have one at all.
                        86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                        5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                        91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                        1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                        Originally posted by phayzer5
                        I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                        Comment


                          #57
                          I'm convinced it is so it will go bye bye. Maybe there is, probably closer to the core support than I'd like or covered up by so much schoo I didn't see it. I'll certainly take a better look once I rip it all apart to swap in the correct stuff. I really feel now that we should have just kept the F250 we sold, I got rid of it mainly because I didn't want to undo the wiring job that by passed the ignition switch for cranking purposes & charging and the A/C was gutted on that truck. Was a bit cleaner than this truck though and an XLT. Oh well.
                          1985 LTD Crown Victoria - SOLD
                          1988 Town Car Signature - Current Party Barge

                          Comment


                            #58
                            Is it a necrobump if it's my own thread?

                            I'm feeling some motivation to move forward with A/C service for two distinct projects:

                            1. The 2005 Focus. Native R134A system. Its system is not empty, it does seem to produce cool air, but the clutch cycles rapidly. This seems like an ideal use case for a can of R134A with leak finder dye and stop-leak.

                            2. One of the Panthers; whichever will do summer duty this year. Native R12 system. 84 TC has all of its parts but has lost enough charge to not really function; visibly obvious leak points at compressor body and accumulator/drier and low side port. 85 wagon has its evaporator and condenser but that's it. In either case I have a couple reman compressors on the shelf and an O-ring and valve core kit hiding somewhere.

                            What I'd like to verify is that I have adequate tools for these projects.

                            Tool list includes:
                            • 120V vacuum pump with appropriate fitting to attach to A/C manifold. Also have a bottle of vacuum oil.
                            • A/C manifold set including R134A high and low side quick-connectors. The included hoses seem also usable on a native R12 system low side port only; the high side fitting on my 84 is smaller and these won't thread onto it.
                            • A/C flush bottle tool; has solvent bottle, takes in compressed air to force solvent through the part being flushed. Also have some vintage Ford flush solvent.
                            • Low side charging hose/gauge assembly specifically marketed for use with "12A" hydrocarbon refrigerants. One end is a threaded piercing can tap, the other end fits a low side port on an R12 car. Unless I am mistaken I think this tool would also allow one to directly put R134A into an R12 car (not that this is the most desirable thing to do in all cases)


                            And here's what all that looks like:









                            Bonus discussion: this is what "12A" hydrocarbon refrigerant (some mix of propane and butane?) looks like in two variants of retail packaging:





                            Short-sighted environmental regulations in Canada prohibit the sale of R134A (and of course R12) to any normal person; you need a special license or permit or something. The spirit of this is well-intended but it is almost certainly directly responsible for the existence of "12A" and the entire market for selling this "kinda sorta plug-n-play recharge solution" to people who just want cold air and don't care how they get it. Inserting the hydrocarbon stuff into a 134A system (note that one of the pictured solutions above does exactly that) which has not been evacuated and filled exclusively with 12A creates an undesirable situation where a mystery mixture now exists. But that's its own discussion.

                            Of course, by contrast, I can drive across the border and buy R134A on the shelf. Not sure what happens if I declare that at the border; I'm not sure precisely what is prohibited in Canada, it could be any one or multiple of the sale, purchase, possession or use of it.

                            Anyway. With respect to my projects, and tool adequacy:

                            1. The Focus. I think that if I buy R134A with leak stop and dye at retail in the US, I can use that can with my "12A" low side hose assembly, and combine that hose assembly with the low-side R134A quick connect from the manifold set. The fittings do match to allow this. This would be akin to buying one of those R134A-with-attached-hose deals for substantially more money than just the bare can, and then follow directions off one of those all-in-one solutions.

                            It is also worth considering that the can tap and hose assembly become a permanent part of the R134A can until it is depleted, and only having the one R134A vehicle and no knowledge of how much gas it will take, there is some uncertainty here.

                            2. The Panther. I would be aiming to do this project with the 12A stuff because the system is functionally empty now. I think the only puzzle pieces I am missing here are a can tap to attach the 12A can to the manifold hoses, and an adapter so the high side hose can connect to the high side fitting. There is no need to convert the low-side fitting to a R134A-style connector (and probably safest not to, so it's not believed to contain 134A), but I would have to convert the high-side to allow my manifold to attach to it.

                            Does it seem like I'm on the right track here?

                            Current driver: Ranger
                            Panthers: 83 GM 2dr | 84 TC | 85 CS
                            | 88 TC | 91 GM
                            Not Panthers: 85 Ranger | Ranger trailer | 91 Acclaim | 05 Focus
                            Gone: 97 CV | 83 TC | 04 Focus | 86 GM
                            | Junkyards

                            Comment


                              #59
                              Sounds like it. After getting the R12 system working, do remember to remove the R134a adapter. Hopefully it's one that doesn't require removing the R12 valve core.

                              Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                              rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                              Originally posted by gadget73
                              ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                              Originally posted by dmccaig
                              Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                              Comment


                                #60
                                Since the 134a rules are federal, I wouldn't chance it with the border. Now, if you want good weed killer, you can bring it across the border, since its only a provincial rule that it can't be sold to the general public, border gaurds are federal, so they don't care about lawn care products. Still gotta declare it though, they will want their tax and duty on it.

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