Air Conditioning advise

[Dan Werling]

Realized I put this message in the wrong forum earlier...


Hey Guys,

A few weeks back I installed a new compressor and clutch in my SHO and the A/C has worked decently until lately. I noticed that one of the high side lines was leaking and I attempted to fix it. I removed the line and took it to an A/C repair shop where they brazed on the crimpable ends and installed a new peice of a/c line. Well today the a/c started cooling so-so. I got home and was checking out the system under the hood. The high side lines were too hot too touch, and the low side line was barely cool. So I have 2 questions, 1 is it possible that I have a restriction in the system somewhere that is making the high side get super hot and the low side not getting cool at all? Second question, now this one is tricky but I am sure somebody knows the answer to it. Are the a/c lines different between a ATX and MTX SHO? I ask this because I know that on an ATX the accumulator line puts the accumulator right up against the fire wall, where in a MTX I believe the accumulator is low on the front passenger side of the engine compartment. The reason I am trying to figure this out is because the High side line with the high pressure port that goes from in front of the battery and goes down and over to the muffler in front of the engine looks different between the 95 SHO parts car in the junk yard. The crimp repair did not hold and now the SHO is out in the driveway losing all its 134a. I have replaced the orifice line and flushed the system since installing the new compressor. The orifice line was clear as of yesterday when I installed that new line that is currently leaking. The system had plenty of oil in it as well. I know this is a lot of babbling but I think this is all the details that I can give. I currently have a post up in the WTB parts thread trying to get some lines that are in better shape. Please give me some feedback, i'm starting to get a little worn out chasing a/c system gremlins.

 

[hawkeye18]

n00ds of that chick on your hood, and we can talk.

nah, seriously though, it sounds like your orifice valve might be clogged; that can cause all sorts of issues. Did you get the system properly vacuumed before using the new compressor? Also, did you make sure to put the right amount of oil in? If a shop did it, disregard.

 

[VortecGT]

if you have a restiction the line should be very cold where it is. also is it 134A or R12. I was told that if you intermix the two ac oils they will become a greasy substance and cause problems. I would have the system evacuated and put under a vacuum then refilled.

 

[Dan Werling]

I am a Ford technician, I did do all of this work myself. After I installed the new orifice line I cleaned all of the other lines. The a/c had been working awesomely until today. I am however a Truck mechanic and don't specialize in a/c. I guess I am just looking for some SHO specific help from you guys.

 

[projectSHO89]

Dan,

Either a restricted condenser or a failed cooling fan would account for the symptoms you described.

What was the original compressor's failure, ie, grenaded or Black Death, perhaps? If so, there are probably contaminants in the whole high side of the system.

A 95 would never had R12 in it anyway so that theory is not relevant.

The ATX and MTX lines are different. It's been too long since I last looked into the differences that I don't recall what they were exactly. Perhaps someone with a fresher memory will chime in on that regard.

Steve

 

[Dan Werling]

Dan,


A 95 would never had R12 in it anyway so that theory is not relevant.


Steve

Whatcha mean about the r12? The old compressor just locked up. When I cleaned the lines, I didn't get any metal out of them. However when I replaced the FOT line, i cut the orifice tube out to check it out and had the teflon stuff all over it. My best bet right now is to probably check all of the lines for restrictions. At this time the condenser, evaporator and orifice line arent blocked. The orifice line is a little harder to blow shop air thru, but that is cuz of the tube itself.

Thanks for the advise guys.

Guess I just wanna find some good used lines and replace my system.

 

[Rockledge]

Whatcha mean about the r12?

He means that all 1995 Ford factory A/C systems utilize the "newer" R-134 refrigerant. As such, under normal circumstances, there would be no reason to suspect that the older R-12 stuff would ever have been introduced into the system.

 

[Dan Werling]

Ah, reread the replies, talking about the mixing of oils... gotcha.