Hi all,

Car is in the shop for AC work. They found a huge leak on the bottom hose that comes
out of the bottom of the Evaporator....there price $260 fpr parts plus 5 hours of labor.
So it looks like Ill be doing this myself :(

the best price Ive found is $179 for the Evaporator at The Last Detail.

any tricks to installation....?

thanks for the help...its getting really hot here so this has to be priority #1. :mad:

Ill tell ya, if this car doesnt give me a break soon I will be selling it and getting
a 2003 Corvette ------no kidding , Ive already picked out the color

btw - its an 81 Auto

Kevin




[Modified by ksems, 10:12 AM 6/5/2002]

 

TTT

 

If you have a hose leak, why are you replacing the evaporator? :confused:

 

Maybe he means the metal tee that stems out of the bottom of the evaporator core? BTW, cool ST moniker FeedVaal. "The Apple" is one of my favorite eps! :confused:

 

Thanks onedef92! If that's the case, I'd look into a welding repair rather than replace and save the extra $150 fro the next thing that breaks.

 

thanks for the quick replies

yeah -
apparently its the tubing tee that comes out the bottom...
I havent seen it yet , just talked to him on the phone...
they want $640 to fix it themselves....:mad:

I would rather replace it rather than repair I think, it is almost 22 years old...
dont wanna do it twice.....:(

Kevin

 

You might be better off repairing the damaged core instead of replacing it. It would certainly be cheaper in the short term. Bolting on a new evaporator core is only going to stress any other weakened components you may already have to the point of accelerated or near immediate failure.

And if your compressor comes apart, the WHOLE system is going to be contaminated anyway, so you might as well wait until then. I tried the piecemeal approach on my 1987 BMW and I ended up ultimately replacing the entire A/C system before it was over with for the same reason I described above

 

well ,I have already replaced the Compressor and Drier...the pulley sheered off the Compressor and it was cheaper to get a new one ( advanced auto ) than it was to
rebuild mine. So Im it this far already.....I feel like I might as well get the stupid hose
harness while Im at it ( $100 ).......just replace the whole stupid system..

cant tell you how many Labor hours Ive already put into this myself :mad:

this sucks.......

 

That being the case, I would say go ahead and replace the bad component.

I would replace the drier/accumulator, too, since technically anytime you open the line it's considered contaminated. Your compressor will last a lot longer, too. Like you said, you're in it this far... :yesnod:

 

If you have to replace this or remove it to repair it, be sure to thoroughly clean out the evap box which are typically full of debris, leaves, etc. You may also want to glue some insulation on the inside of the removable face of the evap box and replace the fan with a new GM which has higher CFM than OE.
If you are running headers, be sure to insulate between the headers and the evap box.

 

I would suggest a replacement rather than a repair of an AC evaporator, especially if it was any original of that age. The difficulty of splitting and removing the 2 piece inlet-outlet halves of the evaporator case and core are challenging to any mechanic. The five hour labor charge could actually be low. Should you undertake the task yourself, it will be lengthy and uncomfortable. Have any new core pressure tested before installation, as you will not wish to do this job twice. If replacing the evaporator core on 1963-1977 models use care not to kink or break off the small bleed line as they are all Aluminum.

Starting in 1968 on Corvettes, GM began using a specially designed stepped seal to improve the efficiency sealing the evaporator core to the evaporator case. This part was used right through 1982 models and has been discontinued by GM for eons, but it has been re-manufactured exactly by the original GM supplier. If you read my tech tips, you will know what they look like. Although often bashed as ineffective the 1963 to 1982 air conditioned models can be very comfortable to drive if the climate control problems are fixed properly. All my Vettes with AC run and blow cool but one, and I am confident it will once it has been undergone a rebuild.

Geoffrey Coenen

 

Doc / Flyin

Thanks

Doc - Testing the new one before it goes in is a smart move....hadnt thought of that...:D

but then again .....Im pretty stupid ....ha

I guess I'll start cracking at it Sunday morning......and expect to spend the day..and night

Thanks
Kevin

 

the hose is broken underneath where the orifice tube is ( about 5 inches below that )

either way it has to come out to get fixed....the hole is the size of a pencil eraser....
it looks like something rubbed against it....maybe the heater shut off valve....

I wonder how this line connects to the Evaporator ...is it welded inside the box or can that line be unscrewed and replaced.....its the tube that the orifice ( filter ) sits in..

thnks
Kevin