Got my new condenser today off of the UPS truck. Made in the USA. Don't see much of that anymore. Here is what a new one looks like. I bought this from jimmyS at WWW.fierofiberglass.com They are on the miscellaneous page
Removed my AC fan so I can remove the evaporator for flushing. I also removed the fan speed resister. It was caked up with leaves. I will vacuum out the AC parts after I remove the evaporator front part tomorrow or Sunday morning. I
[This message has been edited by josef644 (edited 08-10-2012).]
I removed my evaporator to flush it out. As I was pulling the cover out a ways I found this: Pulled out a bit more: And the cover all the way off the car, about 33% blockage: Nice and clean:
In-line filter added to the fluid line. I am gonna try to get the condenser and radiator back in the car tomorrow morning.
We had a small rain storm, maybe 10 minutes of rain. So I went out to the garage and used the break in the heat. I did the modifications to the upper radiator support to make it fit around my new three core Champion.
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I mounted the condenser, and connected all of the under hood AC lines. New 'O' rings on all of those connections. I will add in the old accumulator with new 'O' rings and see if it will hold a vacuum. If not I am gonna have the AC repair shop accross the street from my work come over and use dry nitrogen to help locate the leak. I'll have the car on 10" blocks all the way around so I can scoot underneath looking for the evil gremlin.
[This message has been edited by josef644 (edited 08-22-2012).]
I mounted the condenser, and connected all of the under hood AC lines. New 'O' rings on all of those connections. I will add in the old accumulator with new 'O' rings and see if it will hold a vacuum. If not I am gonna have the AC repair shop accross the strreet from my work come over and use dry nitrogen to locate the leak. I'll have the car on 10" blocks all the way around so I can scoot underneath looking for the evil gremlin.
I tightened all AC line connections down this afternoon, and added on the vacuum pump. I let it run for half an hour and closed off the pump hose, and turned it off. 10 minuets later I had dropped to 25 inches of vacuum from just over 28 inches. I am good to go tomorrow. I will add the rest of the under hood items and install my new accumulator. Shoot some good old cold juice into the system.
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Radiator installed, top radiator bracket repainted and installed. All AC wiring harness wires and metal brackets installed. Radiator side pieces installed. Metal mount bracket for the front fascia cleaned and painted.
We are having a short rain shower, so I went back out and removed the drivers side inside door panel. Replaced it with a beechwood one I purchased in the mall here a while back. Rain is gone, so I now have steam in the garage!!!!
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After installing the new Champion radiator I found the mounting holes for the rubber top piece had the holes blocked for the small push in plastic retainers. I will have to figure out another method of securing it. I mounted the fan in it's spot. There is interferance at the driver side hose. I will just trim some of the plastic away.
Shot of the new radiator:
[This message has been edited by josef644 (edited 08-25-2012).]
Haven't done much this week as I am back working again. It was 109* in the garage when I got home at 2:20 pm. Average daily temperature is supposed to got down about 10-12 points over the next week. AT LAST.
I did have this made from a guy on E bay for $8.00:
I am planning on getting the wheels back on and the car back on the ground this weekend. Then everything can be finished with out standing on a ladder.
Hey Joe,
Just getting a chance to go through your whole build when I saw this error on your ebay made sticker...in the fuel area it says that it is a 1984Fiero Formula....
Seeing as there wasn't a 2.8 V6 available, nor a formula in 1984, I'm not sure how the maker missed this. It clearly says 1988 above on the model name above. You should ask for a re-do!
Nice build by the way. I am envious of your skills.
[This message has been edited by zefferk (edited 09-01-2012).]
Just getting a chance to go through your whole build when I saw this error on your ebay made sticker...in the fuel area it says that it is a 1984Fiero Formula....
Seeing as there wasn't a 2.8 V6 available, nor a formula in 1984, I'm not sure how the maker missed this. It clearly says 1988 above on the model name above. You should ask for a re-do!
Nice build by the way. I am envious of your skills.
My car started life as a 2.5 5 speed car. It is a Formula clone. I also prefered an automatic, so I converted it over.
I didn't see the '1984' when I did the proof read. It isn't a real big deal. It was just a fun thing I thought would be neat to put on my dash . AD3 Sun roof delete, and 663 Leather Beechwood are bogus ones that I added.
Hinz Pontiac was a Pontiac dealer in Dallas when I was a youngster growing up. I don't know if they are still in business or not.
I put my fresh painted front fascia on the car this morning. Looks great!!!!!
I over tightened the two transmission line fittings where they thread into the SOFT aluminum. I will call Champion Radiator Tuesday to see what it will cost me to get this fixed. Thought about using some JB weld to put two brass adapters on the tank so I can get this back on the road. Might just have to install my factory radiator back in the hole until I get this fixed. -Joe
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Got some things finished up this morning. Made me a 1/2 size foor for the trunk. I added a layer of insulation over the top piece of stainless I found in a junk pile. It got pretty darned hot quickly this morn. I'll put the carpet in after it cools off a bit one day this week. and mounted the Pontiac Arrowhead on the front fascia:
Well it is supposed to be real plesant here this weekend. So I am hoping to be able to get quite a bit more things finished up here so I can refill the coolant systtem. After it is doing it's job. I am gonna start on adding in the 134A to the AC system. I have been waiting on getting this part finished for a long, long, long time.
I installed the air dam and the stiffener for the front fascia this morning. I also added the passenger side inner door panel. I removed the tan one, and replaced it with an original beechwood one. side by side shot of the two togeather:
Come on Joe, I know you haven't been being lazy. Where is the progress?!?!?!?
I got the new radiator Friday, but am having some problems the threads where the transmission line connect. I will be installing it in it's spot later today. I have grandchildren here until later today. The flux from the welding process was in the threads: One cleaned before the grand children arrived
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Hope it wasn't too hard to clean out those threads. Nice looking Radiator!!
I just got off of the telephone with Champion Radiator. They are gonna pay for FedEx to take this one back to them in California, then send me a new replacement.
I sent them these pictures. It seems that they are not to happy with this one either. The white crunchy stuff is also inside the cooling part for the transmission fluid. In the second picture you can see the 'Crunch' inside the part that looks like a well in the bottom.
I am gonna put my Fiero radiator back in the car after work tomorrow, so I can proceed finishing up other things while I am waiting for the new one.
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Saying one thing over the phone, and correcting the problem are entirely different things. It ain't over till the Fat Lady sings, or until I have a new usable radiator here. I am hopeful though. -Joe
Went out in the garage and removed the car from the 10X10 blocks. Added water to the coolant system. Battery was low. I am gonna let it charge back up for a while. I want to go for a spin later this afternoon. Car has been on the blocks since around the first of August. Looks good on the ground.
Just took it for a nice 30 mile run. This is the first time I have driven it since the front end being aligned, except for driving it home in a heavy rain on July 10th. The car runs like a top.
I put the hood back on the car this morning before cleaning out the garage
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Added the new accumulator and the correct amount of oil. I have the vacuum pump running now. I have my fingers crossed for a good and cold AC system.
Sucked the first can down right quick. At about half the second can of 134a I had a 'smoke' coming up from the high side connection. I had cold 'smoke' around the connection. I shut it down and removed the hose and gauge set. This was underneath the car:
I didn't think to see if the coupler was the problem, or the high side retrofit adapter. I am gonna go back out later and try it again. Compressor was coming on, and cycling off again. It was starting to blow some 'cooler' air threw the vents.
Wasted a can of 134a to see exactly where the leak was coming from:
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I drove mt 88 to Galveston Island today for a shakedown trip. While there I had 32 oz of 134a installed in the car today about 330pm. I was in heaven with the cold air. About 800pm the happy juice had leaked out enough that I just turned the AC off. I had 35* coming out the center vent for about 45 minuets. Had to turn the fan down. Oh crap. I will look for the UV dye tomorrow after work.
On a happy note the car runs great and I was getting about 23-24 MPG on the trip.
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Went out into the garage and raised the rear of the car. I found where the leak is, just don't know what exactly is leaking. It is wet fluorescent green all over the rear of the compressor there. I will raise the front tomorrow so I can get underneath all the way and clean off the dye with some brake cleaner. Then I can find out where it is squirting from.
My replacement radiator from Champion Cooling in California will be here Monday.
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Possibly a bad O Ring on the lines bolted to the back of the compressor??
I hope it is that easy!!!!. There are two pressure switches back there with an 'O' rings. To replace one of those, I would have to remove the compressor.
[This message has been edited by josef644 (edited 09-29-2012).]
Looks like I had two different leaks. One was, I am ashamed to say, where the hoses attached to the rear of the compressor. It was very loose.
One of the two aluminum lines that thread onto the condenser had a small leak: . Both were tightened back down. I added a lock washer to the bolt that holds the hoses on to the compressor. Vacuumed down for an hour, It has held it's vacuum for 3 hours now.
I have the car up on 10 inch blocks and don't have a way to go get some more 134a. Wife is outta town until tomorrow night. It is raining hard out side, and I don't have a way to get to the part house for two more cans of cold juice.
I also removed the inner drivers door panel. I had purchased a replacement mirror in the mall. I was the same type as my old outside housing. I had painted both door mirrors gloss black earlier in the year. I installed the new cable and mirror into my painted housing. All back on the door.
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Went out in the garage a few minuets ago. The low side gauge shows that I have kept 29inches of vacuum overnight. I was surprised to see that. 19 hours ago I locked down the low side and turned off the vacuum pump.
I put one can of 134a in the system and started it up. I found wet dye drip coming off of the bottom of the AC muffler of the hoses. I am gonna let the car cool down, then get back underneath with a mirror to try and locate the source.
Removed the manifold hose set from the rear of the compressor and installed two new seals. Vacuum pump running now. I have two cans of 134a here to put back in for a pressure test.
Two cans in the system I will purchase another can tomorrow. Cycling switch is still kicking it on and off, but not as often as it was with only one can in. I climbed underneath the car to see if there was any dye on the back of the compressor. I cleaned it pretty good when I had the manifold off. All looked good. No new florescent dye.
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Went out to get in the car to go to work this morning. Noticed that there was 'soot' on the rear fascia behind the rear tire. Other side was the same way. I have driven around 600 miles since I put the newly painted front and rear fascia back on the car. It came off easily onto my hand. I took it to the local alignment shop. He is gonna check the rear toe again tomorrow. Sounds like a good way to ruin a good set of tires.
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Wired my self dimming mirror yesterday after work. This morning I installed the new 3 row Champion Cooling radiator. Filled it with coolant and went on a nice 25 mile run to mix the water and green antifreeze. I will add the fan back on in the am. I stumped my toe and pealed back the toe nail. Fixing to go to the ER for a bit of repair work.
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