A/C questions on '66 Valiant 100

[66ValiantGirl]

Hey all! I just put in a new RV2 compressor and fittings for 134A air and had my receiver drier rebuilt. Is this a good idea or am I going to be seeing this pull a lot of HP and potentially not even work in 6-12 months? My Valiant has the 225ci and is a factory air car. Someone suggested getting a universal compressor (Sanden style) and changing some fittings and said that would be a better fit and only pull about 8hp, any input? Anyone done this on another Valiant that can give me some advice?

My compressor clutch is looking like it is shot and I need to find a good used one I guess. If I were to go with getting a Sanden style, that'll come with the clutch and save me some homework since finding one for my RV2 is proving to be unattainable.

Any input would be awesome, I totally appreciate it

 

[RustyRatRod]

Never known a drier to be rebuilt. They are welded sealed units. Hopefully it was replaced. The RV2 does pull some HP, but you'll likely never feel the difference between it and a sanden. If the compressor is still good, I would simply get another clutch and keep on keepin on. The RV2 is a good unit. I would stick with it. Changing it out will require another compressor and all of the corresponding bracketry that goes with it. So you'll have the time and expense of all that. I think the clutch will be the best way to go assuming the compressor still works well.

 

[cudamark]

Never known a drier to be rebuilt. They are welded sealed units. Hopefully it was replaced. The RV2 does pull some HP, but you'll likely never feel the difference between it and a sanden. If the compressor is still good, I would simply get another clutch and keep on keepin on. The RV2 is a good unit. I would stick with it. Changing it out will require another compressor and all of the corresponding bracketry that goes with it. So you'll have the time and expense of all that. I think the clutch will be the best way to go assuming the compressor still works well.

I agree, I'd stick with the factory stuff. I did the 134 conversion in my '78 pickup and it's been working great for over 5 years now on the same charge.....and I didn't even change the drier! I just put in the fitting kit, pumped it down, and installed the 134.

 

[BillGrissom]

The RV2 is very rugged, but is a beast. Chrysler put thicker torsion bars on AC cars to handle the extra weight. The Sanden radial compressors are much smaller, lighter, and more efficient. However, after-market brackets are >$100 and you might run into pulley issues. All hot rodders use them and you can find much info on sites like HAMB. I have a "shorty" Sanden I hope to put on my 273 before next summer.

R-134A shouldn't hurt your compressor if you use the right oil. I converted my Newport 383 to Duracool years ago, and works great. It has the common York aluminum compressor, a lighter option to the RV2 if you can find a junkyard bracket. Duracool is a butane mixture compatible with R-12 oils, but the EPA fought it for years. Strange since I understand R-134A is now "bad" and Europe now uses butane.

 

[slantsixdan]

See this post for info on the various compressors and refrigerants, and see this post for factual information on hydrocarbon refrigerants (BillGrissom, you're incorrectly informed. European-market cars use R134a and there's a schedule for its replacement in new cars with fully sealed/hermetic CO2 systems; isobutane and other hydrocarbon refrigerants are not used.)

 

[66ValiantGirl]

Thanks all for the input, I appreciate it a heap. The drier was (supposedly) rebuilt by Apak, I sure hope I didn't spend $185 for nothing! I did get a new compressor, but when I put the new one in, the clutch just wasn't grabbing and it was squealing like all heck. I'm just having one hell of a time finding a clutch (single groove). Getting a new one seems to be out of the question and I guess I can't get it rebuilt either I'm told. Old Air can rebuilt the friction plate but not the mag coil. Anyone know of a place that does the whole rebuild or will I be going the used clutch route on this one?
I glad to hear that I should be all good keeping with the RV2 setup, some folks have told me I'm going to have no HP and switching it over to the 134 would probably cause it to be kaput in no time. trial and error i guess is how i'm going to learn all of this

 

[cudamark]

Check with a local auto electric shop....they may be able to rewind the coil.

 

[krazykuda]

. The drier was (supposedly) rebuilt by Apak, I sure hope I didn't spend $185 for nothing!

They probably just opened it up, cleaned it, and put a new dessicant bag in it --> for $185. The drier is used to pull any moisture out of the system.

Make sure that your o-rings on the fittings are in good shape. When they changed over to r134A, they used PAG oil in the refrigerant to lubricate the compressor. They also changed the o-riongs to HNBR which is a green rubber to be compatible with the PAG oil. I saw at either Lowe's or Home Depot in the fastener aisle that they carried a box of different size HNBR o-rings.

 

[BillGrissom]

BillGrissom, you're incorrectly informed. European-market cars use R134a

I didn't say Europeans use butane coolant in their cars. They use it in home refrigerators, which might be a greater safety concern. A quick search found:

http://www.airconditionersolution.web.id/p/refrigerant.html

* R 600a is pure iso-butane.
* And Mixed propane and butane.
R 600a is generally used in household refrigerators in Europe especially, and now starting widely used in developing countries.


One guess might be that since they export cars to the U.S. and the EPA opposes HC coolants, they don't want to double their design effort and parts, plus AC repair shops aren't setup for it. An interesting question is the EPA's motives. Was the "ozone hole" threat real? I understand the widely storied "deformed frogs problem" was found due to pathogens that have always been around and not increased UV radiation.