Right i am buying an Air conditioning system that is still in a MK2. I need a complete list of everything that need to be removed and the best order in which to do it. I also need the order in which to put it back together. If anyone has some time scales for each stage of the job that would be a great help to. Like 1 hour o fit compressor and belts. Any good bookss i should get? Matt_golf i think has all the answers but i have lost his email. Matt please check PM inbox if yu read this Thanks Buzz
Here we go again! No seriously you need the following: 1. Dashboard and Glove Box. The covering on the underneath of the air housing in the passenger footwell area. 2. Oddment shelf below glove box. 3. The complete air distribution housing behind the dashboard together with the blower motor and dash slider controls.To remove this housing: having first taken off all the dash parts, you must disconnect the a/c pipes which connect to a small rectangular metal box at the back of the engine bay. Leave the box connected to the two pipes which come through the bulkhead. Do not try to remove it or you will bust the pipes coming through the bulkhead. There are four nuts which secure the air box housing to the bulkhead. Removing the air box housing is a two man job. Be very careful. If you bust the pipes coming through the bulkhead you have bust your evaporator and its mega bucks. 4. The following items of the wiring loom: from the fuse box to the blower motor connects also to the dash controls, to the a/c thermostat (which sits in the back of the air distribution box just behind the passenger footwell), to the wiring to the two valves which are on the refrigeration pipe above the radiator, to the wiring which goes to the compressor to activate the magnetic clutch, the wiring and relay which are attached to the rad fan housing, the a/c relay which is in the fuse box. The wiring feed to the rad fan should be standard. This means that you can disconnect around the area of the battery and then plub the rad fan wiring straight into the receiving car. 5. The following items of vacumn feeds for the air box vacumn powered controls: The black vacumn container from inside the nearside front wing (take bumper off to get at it), the pipe which goes from it to the blue check valve at the back of the engine bay, any bits of spare piping, joining connectors at the back of the engine bay, the pipe which goes through the bulkhead and connects to the vacumn slider controls. 6. The radiator, the two main water hoses to it, the radiator, the condensor (an a/c heat exchanger in front of it) the mounting bracket for the condensor (small triangle of metal to the centre of the front lower cross member), the fan and fan surround. The three wire rad fan switch in the radiator. 7. The compressor, the mounting bracket for the compressor and alternator (combined piece of metal bracket), the top alternator support arm which connects to the top of the block, the alternator pulley, the belt from compressor to alternator, the power steering pulley and belt, the compressor drive belt, the crankshaft pulley on the block, the water pump pulleys (both inner and outer) 8. The pipes from compressor to condensor, from condensor to back of the engine bay and from back of engine bay to the compressor. 9. The insulation material around the expansion valve (metal block which joins pipes at back of engine bay) 10. The metal seal at the back of the engine bay where the pipes go through the bulkhead. 11. The filter/drier which is attached to the condensor. Suggested order of dismantling: 1. Disconnect and remove completely battery (ignition hazard) 2. Remove front bumper and headlamp grill. This will reveal the black vacumn tank in the near side inner wing. It will also reveal the condensor and drier together with their pipes. 3. Get a/c system discharged by undoing hoses at compressor. Better to get done properly due to climate but up to you. Be careful. Take off the pipes from compressor, condensor, filter/drier (will need a new one anyway -30 from Four Seasons) and expansion valve. 4. Drain anti freeze. 5. Remove the Vacumn tank and associated piping 6. Remove radiator fan and shroud, disconnect the rad fan positive and negative wires from the main wiring looms around the battery area (wrapped in cloth they run along the engine compartment towards the back). 7. Disconnect the wiring from the alternator. Slacken the belts by loosening the bolts. Remove alternator. 8. Slacken off belt for compressor. Remove compressor having unplugged the wiring. 9. Undo the bolts which mount the bracket onto the block. Take off the bracket and keep the bolts. 10. Loosen off the power steering belt by loosening off the belt adjustment. Take off the belt. 11. Using allen keys take off the pulleys from crank (outer and inner), the water pump (outer and inner) and the power steering pump. 12. Remove the top and bottom water hoses from the water pump and radiator. 13. Unbolt the condensor from its mounting positions on the cross member and from the radiator. Remove radiator. Remove condensor and drier. Fragile so take care. If its fins are blasted to bits consider replacing at cost of 120 from Four Seasons. 14. Take off steering wheel, lower oddment shelves, speedometer, blower control trim, entire dash board (fixed by screw at each side and two through bulkhead into scuttle panel behind engine bay, couple of screws under dash), electric window console. 15. Should reveal the large air box housing and evaporator housing. disconnect wiring loom from fuse box do not cut the loom, take the relay. Disconnect loom from the a/c controls, from the blower and from the thermostat underneath at the back of the passenger footwell. 16. Remove the heater matrix feen pipes at the back of the engine bay. Undo the four bolts in the engine bay which secure the air box housing. Two are around the area of the exhaust heat shield and two are around the bulkhead cut out for the a/c pipes. Keep the nuts and the metal surround for the a/c pipes. May be one more bolt inside securing the evaporator housing to the inside of the bulkhead. Take off the metal dash supporting arms for ease of movement of the housing. 17. With one person checking on the state of the expansion valve and another removing the housing start to negotiate it out of the car. Very tricky but easier with two. 18. Do not forget to take the water drain pipe from the back of the housing and it's plug which can be removed from the engine bay bulkhead just by the brake lines. Will need to cut the evaporator pipes rectangular hole and the water drain hole but someone on this site has already described where to cut the holes. 19. Finally remember to take the a/c pipe supporting metal bracket which is bolted to the gear box housing. Good luck.Its possible, I did it and I am not a mechanic. You do not need to know much about a/c systems, just the order in which these bits go. I can help along the way. Take your time doing it and it will work.
