The Queen customizes her 3.2

[tsuter]

I don't understand this sentence:

"I added 2 cans to get to pressures of 50 low and 50 high (95 degrees outside). Used my book to rev engine to 2000, closed lid as suggested. Blew fan into intake.
And the ac was blowing 75… so better for sure."

The compressor was not running if it is 50Lo/50Hi same! You don't add refrigerant if the compressor is not running.
You have to get everything running and up to operating temps with the rear decklid closed and good airflow, 2000rpms.....BEFORE adding refrigerant through the lo side...slowly.

[GH85Carrera]

My system is pretty much all Charlie's stuff. Only the brackets, duct work, and front and rear condensers are OEM.

Just go to any welding supply place, ask for an AC system setup, and get a small bottle of dry nitrogen, they will have the regulators to get the pressure from 3,000 PSI down to what any normal pressures. I use my nitrogen rig to air up tires when they get low. The only pricey part is the regulator. The nitrogen tank is one that I just bring back to the welding supply place and they exchange it for 25 bucks or something.

The real tests was just a few weeks ago. I stopped at the NM Museum of Space History and International Space hall of fame in Alamogordo, NM. It has a silly long name but a cool exhibit.



I parked in the corner of the lot to avoid any door dings. My car sat in full sun for 45 minutes or more, and was 135 when I got inside of it, just 105 outside. I had driven for many hours to get there. I got in, cranked up the AC to max, and left for Roswell. Within 5 minutes I was getting 37 degree air at hurricane blower setting. I was cool and comfortable inside of 10 minutes.


When the outside temps are just in the high 80s I can get the return low pressure side line at the compressor to frost up.



I have driven my 911 to 41 states and Canada. Down to Key West, up to Maine, and all the eastern states. In Savanna, GA in August my wife said she was cold and she asked my to turn the temperature up. The heat index was 135 that day.

Yea, I spent a lot of money with Charlie, and adding the two other condensers was really pretty easy. Charlie provide THE best instructions possible. Follow his directions step by step and you will say several times, dang, that is a great way to do this. I did my condensers back in 2007, so I don't remember it being difficult at all. And I promise, I am the worlds slowest mechanic.

His stuff is expensive, but very top quality, and my AC system gets used all summer. Top quality but very long lasting parts beat the heck out of cheap crap.



I turned 191,400 miles on my trip back home. What other toy can be so much fun, and keep going up in price? After 27 year I love it more every day.

[echecsqueen]

Originally Posted by tsuter

I don't understand this sentence:

"I added 2 cans to get to pressures of 50 low and 50 high (95 degrees outside). Used my book to rev engine to 2000, cl

I have an ‘88 - the compressor in the 87 and 88 does not have a hi or low cut off. So yes, my compressor is running. It started with pressures that were lower - almost zero. As I added the 2 cans to the low side very slowly stopping often to let it circulate with everything on full blast. The compressor was spinning the whole time. Each time that I would pause filling, the low would go down but the hi never got higher than 50. So I stopped at 2 cans.
I haven’t checked if there is residual pressure today. Also since the gauge set is new I am not 100% sure the high is working correctly .
So a leak v compressor spinning but not actually compressing vs bad gauge.
In any case the air was notably cooler than pre the 2 cans so something is working

[tsuter]

I hear what you are saying but compressor "spinning" does not necessarily mean the clutch is engaged and it is compressing. The belt is always driving it if the engine is running.

The only time the Hi and Lo pressures should be the same is if everything is off and the refrigerant settles across the system.

Two cans seems like quite a bit if it was already partially charged. Or was the system empty and did you get a very good and long vacuum? That held for no leaks?


Sorry hard to do this over basically chat.

Drive that car over here to San Antonio tomorrow and we can fix it. We will be 105F in the shade! I'll alert the staff to prepare the lower guest apartment just is case.

[tsuter]

Compressor could be bad as well...

[echecsqueen]

By spinning, I mean the clutch is engaged and it is running. It IS hard to do this via email. I appreciate the offer but I think I would die from heat stroke on the way to San Antonia from here. I am going to visit my mechanic this week to see if my new gauges match his.
We’ll just now checked pressures they are zero and zero. At full speed fan and min temp. And air is hot. . So a leak is now most likely.

[GH85Carrera]

It may well be a bad compressor.

With 27 feet of hoses, and multiple components, leaks are a challenge to find. One reason I love the nitrogen purge, at 150 PSI it is pretty simple to find a leak with soapy water and a bright light.

Back when I did my Griffith's upgrade, I replaced all 127 feet of hoses, well maybe less than that, but all the rummer hoses were replaced with his barrier hoses.



His hose set comes with a pressure sensor, so the compressor will indeed shut off at too high or low of pressure.

If you still have the original hoses, yea they were non barrier hoses, and the refrigerant just passes through. It was 50 cent per pound back then.

I had to replace my compressor after 16 years of service. It started leaking at the nose seal. It was throwing oil on the under side of the decklid, right over the compressor pulley. A new compressor and received dryer, and I headed west into the heat.

[echecsqueen]

Quick question. How tight should the fittings be connecting the components to the barrier hoses? Hand tight, spanner tight, or as tight as I can get them using 2 spanners ( I am 100lbs and not particularly strong).

[GH85Carrera]

Not that tight, Just a bit snug. The O-rings will just squash out of shape if too tight.



My big challenge was the low pressure side into the compressor that has a huge nut on it. I have a set of wrenches that go from 19mm to 32 mm. It is super easy to tighten it up too much, and cause a leak. You can see that O-ring is smashed and I tried to tighten it just a tad.

Once again, the nitrogen pressure rig saved me with leak detection. Some pros use Nylog Blue, some think it is snake oil. I like it for most o-ring connections.



For the low pressure or suction side connection and the huge nut, it is real easy to over-tighten. I had to stop at just a little snug for that one.

[echecsqueen]

I bought a vacuum pump (harbor freight 100.00) and hooked it to the hi and low ports and vacuumed for 10 minutes and then shut it (the pump) off around 3 hours ago. It is reading -30 still. I will leave it overnight to see if it / how much it leaks down.
My service ports don’t have those caps that yours have. The valves are exposed. Does that matter?

[GH85Carrera]

Yes, the caps are part of the system. They can actually keep the Schrader valve from leaking slowly.

Pulling a vacuum is a good overnight test, but that is testing just 14.7 PSI assuming sea level so not much pressure. When you charge with refrigerant run the vacuum pump for a few hours before charging the system.

The main reason pros use a Micron gauge is the gauges for AC just can't read the difference.

2,000 microns is 0.2900754755
1,000 microns is 0.1450377377 PSI.
200 microns is 0.0290075475 PSI. The dial gauge will never show any difference, but you will feel the difference in AC performance.

With no nitrogen rig, get a good long vacuum, and let it sit overnight, and check it for a couple of days. Hopefully any moisture that turned to ice, will subliminate into a gas and the second vacuum will get rid of it.

[echecsqueen]

Held overnight- maybe a hair off the needle now looking at the photo. So far it is now looking like the valve may be a culprit. Will continue.

[echecsqueen]

Bought dye, new valve stems and end caps at lap store. Cant find “dry nitrogen “ still looking
I haven’t even replaced the components yet but I don’t want to muddle the situation further until I track down this leak and correct it. Then I will do the evaperator, condenser and dryer before the recharge.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by echecsqueen

Bought dye, new valve stems and end caps at lap store. Cant find “dry nitrogen “ still looking
I haven’t even replaced the components yet but I don’t want to muddle the situation further until I track down this leak and correct it. Then I will do the evaperator, condenser and dryer before the recharge.

The "dry" is just a description. Nitrogen from any welding supply place is just nitrogen, with no air mixed in and hence no moisture. Just talk to any welding or gas supply place. Ask for a AC pressurizing setup. Home AC system use it a lot from what I heard.

It is just an easy way to pressurize the system and introduce no moisture. I doubt any big box store has it.

When I got mine, it was at the local gas supply place. They sell all the welding gasses, and stuff for hospitals, CO2, and whatever else.

The nitrogen bottle is just a couple of feet tall,. and the regulator screws on like a welding bottle, only the fittings are different.



This is my rig. Right now it has a air chuck for topping off a car tire. I just unscrew the air valve, and screw it into my AC gauges and hook it on just like it is the refrigerant bottle.

[tsuter]

For chasing leaks, the best tool you can have is a quality "sniffer" something like an EliTech HLD100+. I have easily found leaks in my cars , my house mini splits, and most importantly my wine cooler closet! Soapy water and dye is just too messy and you don't want dye inside some components anyway

Cheap on A m a z o n. I had mine maybe 12 years or more. Use it all the time every time I make a connection.

https://www.amazon.com/Elitech-HLD-100-Refrigerant-Detector-Halogen/dp/B00XWHU7TM

[echecsqueen]

So the valve looked rustyish with slime coating on the low pressure side. See photo. So I removed the valves and am vacuuming some more.
“While I was there” I noticed this hose has signs of impending failure. Looks like it has some dry rot at the bend. No smell. I can’t find it in Bentley. Can someone tell me what this hose is? Pink arrow second photo.

[PeteKz]

Dirt on the outside of the Schrader valve isn't a problem, unless you get it inside. Obviously, clean that out. If you saw any gunk on the Inside of the valve, that would indicate a problem in the AC system.

[echecsqueen]

Today I installed the new keuhl evaporator and expansion valve, converted my box to screw connect (damn those clips from hell) and added a fuse to the condenser air blower, located and removed the old drier and have started the front condenser. My favorite thing about Griffith’s parts…. Step by exact step instructions. Crystal clear. So very helpful. Also wonderful…the tiny parts are separated in the bag from the other parts so they don’t get lost. It’s the little things in life sometimes. 2 bruise project. Hardest part- unscrewing the hose from the evaporator. It was welded, the working space is minimal and the size was huge (1 and 1/16” ). Cleaning and sealing each part as I go along.

[echecsqueen]

When removing the three bolts that hold the stone guard and front compressor in place, one of them ( the drivers side) came out with whatever was holding it in place - rusty. So I have nothing to fix the driver side bracket in place. May need to use a jack nut or similar. Uggh. And will need to cut this screw off of the stone guard. Calling it a night.

[echecsqueen]

Originally Posted by PeteKz

Dirt on the outside of the Schrader valve isn't a problem, unless you get it inside. Obviously, clean that out. If you saw any gunk on the Inside of the valve, that would indicate a problem in the AC system.

Hey Pete
The pin was sticking and leaking so I replaced both the high and low pins. Thanks