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Date:         Fri, 6 Apr 2007 23:48:39 -0500
Reply-To:     Matt Roberds <mattroberds@COX.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Matt Roberds <mattroberds@COX.NET>
Subject:      Re: Replacing A/C on 89 Westy... Help !
Comments: cc: Larry Hinshaw <LHinshaw@EARTHLINK.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <20070407022525.KWBC14143.eastrmmtai114.cox.net@eastrmimpi03.cox.net>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

> From: Larry Hinshaw <LHinshaw@EARTHLINK.NET> > Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2007 18:23:06 -0400 > > My son and I are thinking of doing [an A/C system replacement] > ourselves.... he is a novice auto tech and we have the Bentley manual. > Can this be done in our driveway or is it best to have a pro do it?

IMHO, you need a pro to start and finish, but the middle you can do yourself. The "start" part is to have a shop suck the existing refrigerant out of the system. This is partially because it's illegal to vent it yourself, and partially because you can give yourself a really nice frostbite if you manage to vent it onto yourself.

Then, it becomes a patented "installation is the reverse of removal" job. Some tips: A lot of the fittings are aluminum or otherwise soft; get the correct fixed-size wrench instead of using an adjustable wrench. Flare-nut wrenches, that grip the fitting on four sides instead of two, work well. Keep crud out of the connections - don't let the hose ends drag on the ground and so on. Try to keep the system "closed" as much as you can - nothing earth shattering will happen in the time it takes you to unscrew the old hose and screw the new one on, but if you knock off for lunch or for overnight, you might plug up any open lines (rubber corks) until you get back to it.

There is some oil that circulates along with the refrigerant and the oil has to be compatible with the refrigerant. The new compressor may or may not come with oil in it; if it has oil there should be a tag that says what kind it is. In these latter days it's probably the right kind of oil for R-134a, but check anyway... if it's not the right stuff, you might have to drain it out of the new compressor and maybe put in a little of the correct stuff before you install the compressor.

The "finish" part is to go back to the shop to have them pull a vacuum on the system. This may suck out some of the crud and will let any water in the system boil off. Then they will fill it with refrigerant and oil and check for leaks.

Haynes (among others) publish some non-vehicle-specific manuals to go along with their other manuals. There is one on welding, one on auto electrical systems, etc. I suspect there is one on A/C and heating and it might be a useful source of additional information.

Matt Roberds


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