how i removed my ac
ok, i removed the ac system from my 96 ex about a month ago. so i will try to remember everything i can about the process. as always, if i am missing any details or steps, or if i messed something up, please let me know and feel free to add anything.
here is what you will need for the removal (you may not use everything and you may need a few more things, depending).
1. a clear area to work. preferably a warm garage or shop. you don't want to be freezing you ass or hands off if you are doing this in the winter months. unless you live in the south or the west, you could do it outside. (all you punks who don't have deal with snow and ice and temps. in the teens!
)
2. basic hand tools as well as some larger wrenches
3. some old rags
4. probably tools for the removal of your wheels.
you will need to remove you front bumper and windshield washer fluid resevoir and possibly the headlights. when i took my ac out, i had my bumper, headlights, and numerous other parts already off, so i am not exactly sure what all needs to be removed.
first, you will need to get the pressure from freon out of the system. i did this before i actually removed the ac. a long tme ago i took out my windshield washer system and when i removed the washer fluid resevoir i pulled off an ac line. i pulled a line off of the aluminum bottle piece (resembles a soda can) that is behind the washer resevoir. when i pulled the line, all of the freon in the system escaped. however, I DO NOT RECOMMEND DOING THIS. I WOULD RECOMMEND HAVING SOMEONE WHO IS FAMILIAR WITH AC SYSTEMS TAKE CARE OF IT, OR TAKE IT TO AN AC SERVICE PLACE AND HAVE THEM DO IT. either way, you need to get the freon out of the system. if you don't, as soon as you pull a line off, you will have freon spraying everywhere. if you DO do it this way, BE VERY CAREFUL. AGAIN, I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT FOR SAFETY REASONS. KEEP IN MIND I AM WRITING THIS FROM MY OWN EXPERIENCE. YOU ARE FREE TO CHOOSE WHAT YOU WANT TO BELIEVE. YOU CAN FOLLOW ALL OF THIS, SOME OF THIS, OR NONE OF THIS WRITE-UP. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR SAFTEY SO PLEASE USE YOUR BEST JUDGEMENT. REMEMBER, THIS IS WRITTEN AS A GUIDE, SO USE COMMOM SENSE!!!
now, after you de-pressurize the system and get all the freon out, you can start taking the system apart. i started with the condenser fan. unbolt all the lines (there should only be 2, held with 10mm bolts. one on top and one on the bottom). whenever you disconnect lines you might want to have a rag handy so you can catch and soak up any freon that might leak out. there should be 3 wires comming from the unit. one going to the top of the aluminum bottle piece, one going to a harness connecting to the compressor and magnetic clutch, and one going to a harness that plugs into the car's main wiring (in the same wire loom as the wires for headlighs, turn signals, horn etc.) there should also be a ground wire bolted to the radiatior support with a 10 mm. after you dissconect the wires and lines, you can unbolt the bracket bolted to the radiator support with to 10mms. then the condenser fan should pull out.
next i took off the compressor. you will need to loosen the belt and remove it. there is a tightener pulley that the ac belt runs on. you can loosen this by unscrewing the bolt that is sticking up vertically by the pully (i believe it is 12 mm). you will probably need an extension to loosen this bolt. loosen it enough to have enough slack in the belt so it will slip off the the compressor pully. set the belt aside for now. there are 2 lines going to the compressor. they are flexible and covered with foam insulation. there is also a bracket that holds the lines that might have been bolted to the condenser fan. either that or the radiator support. i forgot to mention it before. i left the lines bolted on to the compressor and removed them from where they bolted on to the other end of the line. i believe one one went to the top of the condeser fan and i'm not sure about the other. after eveything is unhooked, you can remove the 4 bolts holding on the compressor ( i think they are 14, either that or 12). i used the 2 foam insulated lines to grab and lift the compressor out. i think my exact words were "holy s**t, this damn thing is really heavy." seriously, the compressor and magnetic clutch is heavier than you think. when you take it out you will be gald to get rid of all that weight.
now, you can take off the belt and pully, or you could wait and do it later. the tightener pully is held on by 2 12 mms. it might be a little tricky taking it off. now you should be left with just the belt. i removed the 2 14mm bolts threading up into the box channel of the chassis that hold on the motor mount right by the crankshaft pully. i think i also had to take out the bolt or nut that threads in horizontally into the mount (17mm maybe?) you will probaby have to take off your driver's side wheel for this (i already had mine off). when you take this mount off, you shouldn't have to support the engine, because all of the other mounts should be bolted firmly in place, but nonetheless, be careful. and be careful when removing the wheel too. i was able to work the belt out by just taking out those 2 14mms that thread up into the frame (and the third, bigger nut or bolt), although i can't remember exactly how i did it. after you have the belt out though, you can put everything back together.
now you should be ready to start taking off all the lines. you can remove the lines from the aluminum bottle piece and remove it. you will have to take off the washer fluid resevoir though. next, continue to take apart the lines and remove the brackets that hold them. you will probably have to take them apart at very "joint" for them to come out easily. when you get over to the passenger side of the car, you will have to remove your intake. you might be able to get away with leaving a short ram on, but i doubt it. i have cold air and had it off any way. the factory airbox will have to come off for sure. you will need some larger wrenches or a big cresent wrench to loosen some of the lines. particularly the ones by the coolant resevoir. continue to remove the lines up to the firewall. you will need to take out the battery any possibly the battery tray. up on the firewall there is an oval hole where the ac lines go though. you can unbolt the lines here by taking out the 2 10mms. then both the larger and smaller lines should come out. this should be the last of the ac components in the engine bay.
you can put everything back together now, or wait until later. if you are taking out you ac and i forgot anything, or messed something up, i'm sorry. i am no where near my car or the ac system right now and am doing this just from memory.
now that everything ac related should be out of the enging bay, you can move to the inside of the car. you will have to take out your glove box, and the metal support "beam" that it bolts to. next you will have to take out the heater blower (circular fan). it is located on the right on the right side of the car, right next to the outside "wall", and above the ecu. there is a harness that you will need to unplug and numerous bolts, nuts, and screws (can't remember exactly what they are). watch though, because just because you have it all unbolted, it won't just fall out of place. carefully take it out and be gentle and just take your time. same with the next piece. the larger black plastic piece that is next to the fan and the fan connects to need to come out. you will again need to take out nemerous nuts and screws, as well as parts of the wiring harness that connects to it and the circular heater fan. after eveything is unhooked and unplugged, carfully pull the large black box piece out. you will need to seperate it. there are 5 (i think) clips that hold the two halves of the "box" together, as well as 2 screws. when you have it apart you can take out the evaporator assembly. there is also a gray wire going to the evaporator that clips to it and sort of resembles a blue christmas light bulb (sorry for the crazy comparison). on the other end of the gray wire is a plug. you will have already unplugged the harness that went into it. remove the plug and unclip the gray wire whereever it is held on. NOTE: the gray wire goes through a small grommet located in the "box". you will need to pull the blue christmas light thing
out of the evaporator and take the plastic clip (that held it on) off of it. then you will be able to slide the blue light (it sounds dummer every time) out through the hole where the grommet was and remove the gray wire completely.
then you can start to put everything back together and feel a lot better because you just lost a bunch of weight and unneccesary crap from you car. the pile is huge isn't it? and yes, all the stuff was just for your ac and was somehow jammed into your car.
well, thats as much as i can remember with as much detail as i can include. please let me know if you have any questions about anything or if i missed/messed anything up. i can probably help you if you have specific questions, because i can look at my car or the ac system i took out.
i hope this helps anyone who is interested in or is trying to remove their ac. again, let me know if you have questions or suggestions.
on last thing, since i took the time to write this up, i am giving myself a free plug
***my ac system that i removed is for sale*** if anyone WANTS ac in their car let me know because i have mine that i will sell (i also have pics).
well thanks for reading my writeup and good luck
-ljnick17
