82DMC12
07-05-2015, 03:04 PM
Hi Everyone,
Long time owner (since 2000) but haven't been online for a while when it comes to DeLoreans. I moved to Kansas City two years ago but didn't drive my car much since the A/C was really weak and , well, KC is hot in the summer!
A bit of background....
Early 2000's, suddenly blew the A/C hose next to the steering column intermediate shaft (U-joint was rubbing the hose). Goodbye R-12. I had the hose spliced and repaired , then had a shop "convert" me to R-134a. It worked OK for a couple years but then got worse and worse until I was putting a can in every two months. Finally I gave up knowing I would have to replace the whole system.
About 5 years ago I bought the A/C kit from Special-T including a new Sanden R-134a compressor, receiver, variable orifice, all the hoses, and both switches/high pressure pop-off. Thanks to sleuthing by Jim Reeve in MNDMC I bought an aluminum parallel-flow condenser from ACKits.com. I got really busy with work and never ended up installing the parts. Funny thing is I was doing some restoration for another owner and ended up using all my parts (except the condenser) on that car so I had a bit of practice first!
Finally I decided enough is enough and I replaced everything last month. Totally worth it!
The condenser is a close match and has lots of mounting holes top and bottom. Unfortunately they don't match up quite right so I had to drill my own mounting holes as well as use some metal bushings to space the radiator and condenser like OEM. Speaking of radiator, during the install I found a very slight radiator leak (radiator replaced over ten years ago) so I got a new one from DMCMW. This actually made the condenser install easier since I could take the fans out and everything while I fit it up. Note that I had to off-set the condenser about 1" to the driver's side so that the hoses would attach without hitting the radiator. After everything is together you can't tell looking at the car from the front through.
Like everyone else says, the passenger side A/C hose is nearly impossible to push through the frame. I almost gave up and got Josh's narrow set but one more try and I had it done. Other issue was getting the orifice valve in. I don't think my evaporator tube was bent but I did straighten it slightly with a long punch, oiled it with A/C oil, and after breaking about three valves I made a tool to push it in using copper pipe (see album below). This way I could tap it in from the valve body instead of pushing on the screen frame. Hopefully I never have to remove it again......
When finished, I had a local shop vacuum it down for three hours then fill with R134a, I think about 1.95 lbs. If anyone wants to know I can find out for sure.
End result is 41F air at 2000 RPM, going up to about 50F at 750 RPM with only the fans blowing over the radiator. I tested this at Fan speed 2, max A/C. I'm very happy with it.... Only thing that could be better is if the fan blew a bit harder so I could really cool down the cabin in a hurry like my Audi does. But for an old car that I don't drive much, it's fantastic!!
Here is an album of pics for those interested. http://imgur.com/a/XfT20
Long time owner (since 2000) but haven't been online for a while when it comes to DeLoreans. I moved to Kansas City two years ago but didn't drive my car much since the A/C was really weak and , well, KC is hot in the summer!
A bit of background....
Early 2000's, suddenly blew the A/C hose next to the steering column intermediate shaft (U-joint was rubbing the hose). Goodbye R-12. I had the hose spliced and repaired , then had a shop "convert" me to R-134a. It worked OK for a couple years but then got worse and worse until I was putting a can in every two months. Finally I gave up knowing I would have to replace the whole system.
About 5 years ago I bought the A/C kit from Special-T including a new Sanden R-134a compressor, receiver, variable orifice, all the hoses, and both switches/high pressure pop-off. Thanks to sleuthing by Jim Reeve in MNDMC I bought an aluminum parallel-flow condenser from ACKits.com. I got really busy with work and never ended up installing the parts. Funny thing is I was doing some restoration for another owner and ended up using all my parts (except the condenser) on that car so I had a bit of practice first!
Finally I decided enough is enough and I replaced everything last month. Totally worth it!
The condenser is a close match and has lots of mounting holes top and bottom. Unfortunately they don't match up quite right so I had to drill my own mounting holes as well as use some metal bushings to space the radiator and condenser like OEM. Speaking of radiator, during the install I found a very slight radiator leak (radiator replaced over ten years ago) so I got a new one from DMCMW. This actually made the condenser install easier since I could take the fans out and everything while I fit it up. Note that I had to off-set the condenser about 1" to the driver's side so that the hoses would attach without hitting the radiator. After everything is together you can't tell looking at the car from the front through.
Like everyone else says, the passenger side A/C hose is nearly impossible to push through the frame. I almost gave up and got Josh's narrow set but one more try and I had it done. Other issue was getting the orifice valve in. I don't think my evaporator tube was bent but I did straighten it slightly with a long punch, oiled it with A/C oil, and after breaking about three valves I made a tool to push it in using copper pipe (see album below). This way I could tap it in from the valve body instead of pushing on the screen frame. Hopefully I never have to remove it again......
When finished, I had a local shop vacuum it down for three hours then fill with R134a, I think about 1.95 lbs. If anyone wants to know I can find out for sure.
End result is 41F air at 2000 RPM, going up to about 50F at 750 RPM with only the fans blowing over the radiator. I tested this at Fan speed 2, max A/C. I'm very happy with it.... Only thing that could be better is if the fan blew a bit harder so I could really cool down the cabin in a hurry like my Audi does. But for an old car that I don't drive much, it's fantastic!!
Here is an album of pics for those interested. http://imgur.com/a/XfT20