bk2valve

Scotty, Yeah...feels great to know I don't have to replace the compressor yet.... I drove the car on a 140 mile round trip today and.... I tried out the air conditioner and it was pretty minimal also. I do have a friend who is trained in HVAC on homes and such and I know he has some A/C gauges so I will talk to him tonite and see if he can check it out with me. More later..... Brian in NM

OK here is the update on my A/C story. Scott sent me some good info and ideas of what to do and I forged in and did it. I took the fan shroud of and the belts and the compressor pulley was almost impossible to turn by hand. I sprayed some WD-40 behind and into the back of the pulley...voila, it broke loose and spun quite easily although with some internal rattling. This is all on a factory installed Hitachi MJS170 compressor. I removed the pulser unit and laid it back over the hoses and took off the front nut, cleaned the area and removed the internal snap ring and the outer clutch plate with the ears slid right off and by moving the fan blades around I could get it out. One more snap ring, this time external, then the pulley slid off...same thing with wiggling and moving the fan blades. Off to the parts washer and with a large socket and brass hammer as a driver, I removed the pulley bearing. Scott said that he used a bench vise to do the same and if a guy has a hydraulic press, that would be best. Anyway, it came out easily enough and I ordered one through my local indy parts shop. $41.00 later I stuck the bearing in the freezer, for an hour over lunchtime and then heated the pulley up. The bearing dropped almost all the way in and took a little encouragement with the socket/hammer set and the everything went back together all spiffy clean and tidy. I could not find an air gap spec for the pulser so I installed it with about 5mm between the ears and pulser. Now the problem I had was when I took the idler/belt tightner pulley out to clean and test it I had a full days adventure and many skinned knuckles trying to get the lower adjuster bolt and nut back on until a friend stopped by and I enlisted him to put the lower (long) nut on while I held the adjuster bolt from behind....If a guy actually has feeling in his fingers and a smaller hand than I it would be a huge amount easier....or just loosen the nut and hope you don't have to pull the unit out at all. This is all to avoid removing the cooling fan....removing that would be a pain but make the rest go easier. Long story short, It is working perfectly and I am today sending back the parts I bought from RockAuto parts and will set the new-to-me used compressor on the shelf until either I need it or can sell it to someone who does. Thanks for everyones help, esp. Scott and if a moderator wants to move this post to a more appropriate place, have at it....sorry no pics, I was too p.o.ed with my aching back and skinned knucks to take pics. Brian in NM

Dave, thanks but it is too late for that. Today I bought a used compressor online and the other stuff I need to install and recharge with R134. Expansion valve, receiver/drier, o-ring kit from RockAuto. It will be a first for me but I can follow instructions. I can get the flush, fittings and refrigerant locally. I hate like heck to buy and install a used one but just can't justify a $300 dollar compressor for a soobie with 185K on it. Thanks again, Brian in NM

Dave,,,good thought but I have checked that and it is good. I see that the compressor pulley is kind of hard to turn with the belts off...shouldn't it turn easily? Brian in NM

Thanks ScottG, It seems to work all right just some pretty loud suspicious rattling going on in the frontal area...probably is the clutch but hate to replace it and then have the compressor go soon after.. Brian in NM

Hi all, After the great help I got with my no spark problem on the 1988 DL wagon I thought I would ask about this: I believe the A/C compressor is making death rattles, it could just be the compressor clutch but in reading through some earlier posts on here it sounds as though replacing that would put a lot of strain on the old and decrepit compressor and the bearings would soon go on it. Does anyone have a line on the least expensive compressor available? I see there are some offered on Ebay but since they are used..who knows what I would get? Thanks, Brian in NM

Well guys.....thanks to all your help and the generosity of 94Loyale. the "Silver Ghost" runs again....it was the disty after all. I replaced the Ign. Amp. with one Bret sent me and nada...I then replaced the disty with the one he sent and Voila...ignition! Now I can finish with making it into a micro-camper for trips up to see my sons and grandkids in the Seattle area. Yahoo...! Brian in NM

94Loyale....thanks very much. I do want the parts and you said $25+ shipping...I feel like I am getting a great deal and appreciate the heck out of it.. Cheers, Brian

Guys...my old Dwell/Tach is an el cheapo that only has a couple of switches and settings: 2 cycle/4cycle and then Low rpm, Hi rpm and Dwell. It has the inductive lead and a positive lead and negative lead for the battery. It seems to want to show a pulse once when I turn the key on and once as I turn it off when I have the inductive lead clamped over the four wires coming going to the distributor. Brian

Skip....Yeah I hear you...at least I know why Cougar has so much time he can spend on the computer....he doesn't want to go outside and shovel snow! I think we are just "extremists", one extreme to another....there are a few old retired Alaskans here in this area....we are all still trying to warm up! I did the wiggle...giggle operation...nada. Now I was supposed to giggle while I wiggled, right? And yes...I have actually run the bracket and bolts through the wire brush and torqued the bolts down good and tested for good ground on the case of the coil as well as the bracket. Brian

GD...I'm not discouraged...just a tad frustrated at times....we have plenty of other vehicles and the weather here is perfect so no problem.....While I have been doing all this, I have cleaned the engine, done all the replacement stuff including PCV valve and tubing, changed the valve cover gaskets to eliminate some big leakage problem, changed the half axles, redid the battery connectors, yadda, yadda, yadda....Even installed all the satellite radio stuff to swap the radio off my motorcycle when I want to....in short, having a ball and understanding more and more...besides now I have all the cool diagrams and literature you guys have been turning me onto. The story is that we owned this car from 85K to 180K and kept it up pretty good....we sold it to a woman of very limited income a year ago and she could not keep it up. The cv joints went and it sat for a month with no use. I gave her her money back and now am making it into a little mini camper for me when the weather is bad and I don't want to camp with the sidecar. It's all good.... Brian

Cougar....I do have power in and out of fuse 11. The coil case has a good ground. Did the suggested test on that.........also just to be sure that my ignition switch did not have an intermittent open, I pulled the electrical part, opened it up and cleaned all the contacts and lengthened the spring for good contact,,,,that is definitely good now. Yes I am sure about the ECU having power at all the pins you suggested. I think that now I have to wait for the ig amp and disty from 94 Loyale to show up. Brian Skip....no, the non inductive light is gone....yes I do remember that...I am soon to be 64 years on this old earth. I have moved so many times that a lot of the old stuff has been culled out and left behind....22 years in Alaska meant a heap of stuff to leave behind....some stuff I regret but most stuff, no regrets. Brian

Daeron....I am just now downloading and saving the EA82 stuff and I am even more grateful.....chock full of good info and it may be just what I need to get on top of this what with everyones help....Thanks again!!! Brian

Cougar...yes I did and they are fine, just as you said....12v, 5v, 5v and one with almost nothing : .02v I am now looking for a diagram to show me what fuse 11 is and then will test that....I am also going to run a continuity check on my ign. switch wires next.... Brian

Skip....not that brave....I absolutely hate shocks...even static electricity we get here from the low humidity...I have had numerous nerve tests when they stick needles in your muscles and you pay them vast amounts of money to shock you and see what works and what doesn't...as I say...I hate shocks! Yep, I have a home made remote starter switch I made years ago when I had VWs that I ALWAYS had to work on. I am hoping to get 94Loyale's disty and ig amp and will be go from there...or will have a spare. Brian