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Just wanted to share that my AC is now blowing really cold. I'm a little bit proud of myself :)
I installed a new receiver drier and expansion valve. I ordered both off of eeuroparts and the receiver drier (aftermarket and cheap at $17) they sent me did not include the pressure sensor on the top; they said I should take it off the old one and install it, but that unit did not want to easily come off the top of the old one, and in any case it didn't even look like it would fit...so I ponied up and bought an OE part off of eBay for $40.
There were lots of little gaskets (especially around the expansion valve) that I had not accounted for, so I ordered an auto AC gasket kit off of Amazon prime for $10...way better than trying to figure out which ones to order, and order them individually and wait for them. It had all the ones I needed plus about 90 more
There is a great old post by Monster where he describes how to remove and install these parts...it was a really big help: http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/bb/900/index.html?bID=179433
I bought a new cheap chinese vacuum pump for $45 on eBay, and a $20 manifold gauge set from amazon with shrader valve (r12) fittings. Ran it for about 2 hours, and then waited an hour to see if my vacuum held...it did, hallelujah no leaks. Big thanks to Eric the Car guy and his youtube video on how to do this.
So then I added 1 5oz can of Enviro-safe refrigerant, and 1 4 oz can of their oil charge which is 2oz of oil and 2 oz of refrigerant through the low pressure port. There is a chart in Bentley that lists approx. how much oil is lost when different AC components are replaced; between the upper radiator hoses and the receiver drier, plus some that had come squirting out when I evacuated the last charge of enviro-safe from the system, 2oz seemed about right. I double checked with enviro-safe and they ensured me their oil charge is compatible with the old r12 type oil that was already in there.
7 oz. total of enviro-safe is more or less equivalent to the 1.1 lbs. of r134 recommended on townsend, according to the equivalency chart the enviro-safe gives.
The weird thing was, I did this work on a 60 degree day, and at first it barely seemed like the compressor was coming on. Temperature at the side vent only dropped about 5 degrees when AC was on, and the compressor would cycle on and mostly off.
Today was a 70 degree day, and when I turned on the AC the vent temp. went all the way down to 48! ready for summer in the California drought.
I wish I had done the job right the first time, after I replaced the upper hose and did NOT draw the vacuum or replace the receiver drier and expansion valve. Oh well, all it cost me was some time and a few cans of enviro-safe. All told, I got it fixed and working for about $250, including all parts and tools. Not bad hey.
posted by 75.111.27...
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