Should there be an A/C Forum?

[Biba69]

A/C of course being air conditioning in Alfa's, and yes, this includes Spiders.

I include Spiders in that many deride these owners from even thinking about such a silly thing. If it means anything, I think it makes a lot of sense to have A/C in a Spider. Perhaps, especially in a Spider.

Try living in So.CA, AZ, TX, etc. without a working A/C, assuming you drive your Alfa frequently.

Electrical can cover some of the necessary trouble shooting problems but it takes either A/C experts (I know of at least one) or those who have gone through either renovating their original A/C or installing it in an Alfa that didn't come with it.

Some of the questions I've noticed (a few being mine) that come up:

Where can I get my compressor rebuilt (and how much)?

My (4-cylinder) engine won't idle when it is running.

How cold should it be at the vent?

What is 12a refrigerant?

When using the A/C I blow fuses. What can I...?

How much refrigerant should I use?

Where can I get a new drier?

These are just a few of the questions which could or might be answered on this forum. And the best part it would be easy to run through the previous threads to see if anything fits your current problem or question.

semestas likes to see positive replies, so if you feel it might be something you feel would be helpful in keeping our Alfa's not only running, but running 'comfortably', please leave at least a brief reply.

Biba

[amurph01]

I personally would love to see a forum for this or at the very least a good sticky.

I have a Spider in Houston TX (like 8 months of hot/humid summer) and have been giving serious thought to adding A/C just so I can drive it more often; even if I only use it on extreme days.

thanks,
Andrew

[Zunige]

I think an A/C forum makes good sense...

Best regards,

[Farace]

Not a bad idea. The ac in the Milano I just bought is disconnected (no belt) and when I get around to looking into it, I'm not even sure where to start. Probably just by putting a belt on and seeing what happens, but I don't know if that's the best approach. A repository of info would be great, as this is something that really spans the different cars.

[Biba69]

How strange. With Summer about over, the replies start coming in. Better late than...

In my case I'd say I've dipped my toe in (fairly deep) trying to get A/C to work in my '75 Alfetta GT which came with factory air. Currently I have cool air so it still needs work.

Bob Farace's comment regarding A/C info 'spanning different cars' is absolutely correct. Even if the set-up is somewhat different from either one model or year to the next, many of the same basic principals remain the same.

One question for anyone contemplating 'resurrecting' their non working A/C is whether to switch to R134 (unless their Alfa came with it of course) or use 12a refrigerant. I'm using the latter.

Any others out there have an opinion on this?

Biba

[sidewaysalfa]

"One question for anyone contemplating 'resurrecting' their non working A/C is whether to switch to R134 (unless their Alfa came with it of course) or use 12a refrigerant. I'm using the latter"

Since the old Freon/12a is not available is seems the only choice is 134.
I also added compleately New AC into my Alfetta last summer, it got 134. http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/alfe...-problems.html

My Milano (with the old 12a system) got a leak a few months back. My local AC shop did me a favor and stole some from a junk car he had in back. He thought he fixed the Milano leak. But no good dead goes unpunished . . . It still leaked!

The Milano will get changed to 134 as soon as I find some employment. Cost is about $400 for the shop to convert.

[Biba69]

Paul, are you saying you feel there should be an A/C Forum? Actually if there is an A/C forum, I'd like to do a copy/paste of your A/C thread and add it to this one. Your thread alone contains lots of good info.

R12 is Freon - and can still be bought for an obscene price and is no doubt illegal. Actually I'm not sure how legal 12a is which I believe contains butane. Yes, highly flammable, but so is gas. It's pretty reasonably priced (available only on the Internet - that I know of) and is supposed to be the equivalent of R12 as far as cooling characteristics are concerned. Both new compressors, vacuum pumps, and the hoses used for vacuum and checking refrigerant pressure are available with R12 fittings.

I strongly doubt any A/C shop would even consider using 12a. So if it appeals to anyone, you need to get the info on an A/C forum.

Biba

[86spider]

I think it is a good idea