Wow, I'm surprised my lube selection comment would result in that much discussion - reminds me of what ensues on the Mazda rotary forums when a newbie asks if they should use a synthetic or conventional motor oil in their rotary :lol: Anyway, the oil that I used was purchased at a local Advance auto...

If you are putting in a huge intercooler, you will need to be sure that the condenser airflow is not compromised. It's a pretty big IC, but it's mounted in a stock like location (i.e., behind the radiator & condenser, which both lean forward at about 40*) So the radiator & condenser get the...

What concerns me the most is the oil you used. The slightly smaller TV12 compressors used in R-134A applications came with a ND oil 9 factory fill, that is, double end capped PAG 100, double the viscosity at 212F than Ester 100 (the viscosity you likely used, since that's the most common for auto a...

My '93 RX7 resto-mod project has finally reached the point where I can focus my attention on restoring the A/C system. When I got it almost a year ago it had no A/C components on the engine bay side of the firewall. Fortunately all the HVAC electrical controls, HVAC wiring and interior blower/air ha...

Proper cooling in general. 14 x 24 PF condenser is needed. Exp valve reads temp at the probe. R12 or R134a. Thanks! Being a bit of an AC noob, with regards to the condenser, should I be selecting based on a minimum surface area? So at the recommended 14 x 24 size = 336 square inches, would a differ...

Greetings, I'm about to acquire a modified '93 Mazda RX7 project car that I'd like to restore functional AC to, and can use some advice. As it sits right now, everything AC wise on the interior side of the firewall (e.g., evaporator core, expansion valve and HVAC blower/air handler unit & HVAC c...

Thanks for the de-slugging gadget link. Just pulled the belt and hand checked the compressor & mag clutch. When de-energized, the pulley spins smooth & easy with no noises. Energized the clutch with a jumper to +12V and the compressor turns with the normal resistance you would expect as it c...

Interesting... I had to look up "slugging" since I was unfamiliar with the term. Still wondering how that might occur though. I suppose that if the system lost a little refrigerant over the years, but not enough to make a noticeable difference in cooling performance, the compressor might b...

I'd pull the belt that turns the compressor and spin the idler pulley by hand, see if the pulley feels bad or makes a noise, I've had bad AC idler pulley on my Frontier. Great suggestion, I should have thought of doing that while I was re-checking the belt! Taking that idea one step further, with t...

Car is a 2003 Mazda Protege5, factory AC with about 182K miles on the clock. Its AC system still works fine - it cools the car's cabin well enough in hot & humid MD, and the compressor seems to cycle on & off when it's supposed to. I've owned the car since new, and the AC system has never ne...