A/C help

[GotDart]

Hope it's okay I crossposted from Scotty's board.

Ahem, I know this isn't performance related, but it is technical. And call me a pansy if you want, but before you do let me see you come down to Houston and drive around in stop and go traffic for a few days in the middle of summer when it's 98° and 85% relative humidity without an air conditioner.

Okay, my '71 Swinger has a 318 and factory air. The guy I bought it from said the a/c had been converted over to R-134a and worked at one time but the dash control was broken. So I picked up a used dash control unit and am trying to get things working.

When I first hooked up the switch and turned on the a/c nothing happened. I figured the pressure was low (I don't have 134a guages) so I disconnected the high side pressure switch and shorted the wires. The compressor kicked on and I could see bubbles in the sight glass of the dryer. I decided to take a chance and throw in a can of freon.

About half way through the can, the compressor stopped turning eventhough the clutch was still engaged. It squeeled a bit, but it started spinning again a few seconds later. So I finished that can of freon and then added a small can of PAG oil. I figured maybe it was just a bit low on oil. Well the system was still not cycling on it's own, and there were still lots of bubbles in the sight glass, so I decided to try and add another can of freon.

Again about halfway through the can the compressor stops spinning yet the clutch is engaged. I whacked it with a screwdriver handle and it started spinning again. So I sat and nursed it until I got the whole can of freon in. By then the system started cycling on and off like it should, but most of the time when the compressor tried to kick in the clutch would slip for a few seconds.

So now I have a charged system that does cool, but the compressor clutch slips. I tried spraying some brake cleaner in there to flush out any grease or rust, but it still slips. Any suggestions or home remedies I can try?

BTW, I priced JUST a new clutch at O'Rielley... $119. Ouch!

 

[Cuda66]

$119 for just the clutch? I just bought a compressor & clutch from Advance Auto for slightly more than that for my 87 Daytona. Might be you compressor going it it stops w/ the belt tight, but it sounds like your clutch is working fine.

 

[GotDart]

I looked at the clutch a little closer last night, there are metal shavings in there. I think the rear plate is supposed to be flat, but mine has a ridge aroung the outside edge and the inside looks to be ground down at least 50-60 thousanths.

So I'm going to replace it and see where that gets me.

 

[Cuda66]

Well I checked prices for the clutch at Advanced auto ($155) They ain't cheap are they. I haven't heard of too many people having problems with them. You could probably pick up one at the Junk yard for $20, they used the same type for quite a while, I think they were used into the 80's on trucks & V8 cars.

 

[GotDart]

I had already thought of that Cuda. I checked 3 nearby salvage yards today, but no luck. Most of the bigger yards here in Houston only deal with cars less than 15 years old, which means it's tough to find anything from the 80's much less the 70's. But I'm sure there's one somewhere, I just have to find it.

 

[six pack]

Anything 78 or older should work providing it has the double pulley for you. There should not be more than about a 0.035" gap between the pully and armature. These are shimmable, if the gap is too large pull the clutch plate off and remove a tiny shim, re-install and check it out then.