Giving it the test this weekend.....

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Terri and I will be driving the Lifeliner to St. Pete, FL this weekend to see how it works on a longer ride. It's 175 miles each way and we hope to do drive over in the morning, have lunch, then drive back. No A/C yet so it will be hot with temps in the mid 80's.

Wish us luck!!!

Richard
 
A/C Problems

I admire all you have done with your coach, but what is wrong with the A/C?

Not at all being critical, but with Florida temps, I would think it a must:confused:

Have a safe journey! Pictures are worth a 1000 words!
 
Richard,

Remeber, lots of pics. Took my 73 out for a 40 mile cruise today after having the carb rebuilt. Every thing seems ok but still have to put a charge on the AC. It was 80 F here today but the 2 60 air performed flawlessly tonite.
 
Videos to start

Here are a couple videos to start with and I'll post pictures soon. Lifeliner performed extremely well with NO ISSUES whatsoever.

Richard

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD-eSSvXw3Q[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl4UrcbsWlM[/ame]
 
Pics

Sorry, some pictures are fuzzy. Here I am accepting my prizes. See what happens when the wife takes the pictures.

Richard

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Great Video & Photos!

Richard-

The two short videos were super and even if the photos were a bit blurred, kudos on the fun trip, promoting PCS and THANKS for showing us your extra nice rig....each time I see a different photo, I notice something I hadn't before, like the chrome window trim on the sides and the S/W front licence tag filler...nice touch.
 
I admire all you have done with your coach, but what is wrong with the A/C?

Not at all being critical, but with Florida temps, I would think it a must:confused:

Have a safe journey! Pictures are worth a 1000 words!

There is no freon in the system and the vacuum lines are not hooked up so I'm not even sure the compressor works. Anxious to check it out and will probably switch to the 134a freon.

Richard
 
Richard-

The two short videos were super and even if the photos were a bit blurred, kudos on the fun trip, promoting PCS and THANKS for showing us your extra nice rig....each time I see a different photo, I notice something I hadn't before, like the chrome window trim on the sides and the S/W front licence tag filler...nice touch.

Thanks Jay, we have a ball with this thing and so very glad we got it.

Richard
 
There is no freon in the system and the vacuum lines are not hooked up so I'm not even sure the compressor works. Anxious to check it out and will probably switch to the 134a freon.

Richard

if you switch to the 134 be sure they add the sealer for the r12 system. the 134 will walk right out of the back of the compressor other wise. the newer stuff which is not new at all is a better replacement but if your not able to do it you self not a lot of shops want to mess with it. the r12a is a blend of butane propane and one other gas on the same line. might as will call it natural gas as that's about what it is. it's a older coolant that was used before the Freons came out. but until the AC shops go back to wanting to use it. best left alone. next time you lift the hood try to rotate the compressor. not he bearing were the belt goes over but from in front of that. if you can turn it the compressor may still be good if not it's locked up. but if the lines are off from the compresser it's tost by now.
 
next time you lift the hood try to rotate the compressor. not he bearing were the belt goes over but from in front of that. if you can turn it the compressor may still be good if not it's locked up. but if the lines are off from the compresser it's tost by now.

The lines that are off are the vacuum lines that makes things work. I just do not have the talent to try and figure out how they hook up even with a shop manual. The A/C compressor lines are intact and will try to rotate this evening if I can.
Thanks for the information.

Richard
 
R-12 refrigerant is running about $25 for a 12 ounce can on ebay. I have seen some auctions where you can purchase if for less if you are willing to purchase a full case of 12 cans. Just be careful not to be confused with R-12A, which is an EPA approved replacement for R-12, but does not contain any fluorocarbons. R-12A is very similar to R-134, and doesn't work as well in the older cars that were designed for R-12. If you find a person that knows how to work on a car that was designed for use of R-12, and that person properly fixes any leaks prior to refilling the system, your system should be good for many years to come without any additional servicing. The problem with all refrigeration systems, is that the seals dry out when the system is left idle for long periods of time without being run. This is why the newer cars all have the A/C system set that it will cycle on with the heater in the winter. This allows the oils in the system to lubricate the seals and keep them from drying out. Check the underside of the hood in the area directly above where the compressor belt is located. If you find a faint line of oil going from right to left on the underside of the hood, that indicates that the compressor front seal has failed. This will need to be repaired prior to any other service that is done on the vehicle A/C system. This front seal is prone to leaking on the older R-6 rotary vane compressors that GM has used for more than 40 years. If this problem exists, then I suggest that you send the complete compressor out for service. The other problem with this compressor is that the front bearing in the fan belt clutch system will fail with age, and will result in a chewed up clutch. A good repair facility will recognize the symptoms of all these problems, and will do a proper job in replacing all defective parts. These seals and bearings are field serviceable, but with the higher cost of refrigerant, it is best to leave that work to the people that have all the test equipment to guarantee a perfect repair. A properly functioning R-12 system will outperform any modification to the system using any replacement refrigeration gas, and in the end, it will not cost any more to keep it as originally designed. Once you switch from R-12 to R-134, you cannot change it back to R-12 ever again, unless you replace all the parts that have fittings on them. The R-134 conversion fittings are designed to never be removed, and if you try to remove them, it will destroy the fitting threads on the components. Please keep in mind that no matter what refrigerant that you use, you must fix the leaks first. R-134 will leak out of the hoses of a R-12 system due to the smaller molecules of the R-134 as opposed to the larger molecules of R-12. If you were to properly convert the system, you would also be replacing all the refrigerant hoses, adding to the overall cost of the repair. When all options are considered, in the end, it is actually less expensive to put the more expensive refrigerant into the system because of the superior performance it will provide.
 
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