89 convertible AC
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 750
Likes: 86
From: St Petersburg
89 convertible AC
I'm in Florida so summer approaching. My car in no way blows enough cool air to drive in the summer here so I drive the truck. . I'm not a mechanic and feel ac systems are complicated but my question is possible there's something wrong with my system or in fact was the OEM system never enough for hot states?
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 28,369
Likes: 3,258
From: Hartford WI
I'm in Florida so summer approaching. My car in no way blows enough cool air to drive in the summer here so I drive the truck. . I'm not a mechanic and feel ac systems are complicated but my question is possible there's something wrong with my system or in fact was the OEM system never enough for hot states?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 750
Likes: 86
From: St Petersburg
Thanks I'm going to have it looked at but possibly something more modern installed just doesn't seem to blow enough air
we will check what you suggested first. I do know there a vent door under the dash that doesn't work well keeps blowing air to windshield and threw dash when I hit Auto it blows harder but not enough stil l
we will check what you suggested first. I do know there a vent door under the dash that doesn't work well keeps blowing air to windshield and threw dash when I hit Auto it blows harder but not enough stil l
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,740
Likes: 1,638
From: Fairfax Virginia
Hello there BillDurant,
If you live in Florida then you should probably take the car to a reputable mechanic to have the system cleaned and maintained properly. I Have a silver 1988 C4 Coupe and the AC was converted to use the R 134 FREON. I did replace the seals and other parts doing the conversion but my car blows so cold you have to throttle it down or it gets uncomfortably cool.
The trick to keeping your AC working fine for years is to do annual maintenance on it. I have gauges and a vacuum pump so I monitor the pressures and keep the components clean. The condenser in front of your radiator is made of aluminum and it should be cleaned periodically. I remove the covers and clean out all the loose junk and then I spray the condenser coils with COIL CLEANER which is made for AC systems. On home units the tech will frequently spray the aluminum with coil cleaner to improve the ability of the aluminum to do it's job of transferring heat. I also use it to clean the radiator since it has aluminum fins. Just don't get coil cleaner on your painted surfaces...
The OEM system seemed to work well enough for me before I switched to the R 134. The R 134 may not be as efficient but it works great for me. Back twenty five years ago I went and bought out the stock of R 134 at a Auto parts store that was closing down. I bought three cases at 0.90 cents a can. a good investment... I switched over a bunch of cars using my stock and it will outlast me. With the ridiculous cost associated with R 12 I would not even consider keeping it in my system. Have your mechanic fill it with R 12 IF it only needs a pound or less. Any kind of opening the system and I would switch it over to the R 134. This way the system can be maintained more easily without paying the ridiculous prices of FREON R 12.
Good Luck and may your Corvette always be Cool!
Chris
If you live in Florida then you should probably take the car to a reputable mechanic to have the system cleaned and maintained properly. I Have a silver 1988 C4 Coupe and the AC was converted to use the R 134 FREON. I did replace the seals and other parts doing the conversion but my car blows so cold you have to throttle it down or it gets uncomfortably cool.
The trick to keeping your AC working fine for years is to do annual maintenance on it. I have gauges and a vacuum pump so I monitor the pressures and keep the components clean. The condenser in front of your radiator is made of aluminum and it should be cleaned periodically. I remove the covers and clean out all the loose junk and then I spray the condenser coils with COIL CLEANER which is made for AC systems. On home units the tech will frequently spray the aluminum with coil cleaner to improve the ability of the aluminum to do it's job of transferring heat. I also use it to clean the radiator since it has aluminum fins. Just don't get coil cleaner on your painted surfaces...
The OEM system seemed to work well enough for me before I switched to the R 134. The R 134 may not be as efficient but it works great for me. Back twenty five years ago I went and bought out the stock of R 134 at a Auto parts store that was closing down. I bought three cases at 0.90 cents a can. a good investment... I switched over a bunch of cars using my stock and it will outlast me. With the ridiculous cost associated with R 12 I would not even consider keeping it in my system. Have your mechanic fill it with R 12 IF it only needs a pound or less. Any kind of opening the system and I would switch it over to the R 134. This way the system can be maintained more easily without paying the ridiculous prices of FREON R 12.
Good Luck and may your Corvette always be Cool!
Chris
