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AC rebuild success (long) Posted by JerseySaab [Email]  (#666) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from JerseySaab) on Wed, 31 Jul 2013 18:32:44
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Well, I finally finished up rebuilding the air conditioning system in my '97 CSE - pretty much everything except the evaporator was replaced. Granted that we have not had 90+ degree heat for a while now, the car still gets hot sitting in the sun and the AC pumps out gobs of cold air, much colder than it ever was previously. In fact once it gets going the air coming out of the vents is almost "too cold" where before at best it would only be cool, and prior to starting this project the AC had stopped working altogether.
For anyone contemplating doing this, be aware that it is a pretty big job, particularly for an old fart like myself who has arthritis problems. In fact I probably bit off a little more than I could chew in deciding to do this, but once started there was really no other choice but to proceed. It would probably be cheaper to buy another car with working AC than to pay a mechanic to do all of this! What I thought would take weeks to accomplish actually took months, though part of that was available time plus a long heat wave during which it was just too hot to work on the car.
Along the way of course when taking stuff apart on a 15-year-old car with over 300,000 miles on the clock one finds other things to take care of. The scope of the project quickly expanded to take in the water pump, thermostat, coolant hoses, and alternator; and of course the serpentine belt and pulleys.
AC components replaced were the condenser, condenser pressure switch, condenser fan, compressor, drier, expansion valve, and hoses. (The pressure switch on the old drier was very recent so was re-used.) The evaporator had no signs of leakage or blockage so was also re-used, but flushed out chemically to get rid of old oil and anything else that did not belong in there.
Things I considered replacing but did not included the radiator (no indication of cracks or degradation on plastic parts) and crank pulley (marked it with paint and will keep an eye on it). The belt tensioner appeared to be OK and was left in, it is very smooth even when the AC engages. Although wear items, these parts were not replaced both to get the car back on the road more quickly and to curtail costs. They can be replaced later if needed without having to do a lot of disassembly, so will just check them periodically. Time will tell if I made the right call on these!
I found the aftermarket parts fit amazingly well, even though I indulged my "Rambler Mentality" and used vendors from that famed auction site for some things to save money. The condenser came from "partscontainer," it carried a Nissens label and was a 100% exact fit down to the mounting points for the pusher fan. The compressor, drier, and expansion valve came from "techchoiceparts" -- all UAC brand items that fit and worked perfectly.
The most expensive parts were the AC hoses. These were sourced from Skandix, which provided excellent service. Skandix was able to confirm from my VIN exactly what parts were needed and although shipped from Germany, shipping costs were reasonable. The parts arrived quickly, fit perfectly, and appear to be of excellent quality. Condenser fan and pressure switch were purchased from thesaabsite.com, they had the best price on these items. Coolant hoses, seals for transmission and coolant lines, and some of the necessary o-rings came from eeuroparts, as did the new water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt, and pulleys.
I did not take photos unfortunately since I only have a cheap 10-year-old digital camera that just produces blurs if you try to do closeups. However if you examine how things are put together it's not rocket science to take apart, just a lot of grunt work. Before proceeding you should either make a very good mental note, make sketches, or take pictures so everything gets put back together properly! The following are some ramblings on the job...
General advice I would give to anyone looking at doing this: first of all, make sure you leave enough time - hopefully you have another vehicle available! It is helpful to have a good assortment of o-rings on hand, you're going to need them. (Amazon has a nice set for about $8.00 US.) I used Nylog Blue lubricant on all o-rings and fittings. (I credit this with having no leaks on the first try.) Have a local hardware store picked out that has a good assortment of metric nuts and bolts. Although I did my best to bag and tag everything, inevitably some small parts went missing (Fortunately the electrical connections are pretty simple, for the most part there is only one place things can be plugged in.)
You will also need a gauge set and a vacuum pump. An electronic leak detector is nice to have to check your work. If the new compressor comes pre-loaded with oil, that needs to be dumped out and fresh oil installed.
Since I'm in the Northeast, all lower hose clamps on the radiator and intercooler were very rusty and had to be cut off with a Dremel tool. These were replaced with stainless steel clamps.
Keep everything scrupulously clean! You do not want any dirt, grit or debris to enter your AC system while working on it!!
Although I am aware of the benefits of alternative refrigerants such as Envirosafe and Duracool, which I have used extensively in R12 systems, I decided to stick with R134a to protect the new compressor warranty and to be able to use my electronic leak detector. Ditto I used the PAG oil specifically required by the compressor manufacturer rather than try alternatives.
Since the drier and the PAG oil absorb moisture you want to deal with these parts last. I assembled everything, connecting the drier last, and pulled vacuum BEFORE putting in the oil to check for leaks. (Note that the drier is MUCH easier to deal with if the compressor is moved off to the side!!)
The condenser and fan are a PITA to get back in. I found the best way was to put condenser/fan in first - angle in the top and wrestle into position. Then put the intercooler in behind it and bolt those two parts together. This is a bit of a balancing act since the intercooler supports the condenser, but with some finagling it will all go together. (On my car just the bottoms of the condenser and intercooler were bolted together, not the radiator, so that's the way I put it back.) Then the radiator goes back in AFTER connecting the upper condenser hose. I did not disconnect the oil cooler, just moved it off to the side while working.
The condenser fan is a very tight fit, make sure it turns freely before allowing it to power on! There were small balance weights on a couple of fan blades that were enough to catch on the metal brace just in front of the fan - I had to bend the brace slightly to make more room.
After everything was finally put together I pulled vacuum and verified that the system was holding it. Then the vacuum was slowly released and oil quickly put in the system. Six ounces from a fresh, sealed bottle of PAG-100 oil (specified by the compressor manufacturer) was divided between the compressor and the easiest hose to disconnect. Then those pieces were buttoned up with fresh o-rings and Nylog. I pulled vacuum for about 3 hours to rid the system of air and moisture, and manually rotated the new compressor about 10 times to distribute the oil internally. Then I charged in the required amount of R134a.
Another "gotcha" came when I went to put the plastic coverings underneath the car. The section on the right side has a vertical section with a cutout for the lower AC hose. However since I did not have this hose in quite exactly the same position as before there was interference. Not wanting to unhook this hose now that everything was leak-free and working, I simply did some custom fabrication and cut off the interfering plastic piece with a hacksaw.
Although I assembled things very carefully, given the sheer number of sealing points involved am still surprised that nothing leaks!
There are probably other details I'm leaving out, but this rambling rant is long enough and that's the gist of it. Hope some of this may help others.
I'm very happy to have this car back on the road again!
->Posting last edited on Thu, 1 Aug 2013 18:42:49.
, Wed, 31 Jul 2013 18:32:44 <-- Viewing This Message, Thu, 1 Aug 2013 04:09:22
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