Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Need some Ferrari AC advice Please

[Doug and Terri Anderson (dnt]

Hello Brit - Well, at best, AC is tough stuff and fraught with wives tales - 
best thing to do is use the stuff that it was designed for.  R12 and R134a 
are real different and their system's are real different.  It just aint the 
gases.  That said, yes, one can and many do, flip flop these gases with no 
problem - and then there are those who have problems even with the correct 
gas.  Alas.  So - - - wazzup with your thing?

Good chance the interior water coming from the humidity condensing on the 
evaporator, dripping off into the tray and - - - not allowed to drain cause 
its clogged - - - many times with MOLD.  Yuk.  Or, in some cases, the drain 
hose just fell out of the exterior opening bulkhead.  I have seen interior 
carpet ruined because of this - ya know, get in the car and there is a dank 
stinko smell - like a crypt or something or something old and dead.

Intermittent cooling may be caused by icing up of the components - the evap, 
the little orifice tube or the drier.  I have seen the later freeze up to a 
solid brick.

Ho boy, the parts that need to be changed out should be done by someone who 
really understands the system and what happens when a part is 
overlooked - - - -OR, be like me and keep at it, doing one thing at a time 
until it finally works.

For instance, the drier.  Ya gotta replace the receiver-drier or 
accumulator-drier with a new R134a compatible one which contains XH7 or XH9 
desiccant.  If not, freeze and poo poo clunk.  Also the compressors - they 
take a beating - different pressures.  Also the oils - they aint compatible. 
To get rid of everything from gas A and go to gas B one has to evacuate the 
system - for a long LONG time.  Hours is a good time table.  Even then gas B 
is rougher on the seals and don't be surprised if you see a ZITTTTTT line of 
greasy oil across the hood interior emanating from a leak just behind the 
compressor clutch - that's a seal that's gone poo poo clunk (although these 
are highly technical terms it just means they don't work anymore) cause gas 
B is rougher on R12 seals than R12 is.

SOooooo - having done the R12 to 134a (replace a gazillion parts and put up 
with so so cooling) back to R12 (ahhhhhh) route - my personal, and lazy mans 
way out of this - go back to R12.  Where ever you can find it.

In my humble opinion, of course.

DOUG
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Britt2Asa [at] aol.com>
To: "DOUG" <dnt [at] dock.net>
Cc: "The FerrariList" <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2008 9:59 AM
Subject: [Ferrari] Need some Ferrari AC advice Please


> HI Guys,
>
> While the winter is still hitting hard here in the UK I dragged out the 
> 400i
> today for the first time since Nov and ran her up to get heat in the 
> exhaust
> and engine. She ran great from the get go which makes it the only older
> Ferrari I know of that doesn't mind sitting! Anyway with spring around the 
> corner
> I have one niggling thing I need to fix and I need some advice  please.
>
> The AC in the car has not been working properly. I had various issues with
> leaks and have had the compressor rebuilt and it is charged up with R12
> substitute and not leaking now. Problem I noticed last year when it was 
> still  warm
> out is that it blows cold intermittently. When it doesn't blow cold it is
> blowing outside temp, when it blows cold you can tell.
>
> Last time I drove it and needed the AC I was getting nothing but warm air
> and then I felt some cold water dripping on my leg from under the dash
> somewhere. Shortly after it started blowing cold like it should. I am 
> assuming
> something is freezing up intermintently and when it does I get no cold 
> air.
> Unfortunately that's all I can tell you as symptoms. I replaced the dryer 
> a year  or
> two ago but since then have had a leak and recharged the system a few 
> times.
> Is it possible the dryer was destroyed when all the gas leaked out while I 
> was
> fixing that problem?
>
> I know its not much to go on but finding an AC expert in the UK is
> DIFFICULT! The cold water was dripping from somewhere on the right side 
> centre  of the
> dash but there is no way to see as I was going 80mph at the time and it 
> was
> just a little bit of water. Any ideas? What might cause it and what should 
> I
> do? (I assume replace the dryer again and re-gass but I would like to know 
> what
> that will fix). I am pretty bad on AC systems and how they work.......
>
> Thanks in advance for your help.
>
> Britt
>
> BR in the  UK
> 1986 328GTS (LHD 89,940km) Died August 19, 2006 Shrewsbury UK
> 1980 400i  (RHD 72,000 miles)
> Searching for the right 512TR
> 2003 BMW 530d
> 1991  Alfa Spider S4
>
>
>
>
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