[DeTomaso] Exploding air conditioning system - Fake News or an accident waiting to happen?

[Thomas Törnblom]

My AC system was empty when I bought the car. The compressor had been replaced with a unit from Hall by the previous owner.
I had the system converted to R134a and a marginal hose was replaced at the same time. It worked fine for two years, and then it was empty again. I had it recharged a few times and had the axle seal replaced, which made no difference. I bought a leak seeker and while playing with that I noticed it indicated refrigerant around the compressor. Turns out that the gaskets on on R12 compressors may not seal properly for the smaller R134a molecule. I bought a new Sanden 508 compressor designed for R134a and it has been working great for many years.
I had to refill the system two weeks ago and that was due to a bad O-ring and fitting on the drier. It has probably come lose when I pulled the engine last and had to fold away the condenser.

Have you replaced the compressor Charlie?

Cheers,
Thomas

> 19 juni 2022 kl. 15:06 skrev charlesmccall at gmail.com:
> 
>    Hi all
> 
> 
>   In the 20+ years that I've had my Pantera, the air conditioning has
>   only worked for a few sporadic months. It works fine when charged, but
>   we can't find the source of the leak, despite having changed nearly
>   everything that could be changed. So the system was charged again a few
>   weeks ago preparing for my trip to Le Mans Classic, and this guy did
>   find a crimp that looked suspicious, so we'll see how long I have cool
>   air.
> 
> 
>   Anyway, I seem to remember that we all know that at higher speeds
>   (85mph+) there is a low pressure area behind the AC condenser, which is
>   why some people move them up front. I also seem to remember something
>   about the system pressure getting too high because of inadequate
>   cooling, and this high pressure causing the system to explode. Is this
>   correct? Is there a risk from leaving the AC on full speed, non-stop
>   for hours on end of high speed highway cruising with the stock
>   condenser set-up?
> 
> 
>   Thank you!
> 
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