removing A/C

82SC · 08-30-2002, 11:24 AM

Well my car is gutted witht he eng and tranny out...and I am thinking of more and more things to do while this time around...

so one thing is the A/C has not worked since I bought the car...I thinkit is a simple matter of rechargine the freon but who needs A/C

So I am thinking of taking the compressor and the thingie under the deck lid off...but that leaves me with about 4 dangling hoses...where can I get plugs to plug the hoses...I doubt leaving them open is a good thing...I don't want to rip all the hoses and such out...especially if I decide to sell the car and the buyer would like to get the A/C going...

thanks

MJ

rstoll · 08-30-2002, 11:32 AM

Might run by your local A/C repair shop. All new hoses come with either a plastic or rubber plug in them. They should have a stash of them around after doing installs.

Planter91C2 · 08-30-2002, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by 82SC
so one thing is the A/C has not worked since I bought the car...I thinkit is a simple matter of rechargine the freon but who needs A/C

MJ

just recharge the a/c and use it. if it is functional it would be foolish to remove it.

82SC · 08-30-2002, 11:40 AM

well to do it I would need a complete leakdown of the system...then the recharge...yadda yadda yadda...500 bucks in the hole...

So Cal has great weather, and rolling down the window is much cheaper...

plus while taking that compressor off, it is SO heavy...sheesh...

Jim T · 08-30-2002, 11:41 AM

I'd just go ahead and remove the lines, too. They run up towards the front of the car - you'll see where they disconnect up front, just follow them.

It'll take you an hour or two.

That is the thing to do. Why? Because the hoses that you have in the car are pretty much worthless. If anyone in the future wants the AC, they are going to have to remove the hoses and have them rebuilt anyways. That's because the hoses are non-barrier hoses, and have built in pinholes that leak the freon.

If you simply recharge the system, you'll blow through $100+ of freon very quickly. Its a waste of money.

Bottom line is that your AC system is outdated and likely toast anyways. If someone ever wants to get it working again, they'll have to remove all the hoses, etc. anyways, so you might as well take it off now (keep it in a box, its easier to get new hoses rebuilt if you have the old ones).

dean · 08-30-2002, 12:19 PM

I agree with Jim T, although when I ripped out my A/C I left the hoses in. This summer was very hot and sometimes I thought I was foolish. But not now.

KTL · 08-30-2002, 01:05 PM

If you decide to remove the hoses, you should know that one of them is clamped to the body underneath the front suspension splash pan. You don't have to disconnect this clamp, but then you'll have to pull on that line like a MUTHA. Been there. Oops.

pbs911 · pbs911's Garage

Hey at least you have an AC that doesn't work. I did not discover until after I ripped out the entire AC system that the PO replaced the hoses with barrier hoses and the system only needed recharging. Oh well, I'm an idiot sometimes. But considering I would only use the AC on maybe 4 days out of the year, I'll take the 80lbs less weight and cleaned-up engine bay.

Quit worrying about the next owner. Do the car the way you want to do it.

Doug Zielke · 08-30-2002, 01:57 PM

If it's not working, the money you'd need to spend to get it going, could easily buy you some goodies to make more horsepower.
Now, be a man, and rip that a/c out asap! (But save it for the next owner).

Superman · 08-30-2002, 02:06 PM

I'm REALLY glad I removed mine. The engine bay looks WAY better, the weight is lost and the valves are easier to adjust. The hoses can be removed easily. They all came out in one piece. It may only take a half-hour. they just pull through. There are tabs underneath to support the hoses, so deal with them. The thing under the nose can come out, as well as the dryer in the front wheel well and all the stuff in the smugglers' box.

Do it. It will set you free. And those non-barrier hoses are worthless anyway, even to someone who would want to reinstall A/C.

rstoll · 08-30-2002, 02:09 PM

You Nanooks can remove the A/C where you are, but I like mine down here in Good Ol' Boy country.

s2per · s2per's Garage

My a/c system on my SC leaked down slowly over six months last year. I just had some work done and among other things I had the a/c charged. It worked great on the 40 mile trip home from Tampa, and once 3 days later. Tonight, it's blowing warm again.
This thread helped me make up my mind--it's all coming out, 21-year old York compressor, fans, hoses, everything!

The car is becoming more of a track/ tearing around toy anyway, and tonight I installed the rollbar. The racing seats are on order and I think it's diet time!

Can fiberglass body parts be far behind?

Doug Zielke · 08-30-2002, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by rstoll
You Nanooks can remove the A/C where you are, but I like mine down here in Good Ol' Boy country.

Nanooks?!?!?

I'll have you know that I strongly represent that remark!