A/C Questions

[TXblue240Z]

I just bought my first Z, a 73 240. Which is great because I have wanted one for years and I finally found one in decent condition that runs, etc.

OF course it needs some work... The A/C system needs to be repaired, I think it has been converted/ replaced recently...but I'm not sure THe compressor has a manufacture date of 12/98 and the dryer has a label that says that it is compatable with either r12 or 134a. I can find out any info I need aboyt what was done with it because I am the third owner and the second owner had it for 6 years, only did paint and body work, but had purchased it from his mechanic and I got the name of the shop...SO I'm not worried about the AC system itself as in getting it working, but I am concerned about the blower.

The air coming out of the vents is WEAK very WEAK. I had this same problem with my former car (an 81' celica) where i could get ICE cold air but it would not blow very hard so in the Houston summers, it was no good to me anyway. I was wondering if anyone had replaced their blower motor in their Z and if there is one that blows really hard. Aftermarket or from nissan, etc...

I won't be working on the car until Dec since I will be away on work for 4 months...I literally got the title the day before I left so I haven't gotten to really enjoy it yet, but I know of several things I need/want to with it when I get back so I am trying locate vendors/parts/brands beforehand. Any help on this and probably other questions i will come up with will be greatly appriciated.

[Ed]

Welcome to the club! Hope you get to enjoy your Z soon.

I've heard of using a blower from a Honda Civic. Not sure what year but it's supposed to blow a lot better than the stock fan. Also make sure all the duct work is tight and that there are no kinks or holes. In mine there was a 1/2 gap between the blower and the duct work.

[hls30.com]

Like Ed said, sheck the blower box, the seals are most likely gone, and the air is going around what shoud be directing it through!

Will

[280z]

i have the same exact problem. at the moment my car is parked in the garage, im waiting for her to cool off then i will go in and seal all the hoses with silicon. my uncle replaced the blower in his golf with a more powerful one, now its amazing. i also heard that honda blowers work, does anyone know which year or have any more information about that?

[ezzzzzzz]

Search over at Hybridz.org for this info. As for this a/c system, I'm assuming the compressor is the Sanden type (axial) located on the driver's side of the block. The original setup used a large York compressor on the passenger side. If it is the old York compressor, R12 orifice (evaporator) and the hoses are not "barrier type" with o-ring fittings then you're wasting time and money running R134. It won't work well or for long. Whether it is R134 or R12 compatible is dependent upon the hose material, fittings, drier, condensor and evaporator orifice valve. The quickest way to determine if it's been comverted to R134 is look for the service ports in the hose fittings. These are much larger than the 1/4" schrader valves used for R12. If there is a sight glass in the drier the R134 freon will look cloudy or milky. R12 is either bubbly (low) or clear (full). There is plenty of info on the web that goes into the details which I won't bore you with here. A for the blower, the Honda will perform better. The problem with the stock add-on a/c is the blower must suck air through the evaporator coils instead of blowing through both the heater/evaporator coils. Blowers aren't designed for this restriction to flow. It will work but never be optimum.

[sblake01]

Two things. The Sankyo/Sanden systems use expansion valves not orifice tubes (which you called valves). They use barrier type hoses since they are basically universal fit aftermarket systems. R12 can look cloudy or milky since that's dependant on receiver/drier configuration. The system in my 78 is an ARA Sankyo/Sanden type add on system and it cools just fine with the stock blower. (34.8 degrees at the center vent) It is true that the factory systems with the evap built into the hvac system are more efficient in that they do move more air but my car is comfortable even in 100+ degree Southern California summers. I do use R414B, however, not R12 or R134A and that may account for the effectiveness. (I guess that was more than two things) :classic:

[ezzzzzzz]

I stand corrected on the expansion valve. A receiver/drier is nothing more than desicant in a bottle (to absorb moisture) and a tube extending down into the bottom of that bottle to supply only liquid to the evaporator. R12 will not look milky/bubbly unless there is insufficent or contaminated freon allowing a gaseous or contaminated mixture to proceed past the sight glass an on to the evaporator. The newer kits do use barrier type hose required because the R134 molecule is much smaller than it's R12 counterpart and will bleed through non-barrier hose and past flare fittings. If the kits were produced prior to the conversion years then you may not get a R134 compatible system. If it has o-rings you can assume it is compatible. The gaskets used in the Sanden compressor also play a part in effective sealing of R134. When you see a label for R12 it only means that the schrader valves are on the compressor or could have been. It also likely has flare fittings (not R134 friendly). The R134 label means no valves, o-ring fittings and probably the proper gaskets on all but the earliest compressors. R414B will work as I understand it but has never been applied to the automotive world for reasons only the major manufacturers would know. There must be a good one though.

[4EVER Z]

The blower out of an 88 Honda Civic 2-door fits and works in my 73Z.

[sblake01]

.......... R414B will work as I understand it but has never been applied to the automotive world for reasons only the major manufacturers would know. There must be a good one though.

According to Dave Norris, my former next door neighbor when I lived in Upland, and a 24 year expericenced HVAC tech, the man who taught me all I know about air conditioning and encouraged me to get my MVAC certificate, there is a reason,......politics! They have used it in ever kind of machine you could imagine with no problems or change in performance, actually better preformance than R12. I have used it in my formerly R12 cooled vehicles for 2 1/2 years with no problems. The only drawback is that you have to be a do it yourselfer because most automotive shops won't touch a car that has anything other than R12, R134A, or in some cases Freeze12 or ES-12 or whatever it's called. I was unimpressed with ES-12. It didn't cool as well as R134A. I have put R414B in cars that had R134A systems. Again, no problems, as long as the correct procedures are followed.

[ezzzzzzz]

Cool...thanks for the info. I have a couple friends in the business too. Maybe I'll give that alternate freon a chance. I'll look into the temp curves of this as it compares to others. I never doubted the use of R414B as it has been dicussed in many automotive a/c forums. I just questioned why it never made it into production for cars.

[kenz240z]

I have a '91 Cadillac Allante that blew warm air when the AC was on. I took it to the dealer to inspect & recharge the system. Turns out somewhere along the line before I bought it the system had been charged with propane. From what I learned propane is suitable as a coolant, but can be disatrous in an automobile, especially when a mechanic goes to work on a car with a leak in the A/C and does something to create a spark...

[Black Pearl]

Where can I get more infon R414B? Do you have to replace the dryer, etc., when making the swap from R12?

Thanks.

C