Arif Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Either I'm getting old or it's getting hotter. I remember driving cross country from Cali to GA in the summer with no AC and no complaints. Today I went outside and couldn't muster the guts to drive my Z because it's 100 degrees outside. So that got me thinking about adding AC to my car. Originally the car came with AC but the compressor is gone and I'm sure a few parts are missing from behind the dash. Is anyone running AC on their L28et? If so did you have to relocate the compressor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan5138 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 I don't think it would interfere with anything. The compressor is all the way at the front of the block and pretty low. The only issue that comes to mind is line routing really, those hard lines are a P.I.T.A. If you need help sourcing a compressor I should be able to get a new one for less than $400. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeeZ Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Yea, same in Houston. My Turbo Tom kit had plenty of room, but with the current configuration, I had to take out the a/c. Tom did use hard lines but high pressure flexible hosing. It worked until I took it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyz77 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 i run a/c in my 77 zt .. w/ no problems, i even took the condenser from the 81 turbo donor car and massaged it to fit the s30 chassis. my a/c gets cold.! i filled it w/ freeze 12 instead of r134 refrigerant. the trick is to change the Schroeder valves on the compressor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arif Posted June 16, 2009 Author Share Posted June 16, 2009 jyz77, Can you post a pic of your compressor in the engine bay? It's been so long since I've seen a Z with AC I forgot what it's suppose to look like. I have a SDS system and think I might have an issue with the hall sensor mount. I basically used the compressor mounting holes for the hall sensor so I'm looking for other options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyz77 Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 yes, i can.. but i have my car @ the speed shop putting in the intercooler .. i ll put some pics up later this week when i get it back.. You will need to use that bracket to mount the compressor on the driver side in front of the block ... if i am not mistaken , big phil lives here in Texas and deals w/ the same heat and he runs an a/c unit on his boosted z as well. you may be able to ck his profile as he has documented his mods and posted his setups on youtube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arif Posted June 16, 2009 Author Share Posted June 16, 2009 Thanks. I'll pm big phil for some pics of his setup. Enjoying another 100 degree day :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arif Posted June 17, 2009 Author Share Posted June 17, 2009 Does anyone know if you have to pull the dash to get at the AC/heater parts behind it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan5138 Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 If you want to take the evap and heater core completely out yes. If you just need inspect, clean components etc, then there is no real need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyz77 Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 arif... another hot one today eh ? is this car your daily driver ?? to take out the evap you do not need to remove the whole dash. it may be easier when re installing though .. there are some side arms that need to clip into position for the whole plastic housing that holds the evap unit. if i remember correctly there are 4 or 5 bolts (at each corner of the housing) that hold the unit to the firewall. be prepared for some nice knuckle and hand scratches ... lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan5138 Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I ran into trouble trying to snake those hard lines out of the dash...They didnt want to unscrew from the evap:(. But it was also an s30, and kinda corroded, hehe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arif Posted June 18, 2009 Author Share Posted June 18, 2009 arif... another hot one today eh ? is this car your daily driver ? Hell yeah its hot out here! I drive it about 3-4 times a week taking my son to tae kwon do class and the frequent Saturday highway assault. be prepared for some nice knuckle and hand scratches ... lol. I'll be sure to order some knuckles before I get started. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arif Posted June 18, 2009 Author Share Posted June 18, 2009 ok. Just got done poking around the interior of the Z and I think everything is there. I turned on the AC and the blower was working and putting out a decent amount of air. Anyone know of a newer more effecient blower that I can swap in its place? So far the only thing I can tell that is missing is the compressor, condensor/fan, dryer and some hoses. Is the expansion valve located under the dash or in the engine compartment? Looks like one of the lines are also there and another connector coming out of the firewall is there as well. I took some pics below: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan5138 Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 The expansion valve is mounted right in front of the evaporator, upper right hand side. I just charge my Z's system up yesterday using the 30 year old evap and expansion valve and it works great. Even wired in a pressure switch to kick my electric radiator fan on when the condenser starts getting warm. Edit: A note on the blower motor: there is a noticeable difference when you reseal all your ducting with new foam strips and make sure everything is hooked up correctly. Mine is a little squeaky, I might look into a replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyz77 Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 arif. your evap system looks complete w/ the exp valve. from the pics it looks nice and clean.. but one ck you may want to do is swab the bottom of the plastic housing to ck for oily residue that would show signs of a leak @ one point in time. if clean , i would say it is good to go, .. the hose that is missing on your fire wall is the one that runs off of the dryer unit. , not a big deal , you can get those lines made custom.. I don't know if you have a 4 seasons radiator retail shop there in san antone, but they made my lines here in h-town. the blower has an upgrade option from the Honda civics , i think 84-92 .. you would have to shave a little bit off the blower housing to get the Honda's "squirrel cage " to fit in the housing hole. there is a write up on this upgrade here and @ z car . com if you need any parts, i have several good units (compressor, condenser , pusher fan for condenser ) let me know frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arif Posted June 18, 2009 Author Share Posted June 18, 2009 Thanks guys. Which housing do I need to swab to check for oil residue? I thought this was going to be a big project but it looks like I just have to get the parts I listed before. I found this as another option for the blower: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?p=397264&highlight=honda+blower#post397264 But the links don't work. Those hoses need to be r34 compatible or should I try and source some r12? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan5138 Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Any new lines you have made up will be fine with r-134. And since you will prob be getting a new compressor it will be r-134 as well. Just make sure you get the right charge ports, or some adapters and charge her up with r-134. You can still get r-12 but it's super expensive. Wholesale cost is about $25 a pound . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jyz77 Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 swab the inside @ the bottom of the case that holds the evaporator. if nice and clean , not greasy and grimy prob not any leaks inside . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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