installing A/C on a 88 5.0
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Joined: February 2, 2004
Posts: 7,648
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From: Insane
It's not "hard" per se. It's time consuming, and you need to know what you're doing. Screw it up and you'll just be chasing problems and spending money hand over fist. But it's not "hard." Having said that, I wouldn't do it on a Fox.
Assuming an "OEM" type installation:
You'd have to remove the dash, for one. That's a fun job.
You'd have to get the entire A/C system, including the evaporator, heater core(maybe) and under dash ducting system.
There's vaccum lines to be run to work the doors. The controls have to be swapped, but that shouldn't be terrible.
Firewall holes probably need to be drilled, chopped, or punched out for the A/C lines and/or heater core.
A/C hoses must be purchased or made. As well as the dryer and condenser core.
Holes may be needed to be punched, drilled, or chopped on the core support, as well as any mounting issues for the dryer and condenser.
And of course, there is the issue of bracketry and the A/C compressor itself. You'll probably wind up movin' stuff around to get that mounted.
If you're going to run it "correctly" then I think you also (in some states) either have to take it to an A/C technician to fill it with R-12 (after he's done a leak test to ensure non-leakage. Think they charge it with nitrogen or something) Either that, or you'll have to take and pass an Automotive Air Conditioning test to be able to buy the R-12 yourself, which mean renting or buying an evaucator, a set of correct gauges, and the coolant, of course.
And all of that, of course, is doable by one person (except the dash part) and most of that, naturally, is expensive.
There ya go. That's probably covered any car. Have fun.
PS: Before anyone says anything about alternative coolants, trust me, I know about them. There is ONE problem with not using R-12 only in an R-12 system: Anything else in an R-12 system will not cool correctly. The expansion port or orifice tube is different, as are the compression ratios. R-134a, for example, doesn't have the cooling efficiency of R-12, and it requires more pressure to work. And they use different oils. They compensate with hardier compressors and bigger evaps/condensers. But you can buy R-134 off the shelf, whereas you can't buy R-12 unless you're a qualified technician, and it's sky high to boot.
You *could* of course, look into some kind of R-134a retrofit, which again would require different compressors, orifice tubes, evaporator and condenser. I might just go take it somewhere and have it done instead.
Actually, I'd skip it and buy one with A/C on it.
Ponderation: Why in the world would you NOT buy A/C on a car nowadays? Or even back in the 80s?
Assuming an "OEM" type installation:
You'd have to remove the dash, for one. That's a fun job.
You'd have to get the entire A/C system, including the evaporator, heater core(maybe) and under dash ducting system.
There's vaccum lines to be run to work the doors. The controls have to be swapped, but that shouldn't be terrible.
Firewall holes probably need to be drilled, chopped, or punched out for the A/C lines and/or heater core.
A/C hoses must be purchased or made. As well as the dryer and condenser core.
Holes may be needed to be punched, drilled, or chopped on the core support, as well as any mounting issues for the dryer and condenser.
And of course, there is the issue of bracketry and the A/C compressor itself. You'll probably wind up movin' stuff around to get that mounted.
If you're going to run it "correctly" then I think you also (in some states) either have to take it to an A/C technician to fill it with R-12 (after he's done a leak test to ensure non-leakage. Think they charge it with nitrogen or something) Either that, or you'll have to take and pass an Automotive Air Conditioning test to be able to buy the R-12 yourself, which mean renting or buying an evaucator, a set of correct gauges, and the coolant, of course.
And all of that, of course, is doable by one person (except the dash part) and most of that, naturally, is expensive.
There ya go. That's probably covered any car. Have fun.
PS: Before anyone says anything about alternative coolants, trust me, I know about them. There is ONE problem with not using R-12 only in an R-12 system: Anything else in an R-12 system will not cool correctly. The expansion port or orifice tube is different, as are the compression ratios. R-134a, for example, doesn't have the cooling efficiency of R-12, and it requires more pressure to work. And they use different oils. They compensate with hardier compressors and bigger evaps/condensers. But you can buy R-134 off the shelf, whereas you can't buy R-12 unless you're a qualified technician, and it's sky high to boot.
You *could* of course, look into some kind of R-134a retrofit, which again would require different compressors, orifice tubes, evaporator and condenser. I might just go take it somewhere and have it done instead.
Actually, I'd skip it and buy one with A/C on it.
Ponderation: Why in the world would you NOT buy A/C on a car nowadays? Or even back in the 80s?
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