Best AC system..

[nicky51]

I have an 87 325ic and my ac works and is fully charged , but is is just not cool enough. I dont know if maybe there are newer versions of the system that i could change or something to look for.. Thanks..

[chadthestampede]

You would have to adapt the system to the from r12, the pre 1994 refrigerant, to r-134a, the post 1994 refrigerant. This involves replacing the valves and some of the seals, as well as making sure you have an r-134a compatible compressor. Theoretically it would then be colder because you could charge it with modern, possibly better refrigerant.

Otherwise, there is no way to charge your system unless you find some r-12 second hand.

[KenC]

You would have to adapt the system to the from r12, the pre 1994 refrigerant, to r-134a, the post 1994 refrigerant. This involves replacing the valves and some of the seals, as well as making sure you have an r-134a compatible compressor. Theoretically it would then be colder because you could charge it with modern, possibly better refrigerant.

Otherwise, there is no way to charge your system unless you find some r-12 second hand.

Theoretically, you obviously have no idea what you're talking about. R-12 blows WAY cooler than r134a in our a/c systems. It spews CFCs, however. Hence the ban in automotive applications in 1994.

OP, if you R-12 system isn't cold enough, then something is wrong. Are you sure it's fully charged and the compressor is kicking on?

[chadthestampede]

I meant theoretically it would be colder than the system he has now, because he would have a modern sealed system that he could be sure was fully charged.

I did not know that r-12 does blow colder though.

[Farbin Kaiber]

The 2-60 unit works for me.

[jlevie]

As far as I know there is no difference between a system designed for R134a and a system designed for R12, if both are operating properly. While you can convert an R12 system to R134a, it won't have the cooling performance that it had with R12. The evaporator and condenser need to be larger for R134a. While it would be possible to fit a larger condenser, there's nothing that you can do to increase the size of the evaporator as it has to fit into a space that is already a tight fit for the R12 evaporator.

As to the OP's complaint, the expansion valve could be bad, the compressor may be weak, the system might not be properly charged, heater valve could be leaking, etc. Have an experienced A/C tech check it out.

[E30is90]

r134a Conversion

I had the refrigerant conversion done a number of years back and fully charged the system, checking for leaks. I have noticed that when I'm sitting at idle, the air blows warmer than before the conversion. However, once I get the engine up past 2,500 rpm, the air blows nice and cold. I recently replaced my aux fan, which had a crack in the plastic frame, but when idling I'm not getting nearly cold enough air coming through the vents. Is there a fix for getting the aux fan to turn faster at idle? Or is it something else causing this?

[KenC]

I had the refrigerant conversion done a number of years back and fully charged the system, checking for leaks. I have noticed that when I'm sitting at idle, the air blows warmer than before the conversion. However, once I get the engine up past 2,500 rpm, the air blows nice and cold. I recently replaced my aux fan, which had a crack in the plastic frame, but when idling I'm not getting nearly cold enough air coming through the vents. Is there a fix for getting the aux fan to turn faster at idle? Or is it something else causing this?

The aux fan blows at top speed with the a/c on. You could replace it with a higher cfm fan

[E30is90]

The aux fan blows at top speed with the a/c on. You could replace it with a higher cfm fan

So why does air get so much colder when I rev up the engine past 2500 rpm (even when standing still in neutral)?

[nrubenstein]

OK.

1). R134a is less efficient than R12. Modern A/C systems are designed both for R134a and to provide more cooling, which is why they work better.

2). A stock wired aux fan blows on low with the a/c on. You can force it to high by bypassing the resistor.

3). At idle, the a/c compressor isn't turning very much. Revving the engine moves more air if you've got a mechanical fan and gives the compressor more opportunity to do its job.

[E30is90]

OK.

A stock wired aux fan blows on low with the a/c on. You can force it to high by bypassing the resistor.

This likely sounds like a newbie question, but got to ask anyway. I replaced my cracked aux fan with an OE replacement, so it's definitely stock wiring. Where is/how do I get to the the resistor to force the fan to high? Is there any downside to always having the aux fan spinning at its highest speed? Thanks for the help.

[jlevie]

I had the refrigerant conversion done a number of years back and fully charged the system, checking for leaks. I have noticed that when I'm sitting at idle, the air blows warmer than before the conversion. However, once I get the engine up past 2,500 rpm, the air blows nice and cold. I recently replaced my aux fan, which had a crack in the plastic frame, but when idling I'm not getting nearly cold enough air coming through the vents. Is there a fix for getting the aux fan to turn faster at idle? Or is it something else causing this?

The fix for this is to go back to R12 or one of the R12 replacements, like Freeze12.

[E30is90]

The fix for this is to go back to R12 or one of the R12 replacements, like Freeze12.

That's worth looking into. I'll check around to see if any A/C service centers use or can provide me with that. I don't know if NY has any additional regs on A/C refrigerant. When I was living in GA a number of years back, they did recharge me with I believe an R12 equivalent. When I moved back to NY, I was told I had to covert the refrigerant. They put on the new nozzle/valve and charged up the system. They let me test it out before leaving and I pointed out that it wasn't so cool at idle. They said to rev up the engine and it should get nice and cold. Maybe so, but if you want to cool off your car for 10-minutes before you get into it on a hot summer day, you're shit outa luck.

[reelop19]

I'd check the pressure your compressor is putting out. Mine is a bit off and so my a/c only gets to 70 F which is cool until its 96 F and 100% humidity outside like it is everyday right now.

[E30is90]

I'd check the pressure your compressor is putting out. Mine is a bit off and so my a/c only gets to 70 F which is cool until its 96 F and 100% humidity outside like it is everyday right now.

We've had a wave of over 90 days here in NY (it's 94 right now) with almost 100% humidity (brutal). Trying to cool off at idle is futile. But, when getting onto the highway (a couple of blocks away) and running out at 3,000 rpm, the air blows nice and cold. I don't want to sit there in my driveway revving the engine to 3,000 rpm, before my wife gets in the car before each drive (I'd be shot by my neighbors). But having the wife get into the hot car is just about as dangerous.