AIR Conditioning Service

[Dartman67]

My buddy has purchased a 1968 Imperial in nice shape. It needs a little TLC and I'm hoping I can get some tips in regard to A/C. The A/C doesn't work and we have no idea when it was working if at all since the car was last updated. All the piece's appear to be there. I'm a good mechanic but have never worked on A/C beyond adding freon. I'm starting from scratch and want to do this right. I'm retired and love to work on these old cars so its my labor and my buddies wallet, so I'm not afraid to spend a bit of his money We want to keep the original look and are thinking we want to keep original equipment and R12.

I'm purchasing the gauges and vacuum pump from Amazon - is there a better kit? Amazon.com

Seals - I'm assuming I should replace all. Can anyone recommend a good source?

Are there other parts I should replace before starting? The dryer or ?

How do I check the compressor to make sure its operable, has oil? I have the service manual and will investigate that but advice from this group has always provided insights not in the manual.

I'm budgeting $1000 or so - is that realistic? I believe I can get an updated replacement for that but as stated want to keep it looking original.

Any and all help/tips / sources are welcome

Thanks in advance

 

[FURYGT]

Does your friends imperial have regular air conditioning or the automatic control type of air conditioning where you just set the desired temperature.

 

[Dartman67]

I believe it is the regular - car not in possession yet

 

[saforwardlook]

If it is automatic in terms of setting a temperature and forgetting it, don't buy the car. The parts to repair those to a working level are long gone and available nowhere. Those systems were so bad, they ran out of those troublesome controllers very fast and never made more of them..................

 

[Justin Plant]

Find and purchase a factory service manual, generally there's a supplement for ac if any were printed after the fact. Either will have the info you desire. There are several threads here and other Mopar sites that cover RV2 compressors, there are several styles. Lastly, R12 is EXPENSIVE and hard to come by. If for some reason you have to crack the system back open, then your buddy will be out A LOT of money. Research, research, research! Good Luck.

 

[CBODY67]

With the system discharged (or otherwise empty), there is a bolt on the compressor's oil pan that is where the oil level is checked. Whatever oil might be in the system already will probably have migrated to the lowest point in the various system components.

A new receiver/drier will be needed, no matter what. Seek one that is as long as the ORM one, which might take some looking around. Personally, "Amazon" is not the place to look for these things. One does not always know who is selling them, so IF something is not right or fails, getting that fixed might be a problem, it seems. To me, much better to deal directly with somebody "in the biz", local or otherwise, to build a relationship with so they might also help with other parts/items needed. DO shop for the best prices among these "old car a/c" vendors, though, just for general principles. Several will be in TX, most probably, but others might be up in your area.

IF changing to R-134a, the complete system will need to be flushed to remove any residual oil. Each type of refrigerant has its own type of oil, typically, although there might be some which is now "universal". Just as each refrigerant recycling machine is dedicated to ONE gas, not multiples. Or at least that's the way it used to be.

If using R-12, make sure the source of the gas is a good one, for best durability of the system.

It has been noted that "seasoned hoses" from R-12 gas and oil use, CAN be a good enough seal to work with R-134a. Do investigate that, though. Otherwise, the R-134a takes a barrier hose which can be stiffer and not make the same bends as the R-12 hoses would.

Check out the a/c thread by "TxDon" on his R-134a conversion. He found a good source of parts and pieces to rebuild the system on a '66 Monaco wagon. Just that he also went with a Sanden compressor, which y'all will not be doing.

Please keep us posted on your progress,
CBODY67

 

[volksworld]

step one would be putting the gauges on it...and seeing if there's any pressure in the system....if it's just low you stand a chance of topping it off with R12 and then seeing if it was low due to the fact that it has been losing a tiny bit for 40 years and can be ignored or if it loses more at a quicker rate...on he other hand if its completely empty its anybody's guess what the condition of the various components will be...there's a chance the system hasn't been functional in MANY years and the compressor has been removed repeatedly for water pump, timing chain, cam, intake or other repairs and it just got put back on so the alternator belt had somewhere to ride...with the system empty and full of water vapor....when i first got my car I tried to charge it and found an evaporator core leak...20 yrs later I decided to get it working and found out the compressor had also thrown a rod...pulled a compressor off an other car where everything was hooked up and looked original...and everything inside was completely rusted up...wanted to use the condensor from that one and it too was highly corroded at the drivers side hose connection....and i would have no way of knowing any of that if that had been the car i was trying to put back together instead of my own...

 

[CBODY67]

When trying to get an old system going again, plan for the "default mode", which is it's going to need everything.

When our '72 Newport needed a new condenser, I found one in a salvage yard which had double the number of coils in the condenser (32 vs 16, or something like that). So I got that one, took it to a good radiator shop to get checked for leaks. All was fine . . . for about 2 weeks, then it started leaking. Just my experience in that respect.

I suspect similar might be said for the heater core and radiator, too.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

 

[Dartman67]

Quick Update - several have asked what type of A/C system I have. I have the one that you set the temp - least desirable as I understand and no parts available. If thats true the the question becomes what has been the experience replacing stock A/C with modern upgrade?