Talk me into, or out of, it...

[fancyTBI]

Nice job. Boy that dash IS beat! I pulled a dash out of a ‘92 that looked like that.

Keep up the effort. I’m going to have to do this to both trucks for sure. All the fins on the condenser on the ‘94 are folded over which is just wild to me.

 

[smdk2500]

Don't pull a dumb moment like me and have the nut for the liquid line on the evap side tucked into the box when you put it back in. I found that out after I had put the dash back in. Nothing like pulling a dash twice for a dumbass mistake.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Nice job. Boy that dash IS beat! I pulled a dash out of a ‘92 that looked like that.

Keep up the effort. I’m going to have to do this to both trucks for sure. All the fins on the condenser on the ‘94 are folded over which is just wild to me.

I'll have to do all this on Burb to get his AC functional. It hasn't worked since we got him(11 years ago LoL). And Rawhide's HVAC box leaks a little bit; I'm sure the seals are worn out. When it's humid and we have the AC on, it blows some cold air out of the defrost vents, even though the switch is on the main dash vents.

 

[someotherguy]

Nice job. Boy that dash IS beat! I pulled a dash out of a ‘92 that looked like that.

Keep up the effort. I’m going to have to do this to both trucks for sure. All the fins on the condenser on the ‘94 are folded over which is just wild to me.

Yeah, the plastic was super crispy, just shatters when you touch it. On your condenser, someone probably took a pressure washer to it thinking it was a good idea.

Don't pull a dumb moment like me and have the nut for the liquid line on the evap side tucked into the box when you put it back in. I found that out after I had put the dash back in. Nothing like pulling a dash twice for a dumbass mistake.

Man, that had to be annoying. And yeah, of course it wants to hang up on those when you're poking it back into the firewall. I had to battle it a little bit but it's in there.

Which brings us to.. round 2

Got the heater hoses disconnected and hooked together so I don't have to drain the system. Removed the HVAC duct box...

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Cracked it open so I could clean everything up inside...surprisingly not bad considering how funky this truck has been, overall. Evaporator core and blower motor both have '93 date codes.

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Evaporator core replaced, box sections cleaned out, re-assembled, recirculate actuator motor replaced, out in the sun drying a bit with the other 2 needy children.

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Re-installed the box, and started working on all the connections.

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Richard

 

[someotherguy]

Suction/discharge hose doesn't fit onto the compressor because part of the compressor bracket is in the way. FML.. why they couldn't make the hose the same as the previous year, I dunno. Maybe it's a brand thing. I bent it as carefully as I could to clear the bracket, dunno if it's gonna leak, or hold. I think eventually I'd rather have a custom hose made if a ready-made one doesn't fit.

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Kept going on all the connections using Nylog Blue sealant on all the o-rings and threads. Should seal the o-rings well, and keep the threads from seizing later. Got it hooked up on vacuum and watching to see if it holds.

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Oh. And my gauge set came with only a piercing can tap (for R12) instead of both.. I need a blunt-tip style for self-sealing cans (R134a)... FML again. Got one on order.

Held vacuum right at 30" for a couple hours+ so I ran the vacuum some more in prep for charging once the correct can tap shows up. Hooked everything back up, wiring, belt, etc. Put the grille and signals back on, and cleaned up a bit in the garage. I'm beat

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Richard

 

[Scooterwrench]

Suction/discharge hose doesn't fit onto the compressor because part of the compressor bracket is in the way. FML.. why they couldn't make the hose the same as the previous year, I dunno. Maybe it's a brand thing. I bent it as carefully as I could to clear the bracket, dunno if it's gonna leak, or hold. I think eventually I'd rather have a custom hose made if a ready-made one doesn't fit.

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Kept going on all the connections using Nylog Blue sealant on all the o-rings and threads. Should seal the o-rings well, and keep the threads from seizing later. Got it hooked up on vacuum and watching to see if it holds.

You must be registered for see images attach

Oh. And my gauge set came with only a piercing can tap (for R12) instead of both.. I need a blunt-tip style for self-sealing cans (R134a)... FML again. Got one on order.

Held vacuum right at 30" for a couple hours+ so I ran the vacuum some more in prep for charging once the correct can tap shows up. Hooked everything back up, wiring, belt, etc. Put the grille and signals back on, and cleaned up a bit in the garage. I'm beat

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Richard

Yeah, the plastic was super crispy, just shatters when you touch it. On your condenser, someone probably took a pressure washer to it thinking it was a good idea.


Man, that had to be annoying. And yeah, of course it wants to hang up on those when you're poking it back into the firewall. I had to battle it a little bit but it's in there.

Which brings us to.. round 2

Got the heater hoses disconnected and hooked together so I don't have to drain the system. Removed the HVAC duct box...

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

Cracked it open so I could clean everything up inside...surprisingly not bad considering how funky this truck has been, overall. Evaporator core and blower motor both have '93 date codes.

You must be registered for see images attach

Evaporator core replaced, box sections cleaned out, re-assembled, recirculate actuator motor replaced, out in the sun drying a bit with the other 2 needy children.

You must be registered for see images attach

Re-installed the box, and started working on all the connections.

You must be registered for see images attach

Richard

Are you going to replace the foam gaskets where the ducts meet the airbox? On mine I went down to Ace Hardware and bought the adhesive backed foam strips and added it on top of the existing gaskets. I had about a 1/4" gap in mine before I built up the gasket and was losing a good amount of air behind the dash.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Are you going to replace the foam gaskets where the ducts meet the airbox? On mine I went down to Ace Hardware and bought the adhesive backed foam strips and added it on top of the existing gaskets. I had about a 1/4" gap in mine before I built up the gasket and was losing a good amount of air behind the dash.

I'll probably be doing something like that on mine... when I get around to that project.

 

[someotherguy]

Are you going to replace the foam gaskets where the ducts meet the airbox? On mine I went down to Ace Hardware and bought the adhesive backed foam strips and added it on top of the existing gaskets. I had about a 1/4" gap in mine before I built up the gasket and was losing a good amount of air behind the dash.

Yep. I still have a bit of work to do before the replacement dash is ready to go in, so I'll be doing that weatherstrip. I'm back at work for the next several nights and I'm so beat after that, nothing will get done on the truck until my next off days.

Richard

 

[someotherguy]

Round 3... it's been sitting on 30" of vacuum since Friday night. Finally off work and have time to charge the system up.

Question at the bottom after the pics and captions...

Outside temp is around 95F, ambient in the garage is 100F with the 454 running (I've got my shop fan aimed at the grille!)

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Two 12oz cans R134a in so far on a 2lb capacity. Low side 45ish, high side 325ish - as expected, still a little low based on ambient, I think. But the

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Dash is still out so there's no ductwork installed. Outlet temp just barely above 50F

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So this begs the question, as I'm very far from an expert, or even an amateur:

Would you continue adding refrigerant (I am below "full charge" spec for sure) to get the low side up? According to charts it should be around 50-55psi at 100F ambient. That same chart says high side 315-325psi at 100F ambient, and I'm already there.

Richard

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Kick your idle up to 1500rpm and see what happens with the temps.

I'm no expert(I'll lead with that), but I would put some more in. I also like to use an adjustable low pressure switch and pull it down further before it cycles. Did you use a Ford orange orifice tube?