Coonass-V

So Got a new comp & flushed out all the A/C lines. With this much shrapnel Im thinking that I should replace the condenser & the evaporator & the expansion valve. So my question is how much of the dash needs to come apart to get the evap out ?

Gus_Mahn

iTrader: (1)

Or you could fill it with propane or R152a (duster). Run it for a bit, and dump it, and pull the orifice tube to verify cleanliness. It may take a few cleanings.

ls1247

iTrader: (2)

The v1 uses an expansion valve instead of an orfice tube which is under the dash. You can bet its fubarred. Don't know how hard it is to change...I'd find a cts at the junkyard and dig into it before tearing mine apart just so I'd know what I'm getting into.

You also need to put a dryer in it at the very least. It's located in the condenser.

You might get lucky doing the charge and flush thing but that's some gnarly carnage. Send metal back through your new compressor and its done.

I did AC work for years and because I don't own a set of gauges or an evacuation pump anymore, I'd take it to someone who does and let them worry about it and get a WARRANTY because the compressor and labor are expensive and any metal left in the system will come back to haunt you.

Sssnake

My son went through three compressors on his WS6 in a similar situation. All of them were professionally installed. The first install they replaced all major components but evidently left some shrapnel. The second and third times just the compressor. The kept trying to blame the failures on the headers. In his car the compressor was below the headers by a good bit. We kept checking the compressor with a IR thermometer but never saw it get hot (even after long cruises). Find someone with a good warranty and let them do it.

Having said that my AC is not working as it should. I am having the coolant captured and then replacing the desiccant and coolant myself. Hopefully I haven't gotten to shrapnel level yet.

ls1247

iTrader: (2)

Pull a vacuum on the system first to see if its leaking anywhere before doing anything. Experience tells me that if you start loosing a little cooling efficiency in something of this age, you have lost a little freon due to a bad o-ring or a leaking compressor seal.

I've never replaced a dryer to improve performance and as far as I know, a saturated dryer won't affect cooling efficiency. But what it will do is let any excess moisture mate with the freon to create an acid that will slowly eat the seals up.

I only replaced dryers if the system was left open for any period of time like when you put a compressor, an expansion valve or an orfice tube in it. Unless your system has been left open, there's no reason (or anyway) the dryer could be saturated.

DMM

The entire dash needs to come out. It's a huge PITA.

Sssnake

I agree wholeheartedly. The system was left open when pulling the radiator/condensor for the third time. It is not leaking. It cools very well then not so well then very well. All of this in a 5 minute period.

I will evacuate, flush, pull vacuum, and then refill. All of this in hopes I don't have to pull the dash. If end up pulling the dash I have to put off my blown LS1 boat project and I really don't want to do that

ryridesmotox

Dude... I want to see that... Screw the AC just roll the windows down. A blown LS1 boat would be sweet.

Sssnake

I hope so. I am taking the LS1 out of my sons totaled WS6 and swapping it into my 07 Mastercraft X45. Looking at the vortech blowers. Since the X45 is the salt water edition it already has a heat exchanger to cool the engine (vice raw water cooling). The current 5.7l engine is just a little underwhelming on a 5,000 lbs boat with 2,000lbs of ballast.