[DeTomaso] Late Model Pantera A/C experts?

[Charles McCall]

Hi all,

 

We've just returned from spending a week driving the Pantera around NW Spain
and Portugal.. Had a nice visit with the other known Pantera owner in Spain,
Fernando Bianchi. Saw his Pantera which is finishing a complete, ground up
restoration and group 4 conversion..

 

Car ran perfectly the whole week. Burned lots of gas ;-) But I noticed
something weird with the A/C while driving around in the blazing heat
yesterday and returning home today.

 

Late model Panteras have a vacuum operated system - a series of doors that
open and close to direct air to where you'd like it that use vacuum instead
of mechanical connections. The A/C compressor cycles on and off to maitain
the desired temperature, and each time the compressor cycles on or off, the
"fan" light in the speedo lights or turns off and there is an accompanying
"whoosh" of air, sort of like a truck's airbrakes, but mini-scale. 

 

Anyway, starting yesterday, I could hear the whoosh when the cabin reached
the desired temperature, but it would appear that whatever the air is trying
to move must be stuck. the whoosh repeats, and repeats, and repeats, trying
to move whatever it needs to move but without success. the compressor stays
connected and will never cycle off. If I manually roll the temperature
selector to basically "off", there is a whoosh and the compressor shuts off.


 

I deduce that the thermostat is working and trying to send a signal to
whatever air device shuts off the cooling function but it sticks. But I can
shut it off manually if I turn the temperature wheel to minimum. 

 

a)       Anyone know how the thermostat functions in the late model
Panteras? What happens when the desired interior temperature is reached? 

b)       Will it hurt anything if the compressor runs non-stop continuously?
For hours at a time? Is there something that could freeze, or overheat, or
something bad? 

 

Horrible description of the problem but hopefully people who have seen the
system will  understand what I'm trying to describe?  

 

 

 

Charles McCall

1985 DeTomaso Pantera GT5-S #9375

"Raising Pantera Awareness Across Europe"

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