A/C hose replacement. A DIY project?

[morebhp]

Okay, I'm not trying to discredit anyone here or be adversarial. You all have been very gracious in lending me help. But, I have differing reports now. On one hand 93rev2sev says he used part TEM282810 from NAPA and Bob says it won't fit. (we are all talking about a '94-'95 MTX right?)

I have no clue which is true. I'm just trying to avoid having to return parts and wait for others to arrive while my car is torn down.

Any body want to help me rectify this? --Again, I'm not trying to pit anyone against others here. Just digging for the hard facts.

Thanks guys.

 

[92inPA]

Hey, I know I have been wrong about stuff before, and could be wrong now. No offense to anyone. If 93rev2sev says it will fit, hopefully he has personally used that part and we will both learn. Cool!

For the drier and the liquid line (highlighted in yellow in your diagrams), I bought them from www.ackits.com. and they fit perfectly on my 95 mtx.

p/n 49049md drier
p/n 61575md liquid line

I see that ackits.com has changed their part numbers for the drier, so I guess it woiuld be best if you call them rather than buying on-line.

 

[projectSHO89]

The parts diagram posted above is one I had marked up a few years back. It is for the 89. Later model years may be different.

Most aftermarket AC replacement parts are manufactured by a single company (www.4s.com) and are marketed under several brand names including Murray, Factory Aire, and private numbers. Be advised that their online catalog has at least one glaring error if you do a lookup for the 95 MTX....

Steve

 

[SHOBlu]

morebhp, I don't want to muddy the waters but I have a good on-car diagram of the lines.

This diagram lists which line is which with the corresponding name. I hope this helps, not hinders. Good luck.

 

[morebhp]

Okay, thanks guys. For the sake of simplicity I guess I'll just follow the plan that 93rev2sev provided. It seems straight-forward and I can get my parts from one source. (I hope) Zak, I'll let you know how that process goes. I'll know more once I get the actual parts and see them in person and can compare them to the OEM parts. It's so difficult to tell anything from pictures.

 

[projectSHO89]

morebhp, I don't want to muddy the waters but I have a good on-car diagram of the lines.

This diagram lists which line is which with the corresponding name. I hope this helps, not hinders. Good luck.

This looks like the ATX layout. The MTX layout is much the same as the 89's.....

Steve

 

[93rev2sev]

Okay, I'm not trying to discredit anyone here or be adversarial. You all have been very gracious in lending me help. But, I have differing reports now. On one hand 93rev2sev says he used part TEM282810 from NAPA and Bob says it won't fit. (we are all talking about a '94-'95 MTX right?)

I have no clue which is true. I'm just trying to avoid having to return parts and wait for others to arrive while my car is torn down.

Any body want to help me rectify this? --Again, I'm not trying to pit anyone against others here. Just digging for the hard facts.

Thanks guys.

Ya, I am not 100% sure on the 810...

I might have re-used my 19e574.

 

[morebhp]

Okay.... now I'm loosing confidence in just going with all NAPA parts. If you could check for me in the next few days that would be great. I hate to be a pest but I'd like to be able to order all the parts at once and avoid returns. I know you guys have been through this ordeal and can so the way.

Thanks guys.

 

[morebhp]

I know this thread is a little stale but I'm getting back into my A/C disaster and I figured I may as well keep it all in one place for posterity.

I have a few more questions.

1. Where is the "orifice tube" located in this system? If you know, please use the diagram on post #15 of this thread and just tell me which part number. I know there must be one in there for the system to work.

2. Last call for anyone with a line on some replacement parts for the front hose assemblies. Namely part #19E636 and #19972 from the diagram in post #15.

NAPA has nothing for these as does no one else inclding 4S... just as many of you indicated. I'm fishing for perhaps someone "parting out" thier '93-'95 MTX that may have some of these.

Thanks.

 

[92inPA]

The diagram in post #15 is exactly like the setup in my 95 mtx.

19835 is the liquid line. It includes the orifice tube. ackits.com sells this line for about $32. Their p/n is 61575MD.

#19E636 and #19972 are both obsolete. Don't waste any further time looking for them. Take those two lines to your local AC shop, or hydraulic hose shop. They should be able to rebuild your existing lines. That is what I ended up doing and it worked out fine.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

The orifice is integrated into the new liquid line, so don't worry about it.

For the lower manifold hose (19E636), you can use the AC Delco part number 15-32251.

For the discharge line (19972) you can use the Spectra R-12 version of the same line, SPI part # 1955520.

If you use a dual set of manifold gauges, you'll just need the R-12 to R-134a adapter.

Both lines are available via http://www.rockauto.com for $111.99 and $41.79 respectively.

FWIW. if you're not replacing the evaporator or condenser, solvent flush the snot out of them and then vacuum for several hours. Contaminants and moisture from rusted out lines love to end up in there and ruin everything else.

 

[morebhp]

Whoa!! Thanks Chris!! That's a great find! How did you locate that part? I've been all over the Rock Auto site and never saw that AC Delco part.

On the other part, there is a bit of an issue. Mine is a '95 with the R134a refrigerant. That system requires a "refrigerant containment switch" in the discharge line. See my thread from a few days ago.

Given that, I dont see how I can use one of these aftermarket parts. That is, unless someone has a work-around. I imagine that switch is necessary to the system's operation.

Thanks though for that AC part! That's awesome!

Mark

 

[projectSHO89]

Except for the requirement of the RCS, the R-12 line will work (R134a adapter required as Chris said).

The RCS can be removed from the old line and left hanging connected to the connector (tie it off somewhere). If you do this, you will, of course, loose the safety margin that the RCS provides (not to mention, bending a couple of EPA regulations....). The switch, in its static electrical/pressure position, will still provide the necessary connections for the system to still function even when not connected to the high pressure line. There's your work-around....

Steve

 

[morebhp]

Chris, I went to order that AC Delco part 15-32251 at Rock Auto and they are calling it a "heater hose assembly". The price is the same but that's a strange name for an A/C part. Should I be concerned or is it just mislabeled?

Thanks. I'd hate to have to return the wrong part.

Mark

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Just leave the high pressure switch connected to the harness and dangling free. Or you could try to get a hose shop to weld in a new valve for the switch to attach to but IMHO it's not worth the hassle.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Chris, I went to order that AC Delco part 15-32251 at Rock Auto and they are calling it a "heater hose assembly". The price is the same but that's a strange name for an A/C part. Should I be concerned or is it just mislabeled?

Thanks. I'd hate to have to return the wrong part.

Mark

It's just mis-categorized.

 

[morebhp]

Hehe... figures. --Miscategorized... That really helps when looking for parts on a big website.

Any thoughts on that other part whose OEM version has that pressure switch? That's the sticking point.

Thanks for your help. I've searched for these parts so long I'm still in shock that AC Delco part exists.

 

[morebhp]

On the RCS... I may see if I can get a local shop to add it to the Spectra part. There's a really good A/C shop down here in Smyrna GA who've been in business for over 20 years. I think they can do it. May as well do this thing right.

I just ordered my AC Delco lower manifold from Rock Auto. I called Advance and they couldn't find that AC part number. They kept asking me what car it was for. --Yeah right. Like that's going to help. I've gotten more wrong parts from them it's deplorable.

Thanks for all your help guys. Today was very productive. I'll keep you posted on the process.

Mark

 

[Mr Anonymous]

FWIW, I personally wouldn't bother with the high pressure switch.

I've probably done a dozen or so '94/'95 cars with the R-12 discharge line and each time I just stuff the sensor in between the line and the hole for the headlight harness. IMHO, if the pressure in the A/C plumbing gets high enough to trigger that switch (~450 psi), it would open the pressure relief valve on the upper (high side) manifold hose or you'd blow an o-ring and vent that pressure before the fan was able to sufficiently cool the refrigerant. The highest pressure I've ever seen on a 107 degree F day was about 140 psi.

 

[Racer X]

Also, just an FYI, unless it's an ATX you will have to remove the lower engine mount bolts and jack up the engine to remove the discharge line from the evaporator. Otherwise, there just isn't clearance between the rear manifold and the discharge line to fully remove it from the evaporator.