#1 I have a brown wire in the harness that is supposed to energize the AC clutch. It is terminated at the front of the engine and that's it. From my wiring diagram it is supposed to go to a thermal limiter and then on to the AC clutch. What does this part look like and where would i get the rest of the missing parts?? Hope that made sense. I have a brown wire, That's it, I need whatever else there is... # 2 I have a complete (was working) AC system, still under pressure. It has what appears to be a new condensor. I have an old one that has been exposed to the environment for who knows how long. How hard is it to replace with the new looking one I have on the floor?? Doesn't look that bad, just want to make sure I'm not kidding myself.. So close, and yet so far.. THanks again for all of the help I get here. Jay
I believe the thermal limiter was mounted on the rear of the compressor. Changing the condenser is simple as long as the nut turns on the tubing. IF not, a little heat and lubrication will do the trick. If you don't already know, you need to replace all the o-rings, empty the compressor of its oil and measure in 11 oz of new refrigeration oil. Blow out all of your lines before assembly and check the POA valve if you're not sure of it. Always replace the receiver drier last. Leak test, evacuate and charge.
Another question. Might do a reman compressor. What size clutch?? I see a 5" and a 5 3/4 ".. No matter where I go, I see both sizes..
you should measure the OD of the pulley you have. It should be 5". I've only seen the larger ones on the Stg1 cars.
Jay, The thermal limiter fuse was there to protect the compressor in case the freon charge is either low or completely empty. There is a superheat switch on the back of the compressor. The fuse itself fits into a socket type connector that clips to the upper A/C bracket. There are 3 tabs on the fuse labeled S, B, C. S goes to the super heat switch, B goes to the A/C switch (think this is the brown wire), and C goes to the compressor clutch. And yes, the Stage1 cars got the larger pulley. This reduced compressor revolutions so you didn't reach "belt slinging speed":laugh: The thermal limiter fuse is available, I see it on www.rockauto.com, Standard Motor Products part# TLS1 for 3.12. Here's one on EBay http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/73-7...ITER-FUSE_W0QQitemZ130111743709QQcmdZViewItem Not sure where you could get the socket and clip. I'd advertise in Parts Wanted or look at GM cars in the boneyards.
The reason for the bigger pulley was for the stock 3.42 gears. I would get the bigger pulley. I have it on my Stage1.
The bigger pulley was gear ratio specific. Not only Stage-1 but regular Gs and even big car and skylark with 350 when perfromance rear end was specified. I just found one of these loose in the back seat of a junk yard car. they said $125 bucks! For a used compressor? I told them to keep it.
When I bought my Stage1, it had the 5" pulley on it. I was able to buy just the larger pulley and clutch. I borrowed a special tool and removed the smaller pulley and clutch, and replaced it with the larger one.
The remans from AZ/Advance/Murrays/etc., although cost effective, are not built to a good standard. They often suffer from body seal leaks and the shaft seals usually sling oil from day one. An "expensive" used original is usually a better buy as long as it has been stored even halfway right. Used A-6 compressors are very seldom worn out, it's probably the most durable part of the entire car. Updating to the double lip shaft seal is usually all that they need. New (aftermarket) A-6 compressors are available for about $300-350 and "good" remans can be had for about $150-175. Most folks spend big bux to make their car nice, it doesn't make sense to cheap out on the compressor?
Getting closer.. More questions.. How do I drain the compressor oil? Is that a drain plug on the side of the compressor in the area that looks like a sump??? Where does the big canister portion of the high side hose mount?? A pic would be great. What is it, A muffler?? If the drier came from a working system, is there a need to replace it?? I'm sure I'll have more.. Stay tuned, and thanks for the help.
yes, the plug in the sump area is the drain plug. The canister is a muffler and mounts to the inner fender with a clamp, see pic. If you're going by the book then yes, any time the system is opened the drier must be replaced. If I was sure the system it came from was perfectly dry and I was sure to not leave it open to the air I might reuse it if I had to. They're really not that expensive.
Jay, Just curious, do you own a Buick Chassis manual? I've said this before, but it really bears repeating. The first thing, anyone who is serious about working on their Buick, should get, is the Chassis manual for their car. They are available on E-Bay, in reprint from TA, and on CDROM. It's the bible! :TU:
A huge thanks goes out to all that have helped me along the way.. AC is on and charged today. We installed a double lip neoprene front seal. Charged it today, and I'm getting 28* temps out of the center vent while driving. It's only 65 or so outside though. But, that's a good indicator that it might work OK:laugh: . Again. THanks for all of the help. Now if I can just solve the heater vale problem..
