Dart "Cool Aire" A/C

[64ragtop]

My 64ragtop came with a hacked Cool Aire evaporator with no thermostat and switches for the blower and the compressor. MAX cool or OFF (or BLOCK OF ICE if ya turned the compressor on without the blower.

The AZDart had a Cool Aire evap in the trunk that actually had the control unit, thermostat and capillary tube. I spent some hours blowing the Arizona dust and grit out of the switch assembly and lubing it with silicone spray lube. All the switches, resistors and terminals test good and the t'stat works, too. So, the plan is to add this control unit to the existing evaporator and I'm almost there....

One last little bit has me buffaloed, though. I can't find a drawing or any other info on connecting the wiring to the car and from the connector to the control unit. Anyone ever dealt with these little darlings. I just don't want to risk blowing up the control unit or the dash wiring. Help??

I'm planning on a R-134 swap with a Sanden compressor and a bracket for the /6 from Charrlie S. but first I need to get the wiring correct.

ATB

BC

 

[KitCarlson]

Silicone spray lubricant is very bad for electrical switches. It may be too late. Perhaps use CRC electrical parts cleaner. It can be found at auto parts stores. I learned this at MicroSwitch, where silicone spray was forbidden from the plants.

There is nothing too fancy about compressor control however it takes several amps to engage the clutch. When cool enough, the thermostat opens the connection. The clutch is very inductive, so opening load is hard on switch contacts. The on off switch is in series, the fan switch powered to run any time for circulation. The fan should always run if a/c is on.

Thermostats easily fail if constantly adjusted, the diaphragm work hardens. Best to leave set. I would wire in a 30A Bosch relay to save the thermostat contacts. Battery to 30, clutch to 87, 86 to thermostat where it would have supplied clutch, and 85 to ground.

 

[67Dart273]

Almost impossible to say without knowing exactly what you have now. Some of these add--on systems are as simple as

a blower switch, probably multi speed. You may have or need a blower resistor for low speed

a switch to control the compressor, with a cap tube thermostat

possibly a low pressure cutout switch on the low side of the system, which simply goes in series with the clutch.

 

[64ragtop]

Almost impossible to say without knowing exactly what you have now. Some of these add--on systems are as simple as a blower switch, probably multi speed. You may have or need a blower resistor for low speed, a switch to control the compressor, with a cap tube thermostat, possibly a low pressure cutout switch on the low side of the system, which simply goes in series with the clutch.

Thanks, 67Dart. The Cool Aire was a dealer installed option. It has a multi speed blower, with two resistors to give three speeds. The thermostat with capillary tube controls the compressor. When I convert it to R-134, I'll add the low pressure switch.

The help I'm hoping to find is what color wire goes to which switch terminal and what the black wire paired with the blue that goes from the thermostat to the compressor. I'm thinking maybe that black wire is power in to the whole unit. I'd like to know that for sure, and which switch terminal does it connect to.

Silicone spray lubricant is very bad for electrical switches. It may be too late. Perhaps use CRC electrical parts cleaner. It can be found at auto parts stores. I learned this at MicroSwitch, where silicone spray was forbidden from the plants.

There is nothing too fancy about compressor control however it takes several amps to engage the clutch. When cool enough, the thermostat opens the connection. The clutch is very inductive, so opening load is hard on switch contacts. The on off switch is in series, the fan switch powered to run any time for circulation. The fan should always run if a/c is on.

Thermostats easily fail if constantly adjusted, the diaphragm work hardens. Best to leave set. I would wire in a 30A Bosch relay to save the thermostat contacts. Battery to 30, clutch to 87, 86 to thermostat where it would have supplied clutch, and 85 to ground.

Thanks, Kit. I'm going to flush the switch with CRC as you suggested, Then what do I lube them with? The switch was very gritty and hard to operate from many years in the Arizona sun. I flushed it with WD40, then carb & choke cleaner. Then I added the silicone and the operation of the switch is now smooth and the terminals do connect properly when I press the buttons.

I hadn't thought about switch opening arc due to the inductive nature of the clutch. I'll use your relay idea. Leaving the t'stat set kinda defeats its purpose, doesn't it. Depending on ambient air temp and other factors, thermostats get adjusted. At least mine do. I'm looking for new thermostats, because I have no idea how long the working ones I have were in service. Thanks for the info, I hadn't thought of the metal diaphragm work hardening. All info is appreciated and added to my fund of damnnear useless data.

ATB

BC