87 Fifth Avenue AC compressor Replacement - Oops

As the continuing saga continues on my silver 87 Fifth Avenue, you'll remember that when I first got it eons ago (BudW was it two or three years??) I asked for help with the A/C compressor replacement.

I struggled with removal because I didn't realize there was a bolt in the middle rear behind the compressor. BudW and others helped me get that figured out and new hoses put in.

It had the R-134a conversion color-coded nipples? hose connectors? that the cooling lines screw in (one red for hi-side, one blue for low-side). (sorry for the loss of words my ragweed allergy brain is in a fog this week).

I could not for the life of me get the low-side adapter from my manifold kit to attach. Hi-side was easy. Got frustrated and decided to remove the low side conversion connector and take it to town with me to discuss this problem with O'Reilly's employees (where I bought my manifold kit).

40 minutes later I'm there (got behind a cattle trailer again), and neither ken nor I can get it to work. Futz a while and eventually get it on, then off, then on, then off several times until the spring loosened up in the kit attachment so that even my wimpy fingers could get it to work.

HOWEVER... did you know that the person who put in the last a/c compressor did not know that she was supposed to remove the check valve from the low side before she put the r134a adapter on?
Why?
Because the A/C compressor she removed also HAD THE CHECK VALVE LEFT IN THE COMPRESSOR.

So all this time, I've been running the a/c with two, not one but TWO check valves inline.

Needless to say the check valve in the a/c compressor is hosed and the bottom of the check valve in the R134a adapter is bent in the opposite direction.

I feel like such a dumpkoff.

Moral to the story: remove the checkvalve from the top of the low-side a/c compressor before you install the R134a adaptor in it (which already has a working check valve in it).

I'll let you know how this all plays out after I get it back together and a vacuum pulled (assuming the rain doesn't delay this game I'm playing.).

Doh!

JW

This years tuition paid in full for the school of hard knocks.

Good luck with it.

It took 20 minutes before I could get the low side connector to not pop off.
I swear there is a problem.
I finally removed the conversion adaptor off the car, eventually got the adaptor and the low side connector to marry up. Then my husband held it in position on the compressor while I used an open end wrench to tighten it onto the compressor. There has to be a better way.

I pulled a vacuum on it (if I read the directions correctly) for 1 hour.

At that point, I realized all my refrigerant was down at the estate to be used on the tractor.
Hanging my head in shame, I then reloaded tools to the chevy and drove over to the Massey Ferguson 165 and worked on the power steering cylinder for the rest of the afternoon.

Tomorrow, I'll get the refrigerant and bring part of it back up here to re-charge the Fifth Avenue.

JW

I've had days like that also, where it seems if it isn't one thing, it's another...

My GUESS is your low side quick connector isn't quite made correctly. We ran into that at work last spring when we got a new gauge set for the machine. Not an el-cheapo set but a good one from Matco. Couldn't get the high side connector to go on no matter what. We took the one off the old hose and it worked fine until the Matco truck came again a week later and he replaced the faulty one.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has days like that, apparently i'm in good company.

440 -- That's me waving at you from the other end of the boat..JW

LOL

When I obtained my ’86 Fifth Ave, I was told the A/C was inoperative – which was about 10 years ago (or longer). The previous owner left an un-used reman compressor and drier in the trunk.

It took me about a year to get around to fixing the A/C (which was more prompted by a leaking heater core). I had planned to convert car to R-134a at same time. Sense it had no refrigerant in system and not knowing how long system had been left open, I had started to collect parts for repair, just after getting the car.

I installed a new evaporator core and both new A/C lines. The only thing not changed was the A/C condenser - but I did get a new aftermarket replacement condenser, but it was about one third the size of the original (in thickness and in tube count) – so I left the original condenser in place.

Part of the conversion, was the R-134a service port tap kits (which I think is what Justwondering might be talking about) which I got from my local parts store. I screwed the first retrofit port on top of the existing R-12 port on one of my new hoses. Twisted a bit too much and tore the existing port right off my brand-new hose. I ended up taking the original hose and flushed and reused it (after purchasing another R-134a port retrofit kit). Man, I was not happy about ruining a new hose, like that.

The A/C service ports (R-134a retrofit) look like this

The valve core for the service port looks like this (pretty close to what a tire uses).

The A/C compressor reed valves look like this:

Three reed valves on top and three more on bottom (intake and exhaust). This is from the cast iron RV2 design, but the Aluminum C-171 design is similar.

A/C compressor reed valves do fail (as well as other things that fail inside of an A/C compressor) – so not sure which valve Justwondering is referring to, exactly – but any foreign material inside of A/C system besides refrigerant and refrigerant oil will lead to a part failure.

Sorry to hear about your compressor.
BudW

In around 2004/5 - the coolant in The Pearl was not present anymore.. All factory parts. A family friend was recharging a fridge at our church, and my dad had him look at my pop's car - (it was not mine yet) so he charged it with the M-(whatever) coolant it was he had.

Funny part? The same coolant, in the stock system, still works to this day. I dread having to replace it and convert it.

Are referring to coolant/antifreeze or referring to refrigerant (R-12 or R-134a)?
BudW

It isn’t the one used cars - it was the one for the fridges- don’t remember the exact one.

So here it is two months later and I still haven't made progress on the A/C.
Dropped into O'Reillys to pick up my metal gaskets and was told 'well we sent them back because you didn't pick them up within 5 days'.
To which I responded: 'You said you would keep them for me until ALL of the gaskets arrived'.
Silence.
More Silence.
'Well ma'am, we can reorder them for you'
jeeze...
So, I have a tiny little box of 3 gaskets and a receipt showing I've paid for several others which will arrive sometime within the next 2 to 4 days.
The wait continues as the inclement weather sets in and the need for a/c diminishes.

Good thing.
I still can't get the beast started.
Next up is checking all the vacuum hoses followed by, no doubt, a new fuel pump.
Because that would seriously be the only logical course since its so close to Christmas and all my car paint job money has been spent with my dentist.
And... there is no Baileys or Corrolian in the kitchen.

Bah, humbug.

I happen to live about 1 mile from a huge O’Reilly warehouse – which is nice.

Justwondering said:

Next up is checking all the vacuum hoses followed by, no doubt, a new fuel pump.

Click to expand...

I was revering to the rubber fuel hoses, on another post. Generally, the vacuum hoses can hinder a car starting – but you can tell it is trying to start. The fuel hoses are a different matter.
BudW

BudW ...
I'm going to go through all the hoses.
There is something not right on the vacuum side.
I push that foot pedal down the first time and it just doesn't want to come back up, even after a few more pushes.
Then there's the fuel issue.
I should be able to follow the suggestions of testing the pump by releasing the line and seeing if it pumps into a container.

I just need to focus and seem to be trying to catch up on so many half-completed projects.

But thanks for the heads-up.

JW

Stopped in at O'Reillys last night.
If I didn't know better, I'd swear I stepped into the Twilight Zone.

Four boxes arrived.
All four boxes had the same part number on the outside.
One box had 2 gaskets in it for a block drier.
One box had 1 gasket in it for a cylinder drier.
One box had 2 gaskets in it which are not the ones I need.
One box was empty.

No gaskets of the type I needed for the connection between the hoses and the compressor. Doh!

This means it will be another 2 or 3 days to get gaskets.
Either they are testing my patience OR they have a zombie in the warehouse sending parts out.

I'm now thinking that I am going to wait on the a/c til next spring.

Moving on to diagnosing the fuel delivery issue.