the A/C system in my 73 was not working and open to the air when i bought it. i had my mechanic at the time take a quick look at it and he said that he thought that the POA valve was stuck. (wish i had quized him more about that at the time.)

the schrader valve is broken off which is why i say that it is open to the air. i hot wired the clutch once or twice so i know that it works. if i hold my finger over the spot where the valve used to be and rotate the compressor, i can get it to produce pressure so I've got my fingers crossed that the compressor is servicable.

it seems like i read somewhere that vetts with the VIR system don't convert well to the 134a refrigerant. is this true?

since i'm probably going to replace the reciever/dryer, should i look for an original replacement or try that VIR eliminator kit that Ecklers sells? Has anybody tried this kit? it is supposed to switch your system to a clutch cycling system like a modern A/C system.

from what i've read around this forum, most guys seem to keep most of their original equiptment and get excelent results. i was wanting to see if i could do the same.

it gets mighty hot down here in Florida. some days it's no fun to go out even with the top down. any ideas or suggestions you have on getting my system up and running would be very much appreciated.

by the way, this project is also on a budget. a marrige, a mortgage, and a car payment will do that to you.

 

VIR eliminator works very well on a 73 converted to R134. This would be cheaper than trying to replace the very rare VIR assembly.

 

I have had to replace my VIR several times over the last 10 years. I was told by my A/C shop that they did not recommend changing over because the VIR valve is set for R12 and the condencer should be larger so it would not work as well. Since I have a friend that is in the A/C business I only had to pay for R12 a couple of times and not at the price the A/C shops charge. If I had it to do over again I would replace evrything then I would change to a newer system.

 

My info sources say R134 is not a good idea unless you replace everything with beefier stuff..the R134 is a corrosive agent and will wear everything out prematurely.

 

I'm with redwing. My original system on my 73 gave more trouble and expense than all the rest of the car. I just completed a major "freshning up" and I converted to a new 134 system. Much neater with no hoses near the exhaust manifold. Since it was just completed, I have no real history to rely on but it was making 38* air on the way home. Fairly expensive is the down side!!!!

 

How expensive? I need to get my 74 ac working again, and really have not thought through what I need to do. Ant help is appreciated.

 

My local shop quoted me a price of $120.00 to convert it to R134a and charge it. That was the price as long as there were no leaks.

 

$1,600 WITH:

 

$1,600 - $1,800 WITH:

NEW COMPRESSOR, LINES, ACCUMULATOR, EVAPORATOR,
CONDENSER FLUSH, R134, U-HAUL DOLLY AND LABOR

I TOWED IT TO THE SHOP (WHILE THE ENGINE WAS OUT) FOR THE EVAP WORK

 

I've been running my '77 (with EEVIR) with R409a for 3 years. I thought about the VIR eliminator kit, but have you looked real hard on where the VIR is? I shudder to even think of changing it--and I've owned C3's for 9 years and done just about everything else.

R409a requires no mods--draw a vacuum and throw it in.

Remanufactured VIR modules are available on Ebay for about $80.00.

 

You can change to R134A(what I did) easily or harder. If you use the oil that is compatible with old system, it's fairly easy. But in your case, since the system is open, you should change the VIR because it has new dessicant in it. I got a replacement VIR at NAPA of the crazy things. However that was 4 yrs. ago. The change to the VIR is adjusting the valve(inside a fitting at the top of the VIR) for the R134 pressure difference. I remember it was 1/4 turn; I can't remember which way. The hoses may still be ok; porousity is not a problem(because they are sealed from the R12 and oil). You will have to flush the old oil out out of the evap. and cond., and get a remanned compressor set for R134. If you try to use the existing compressor; I suspect you won't be happy with your decision real soon.

Jim