Rob Peters Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 I have been wanting to restore my Air Conditioning for a number of years. I changed it over from R12 to 134 back in 2002 and I was glad I did when I went to the Eastern Meet in Commerce, Ga. We did not need it for the trip down but while we were there it got very hot and we used it for the trip home. By the time we got home it wasn't doing a good job, it was cool but not cold. I noticed on the underside of the hood insulation that it was slinging freon/oil so I suspected I would need to recharge it and maybe even get the compressor rebuilt. I did try to recharge it but it did not hold. Over the years I was sure there was no freon left in the system. I made it my aim to finally do this job. I figure I will want it working for my trip to the Eastern Meet in Kodak this year. Another one of the reasons I want to fix the AC is for the defrost use portion of the system. Today I started the disassembly and I was surprised when I broke free one of the lines and the system was still partially pressurized. Now have a few questions. Most of the lines came loose fairly easily. Much easier than I thought they would but there are a couple fittings I am having problems getting the lines/fittings to break free. I will try some PB Blaster but if that does not work I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions. Here is the first fitting. It is on the POA Valve. It is the fitting I am pointing to in this picture. The second connection I am having issues with is the lower fitting on the Expansion valve shown in the picture below. It looks like there is a fitting threaded into the bottom of the expansion valve and then the lower line from the evaporator connects into that. It is the fitting from the lower line coming from the evaporator. Unfortunately the picture I tried to take up close did not come out. The below picture shows the expansion valve from a distance in the lower right portion of the picture. If you blow it up a little bit you may see the fittings I am referring to, the one I can't get to loosen up is the lowest one on the expansion valve: I am aware there is oil in the compressor but I need to know if I should find oil in other areas like the drier and other lines because I am finding oil pretty much throughout the system. I need to know from others, if I should find oil in these other areas how much should i find there. If the oil is not supposed to be in other areas like the lines, condenser, POA Valve, Expansion Valve and Evaporator lines how can I remove this oil. I was planning to replace the lines, POA and Expansion Valves but not the condenser and evaporator. So the only areas I need a way to flush the oil out of is the evaporator and condenser. I will post some other pictures below. rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 In the picture below it shows the rear of the compressor once I got it removed. I was wondering what this part I am pointing to is. it is not a mounting item. I am pretty sure I have to drain the oil from the compressor before I send it in to have it rebuilt. Does anyone know how to drain this oil? I have the grill off for easier access to the drier, the lines to and from the drier.... it is only 8 or 9 bolts that needed to be removed to get the grill off and it really made it much easier to get to these parts and remove them. The grill looks funny mounted in the trunk rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leghome Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 I drained the oil out of my several compressors by just turning that side of the compressor into a bucket and let it drain for a day or two. As far as getting the lines loose I have no clue. My system was apart when I purchased it so I did not have to contend with that problem. I did find some residue of oil in all of my parts before I reassembled it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted January 14, 2019 Author Share Posted January 14, 2019 Thanks Larry, I just don't know how much oil I should find in these parts. I will try what you said by inverting the compressor to drain the oil. How about that thing sticking out of the back of the compressor, do you know what that is? On the bottom side of the compressor (when I say bottom I am referring to bottom as it would be mounted on the car) it looks like there could be a drain plug but I was not sure. I have to call Old Air Products today and I will check with them. So, you used all of your old lines. Mine look almost new so I am on the fence as if I should reuse them. It would save a good bit of money if I could reuse them....BUT since it is almost all apart I would hate to reuse them and then have one of them burst.....decisions, decisions, decisions??? rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970mcss Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Rob, I'm not sure about the lines but I just had my A/C fixed by a tech at a shop that I trust. When I got the car I was told that it had been converted. The tech that worked on my car told me that the car was converted to R134 but the POA valve and expansion valve were not. The system had Freon but the low side pressure was higher than the high side pressure so that is why my compressor wouldn't cycle. We ended up ordering a POA valve that looks like the old style(R134 compatible) and a new expansion valve and that fixed the system. The valve was about 250.00 but it looks and works like new. I hope that helps, good luck with the project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jft69z Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 Hi, New guy here! I'll get to the introduction section later, but in the mean time, you will find oil throughout the system. It atomizes during use and cycles through the system. That's why you'll see where they tell you to be careful when replacing components like a compressor, etc. They'll usually tell you to measure the oil that came out of the old one so you can put that amount back in the new replacement compressor. Too much oil is just as bad as not enough in the system. Like Leghome mentioned, drain it from the ports, and you may be able to hand turn the clutch to pump more out. I think you'll want to use the old mineral type of oil on the threads and o-rings when you re-assemble everything. The PAG oil tends to attract moisture and may promote corrosion and harden right up if you use it in those spots. Joe T Lot of good info here actually (obviously not specific to the factory Monte system): http://www.sanden.com/productlibrary/manuals/SD_Service_Guide_Rev_2.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970mcss Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 7 minutes ago, jft69z said: Hi, New guy here! I'll get to the introduction section later, but in the mean time, you will find oil throughout the system. It atomizes during use and cycles through the system. That's why you'll see where they tell you to be careful when replacing components like a compressor, etc. They'll usually tell you to measure the oil that came out of the old one so you can put that amount back in the new replacement compressor. Too much oil is just as bad as not enough in the system. Like Leghome mentioned, drain it from the ports, and you may be able to hand turn the clutch to pump more out. I think you'll want to use the old mineral type of oil on the threads when you re-assemble everything. The PAG oil tends to harden right up if you use it in those spots. Joe T Lot of good info here actually (obviously not specific to the factory Monte system): http://www.sanden.com/productlibrary/manuals/SD_Service_Guide_Rev_2.pdf Welcome to the Club! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jft69z Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 8 minutes ago, 1970mcss said: Welcome to the Club! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leghome Posted January 14, 2019 Share Posted January 14, 2019 All of my hoses and compressor and dryer were new but I used everything else the first time. I thought I had flushed out the evaporator but after running the AC for a couple of days all kinds of junk broke loose from inside of it and I had to replace the compressor and dryer again but I had s hop do that and it was finished the night before we headed for Hiawasee for our first Eastern Meet. I should have had the shop do all of the assembly the first time and i might have saved myself a lot of Money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted January 15, 2019 Author Share Posted January 15, 2019 I talked to "Old Air Products" today. They are the company I have selected to do the restoration of my compressor. John in the sales department was very helpful. Here are a few tips he gave me: I share this information because I know a couple others here who are doing the same thing I am in the process of doing so I hope this information helps others. 1) My old lines look almost new and are in exceptional condition and I asked him if I could reuse them. He told me the metal lines can be reused but he recommended I replace all of the flexible rubber lines. The reason he said is the old lines do not have an interior barrier. He said if I was going to stay with the R12 freon the old lines would be fine but the 134 is a thinner product and may be able to escape so I will purchase new lines. 2) One of the techs there had said their reproduction aluminum Drier/Receiver was an exact duplicate of the original but John told me they are not. John said the reproduction ones are more of a bottle neck design. John recommended I have my old one reconditioned, which is a service they provide, so that is what I am going to do. 3) John told me a couple ways to drain the oil out of the compressor. Basically his suggestions were what others here had said. 4) I asked if I could get them to send me a box they use to ship these items back and he said they do not do that. He told me some people build a wooded box for the shipping but others wrap it well in bubble wrap and use a cardboard box but to double tape the outside very well. I work part time at home Depot in the plumbing department and today I had to pack down some gallon jugs of drain opener. These bottles of drain opener weigh about 10 pounds each and come in a double corrugated reinforced box. I saved a couple of these boxes and am going to see if the compressor will fit in one of them. The compressor weighs about 40 pounds so hopefully this will be a strong enough box to send the compressor and the drier to them for restoration. 5) Regarding the oil in the condenser and evaporator. John said to get some denatured Alcohol. Use a funnel to pour the alcohol into those lines, let the alcohol sit in them for about 30 minutes, sealing the lines off and then use a compressor and blow those lines out. John said keep repeating this process until all oil and debris is out of these lines. John said any remaining alcohol would evaporate from the lines. Then flush with air again. Now, if I can get the lines off of the POA valve and expansion valve loose I will be in good shape. Thanks for all of the help and I am still open to any suggestions. rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pauli Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 I have a suggestion on the shipping. Cut a piece of 1/4 inch plywood to fit into the box snugly and strap the compressor to the plywood with plumbers tape ( after bubble wrapping). This should keep it from moving around in the box during shipping. Hope this was useful, Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted January 17, 2019 Author Share Posted January 17, 2019 I have solved my shipping box problem. I work part time at Home Depot and was watching for some kind of wooden box that something had been shipped in but found nothing. I work in the plumbing department and sold the last three gallon bottles of heavy duty main drain cleaner. I brought a couple new boxes down from above to put the bottles in them on the shelf. The boxes were very heavy and when I opened them up I found they were double thickness corrugated cardboard with a half inch corrugated cardboard plates on the top and bottom so I brought them home. As luck would have it these very heavy duty boxes fit the compressor perfectly and the extra thick material are excellent for shipping this back. I should be able to get the drier/receiver in there too. The compressor fits perfectly top to bottom but side to side there is extra space. I am going to wrap both the drier/receiver and compressor in plastic and then use heavy duty spray foam to surround the parts so they will not move around side to side. I have extra heavy duty packing tape that I will then wrap the box for extra strength..... problem solved. All I have to do now is get all of the oil out of them. The guy, John, at Old Air Products said to turn the parts upside down in a bucket for several days and that should take care of the oil. I have done that and for the compressor I go down to the garage a few times a day and turn the compressor shaft a few times to try to work any other oil out of it. I figure by the end of the week or beginning of next week I will be able to send these parts in for restoration. I have no idea how much it will cost to ship this compressor because it weighs 40 pounds. I will have to check UPS and the post office to see which is the cheapest. rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jft69z Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 You might try FedEx too. Seems they're always cheaper on the larger items compared to UPS. If it doesn't fit in a USPS flat rate box, then I tend to go with them. No real close local FedEx place here per se, but Office Max/Office Depot has the FedEx ship center in their stores. I usually do all the postage at home & drop off/get receipt, but they can do it all there just as easy. Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted January 17, 2019 Author Share Posted January 17, 2019 Thanks Joe rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970mcss Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 UPS is getting pricey, I just sent a clock to NH from Chicago and it was 20 bucks. It only weighed 2 lbs. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCfan Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 6 hours ago, 1970mcss said: UPS is getting pricey, I just sent a clock to NH from Chicago and it was 20 bucks. It only weighed 2 lbs. Good luck Individual shippers are picking up the tab for all of the big retailers who have cut incredible deals with the shipping companies based on volume. They want fast and cheap deliveries to compete with each other so the individual shipper gets to choose between slow and expensive or fast and outrageous. Even if you ship infrequently, you can set up an account with FedEx (don't know about UPS) and get at least a 10% discount on every shipment. The discount can be even more on multiple packages to the same address. For heavy items like tools and smaller car parts, I always try to use USPS Flat Rate. I just double-box everything and tape it up real good because they admittedly sort flat rate packages at each transfer point by "throwing them into sorting bins around the room". Some of my flat rate packages are so heavy they can't throw them very far! 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970mcss Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 I just bought the streeing column from Mike B from his 72, he built a wood crate and bolted it to crate and then boxed it. It arrived and UPS must have really tossed it hard because it broke loose and was all scratched up. So make sure you get your parts as protected as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Peters Posted January 20, 2019 Author Share Posted January 20, 2019 The shipping box I picked up at Home Depot that was used to ship 4 gallon bottles of drain opener was perfect. The box was double reinforced to protect the bottles of the caustic main drain opener. I wrapped the drier/receiver and compressor in plastic bags and used spray foam in around them and let it expand. I layered it to give it time for each layer to expand and dry. Once I was done the drier and compressor would not move at all in the box. I took the box to the US Post Office, FedEx and UPS and checked the prices. UPS Ground...... Would have taken 6 to 8 Business days to travel from Pittsburgh to Texas at a cost of about $84 with additional insurance US Post Office Ground shipping...... Would have arrived on Wednesday or Thursday which was good service and would have been just over $86 with additional Insurance. FedEx Ground..... Came up with the best prices of all three. With the additional Insurance it cost $68 and will arrive Wednesday or Thursday. rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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