'87 4kq: A/C: good as it gets?

[Doyt W. Echelberger]

I also should have said that the cost of the specialist's advice is
incredibly cheap, compared to what you could spend trying to fix the system
yourself.  For the basic $40 charge, he will tell you what you need to do
to improve your system.....which is basically what you are asking.

Before seeing him, you can try cleaning out the condenser with a strong jet
of water. Open up the cover above your radiator and look down in there with
a strong light. Get out the leaves and insects. Be gentle and don't damage
the fins and tubes.

If you are feeling courageous, take off the panels under and around your
evaporator. It is sort of under and behind the glove box. There are LOTS of
panels and insulation and screws.  Use a strong light when you get it
exposed. Feel around and don't cut your hands on the sharp fins. Clean out
the 'fuzz' and debris, and see if there is water in the tray. The 'fuzz'
includes dandilion floaters and dog hair and fibers and anything that can
be carried in the air. It also can  get down into the drain tube for the
tray, and clog it up. Then the water builds up in the tray and prevents
efficient evaporation. When this happens, your system stops running cold,
and water usually drips out onto the floor.

After you clean up whatever you are able to examine, retest the system and
see if it runs colder. If it still doesn't cool the way you want, take it
to the specialist and pay his inspection fee. He will help you with the
choices after that.

On my car, the evaporator was clogged, AND the Freon was low, due to some
leaks around the seals in the compressor. To get it to run colder, I needed
a pound of Freon and some new oil. The specialist said it would last most
of the summer, and due to the slow leak around the compressor seals, I
would have to do it again next season.....about $120 after taxes.

I refilled it, and the car was totalled that summer, so I never refilled
it. But it was cool while it lasted.  I'm glad I didn't put in the new
compressor and hoses. That would have been many hundreds of dollars, and
all would have been lost in the crash.

That's my story.

Doyt Echelberger
86 4kq, now deceased