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Thanks. I like the courtesy and respect on this site as well as trying to keep these cars going.
Quick update
This job was almost completed on Monday 3/2/25. Everything went relatively smoothly up until I charged the system. When I was charging the system I made a mistake that caused a Evaporator Core to Thermal Expansion Valve O-ring to blow. I will be making the repair tomorrow and hopefully charge the system without any mistakes.
Overall, the restoration was successful.
Before the repair the A/C system was nonfunctional.
Now the A/C works, and on full blast produces air at a temperature of 46 Fahrenheit. Cold air !!!
I thank the heavens and the Lord Almighty that I was blessed enough to achieve this result. Driving in the Kentucky summer heat will be considerably more comfortable this year.
This car still had its original compressor which failed long before I bought the car. When compressors fail it is generally wise to flush what can be flushed, and replace what can't be flushed. A compressor failure can send metal shards throughout the system that can destroy new components if they are not flushed properly. Therefore, I decided to do the following work:
Replace:
The compressor, discharge hose, the condenser, the receiver drier, and the thermal expansion valve;
Flush:
The liquid line, the evaporator core, (and the new suction and discharge hoses)
Charge the system:
With 1.5 lbs of r134a refrigerant
Test the performance:
Using manifold gauge readings.
I planned out the work into 8 phases. The plan document can be found here.
I took a few photographs along the way to document some of the work, which I will share in the upcoming days. It will take some time to organize the photographs I have into a helpful post.
If you can make a self contained start to finish thread with multiple posts as needed that would be awesome. If you can include the planning portion as text and not a link, then everything will be self-contained with no way to break in the years to come.
Of special interest will be any specialty or uncommon tools required for the work, sources for different parts etc. Obviously, we are thankful for whatever you submit. There are quite a few S cars out there still running that need the same thing. Including mine.
The intake air hose, air filter cover, and throttle body are removed. This provides enough space to work on the thermal expansion valve.
Remove the front left headlamp to gain access to the condenser inlet/outlet. The charm.li manual has no procedure for how to do this, but the video below quickly explains how to do it. The relevant information begins at 1:38. The video shows the procedure on the passenger side, but it's exactly the same for the driver side, too. Only the driver side headlamp needs to be removed. Don't forget to unplug the electrical connectors for the low beam and high beam bulbs, and to unscrew the turn signal socket from the headlamp assembly.
The driver side headlamp is removed, providing space to access the condenser inlet and receiver drier hose.
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End of Phase 1
Comments:
The charm.li service manual does not instruct you to remove the throttle body. However, I believe it would be impossible to work on the thermal expansion valve with the throttle body installed, so I suggest removing it. If you have never removed the throttle body before, it would be wise to have a replacement gasket on hand in case the old one disintegrates during the removal process. If you want to, this would also be a good opportunity to clean your throttle body.
Last edited by Rootmazur; Mar 29, 2025 at 08:12 AM.
Phase 2: Photograph the Routing of the Hoses and Lines
Suggested Tools/Equipment:
Camera
Floor jack
Jack stands or ramps (to take photographs from underneath vehicle)
Instructions:
Take photographs to record how the suction hose is routed (compressor to thermal expansion valve). Suction hose (marked with yellow)
Spoiler
Starting from the compressor (just off camera at bottom of picture), the suction hose routes in front of the oil and transmission fluid dipsticks.
The suction hose then routes underneath the passenger side of the battery cradle.
The hose emerges from underneath the battery cradle.
The suction hose finally ends at the thermal expansion valve.
Take photographs to record how the discharge hose is routed (compressor to condenser inlet). Discharge hose (marked with teal)
Spoiler
Starting from the compressor (just off camera at bottom of picture), the discharge hose routes behind the radiator fan, and under the frame of the engine compartment.
Then the hose routes toward the front of the vehicle, near the driver side headlamp.
Just behind the driver side headlamp, the discharge hose ends at the condenser inlet.
Take photographs to record how the condenser outlet hose is routed (condenser to receiver drier). Condenser to receiver drier hose (marked with red)
Spoiler
The hose starts at the condenser outlet and routes upward just underneath the headlamp bracket.
The hose becomes a metal line and takes a small turn toward the rear of the vehicle.
The line finally terminates at the receiver drier.
Take photographs to record how the liquid line is routed (receiver drier to thermal expansion valve). Liquid line (marked with blue)
Spoiler
The liquid line, seen from below the receiver drier, begins at the receiver drier outlet fitting.
The liquid line routes upward from the receiver drier, and to the right of the fuse box.
The liquid line then routes at the edge of the engine compartment, on the right of the fuse box.
The liquid line then routes along the edge of the engine compartment, in front of the driver side strut mount. This section of the liquid line includes the refrigerant pressure sensor.
The liquid line then routes under a wire pack, and turns left at the firewall, and routes under the brake booster.
Here the liquid line is seen from above, running under the brake booster, and toward the thermal expansion valve.
Finally the liquid line ends at the thermal expansion valve.
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End of Phase 2
Comments:
The purpose behind this phase is to establish a record of how the hoses are routed through the engine compartment. When the time comes to reinstall components, knowing how the lines are routed is key. This step will also help you familiarize yourself with how the AC system components are interconnected. You can rely on the photographs shared here to help you identify your components, but it would be best to take your own photographs because it is possible that your vehicle configurations are not identical.
Last edited by Rootmazur; Mar 29, 2025 at 08:16 AM.
Nicely done this will be very helpful., As soon as the engine is in my 98 SC2 and running the next task is the AC I have most of the new parts including new Compressor. All except Evap...which this old body is not up the task of pulling the dash and heat/ac unit out.
New receiver drier is installed. (Do not connect the fittings yet.)
Add 30 ml (1 oz.) PAG oil to the receiver drier.
Spoiler
The oil must be added to the hose side of the receiver drier.
Connect the receiver drier to the condenser with a lubricated O-ring.
Note1: The service manual instructs to use R12 mineral oil to lubricate O-rings and specifically warns against using PAG oil. R12 systems have been largely phased out of use, so the oil was difficult to find. However, it is available on Amazon (in a large size) here.
Note2: This fitting requires a crowfoot wrench to properly torque. The fitting for the outlet on my system is 22mm, and the fitting for the inlet is 24mm.
No Photo
