With these silly hot summers days we all have been experiencing i thought why not have ago at fitting AC to my car this winter
I Sent a txt last friday to dick sloan asking about availability of any roadsters with AC and just by chance he said he had just getting a roadster in with one fitted. He said to come over to strip it out and i could have it for a song .
So lucky for me dick sloans is only just over 1 hours drive from my house .Saturday afternoon saw me spend 2 hours stripping the full AC out from a silver roadster, Not as hard as i thought.
Like most old AC systems the condenser Radiator is shot and needs replacing these are unobtainable for RH drive cars at a sensible price so i have 2 options import a Left hand drive USA one for £130 with inlets on the other side of the car and then getting 2 extension pipes made up or having a copy made up from a Auto radiator manufacturer . currently waiting for the price for this option.
Not in a hurry for this year so can take my time over the coming winter to get AC fitted and fully working for a sensible price for next year
Good luck to you on this, not for the faint of will I expect! I'll be watching with interest.
Third option; look at breakers in Spain.
On line yu can look at recambioverde.es
Here are the relevant chapters:
https://www.recambioverde.es/piezas-desguace/marca860/climatizacion-marca860-mr-2-roadster-w30-1999-2003_rv860072008.html
Don't quote me on this but I believe the Corolla TSports have the same AC condenser/radiator, just different part number for some reason and alot cheaper.
Remember reading this somewhere a few weeks ago as well whilst trying to figure out my aircon leak.
Quote from: ossy on August 7, 2019, 10:57Don't quote me on this but I believe the Corolla TSports have the same AC condenser/radiator, just different part number for some reason and alot cheaper.
Remember reading this somewhere a few weeks ago as well whilst trying to figure out my aircon leak.
I've heard that before but I've also heard the don't fit.
I believe it was cabby dave that reckoned it would work.
Quote from: ossy on August 7, 2019, 10:57Don't quote me on this but I believe the Corolla TSports have the same AC condenser/radiator, just different part number for some reason and alot cheaper.
Remember reading this somewhere a few weeks ago as well whilst trying to figure out my aircon leak.
That information got passed around
that Facebook group after someone posted it originally, and then I'm sure it was debunked.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nissens-940299-Condenser-air-conditioning/dp/B00DZMUL3G
The liquid tube and discharge fittings are in completely different places.
I paid £170 for a new condenser, there are no RHD third party ones, as you've already established. It lasted a year before everything leaked out again last month. I believe it was incorrect O-rings so I would strongly suggest ponying up the £5.20 for the two correct rings to the condenser from Toyota. I've just changed the o-rings and the Toyota ones are thicker (and also different sizes to what you get in those large eBay or Halfords boxes).
Any questions feel free to ask I reckon I'm getting good at this air con troubleshooting malarky now.
With regards to retrofitting, someone in Australia has already done it on a RHD car.
https://www.mr2australia.com/mr2play/tm.aspx?m=117502&mpage=9
And a LHD on this very site:
https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php?topic=58012.0
If you look at parts catalogues, you'll see there are two different pipe configurations (one is a single piece pipe, the other is made out of sections). I'm sure one of those two threads also mentions an unobtainable part that is the difference between a factory fit and a retrofit.
Good luck anyway. You'll also do well to get a local specialist in for full testing with gauges and leak tests, and not just one of those fast-fit machines that pulls a quick vacuum. There was an excellent specialist in the North East but he's stopped replying to messages and his email box is full: http://www.coolauto.co.uk/contact.html
I tried Advanced Radiators (or whatever they're called) in Washington and the prices they quoted were eye watering.
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With regards your condenser - I don't like the look of the remaining fins but there are plenty more than the one that came off my car and that would hold a vacuum. The aircon recharge on my first condenser lasted 48 hours (down to Ding Day 2017 and back). It had leaked out of the receiver/dryer on the condenser. Now, that is a consumable £15 part that comes with two o-rings (that I believe were the point of failure). However, getting the plastic drain plug out after 15 years was impossible even with the proper 17mm? hex key. I decided to press on in the interests of science as it was scrap anyway, and did it via a hole saw but bent the condenser in the process.
(https://i.ibb.co/yPW5fZq/IMG-20190807-131333-1.jpg) (https://ibb.co/jfgG6QD)
Cheers for all the info.
lots to think about
i have an industrial air con engineer friend who is on holiday so will also ask him for advice regarding testing and re-gassing
was £170 from Toyota as i haven't checked them for the price? was told between £250 - 450?
Quote from: mulaz on August 7, 2019, 20:31Cheers for all the info.
lots to think about
i have an industrial air con engineer friend who is on holiday so will also ask him for advice regarding testing and re-gassing
was £170 from Toyota as i haven't checked them for the price? was told between £250 - 450?
Would be a small world but I wonder if it's the same air con engineer (worked for JCB down in Peterlee).
I got my condenser from Eureka Car Parts who I guess may have been selling them off. Could be worth trying Paul @ TCB.
@mulaz I spotted this - https://www.allcarpartsfast.co.uk/toyota/toyota-8846017120-88460-17121/
Also if you need the contact details for the chap I used let me know, but I'm convinced we're probably talking about the same person given he got in touch to say he'd been away :)
How are you getting on
@mulaz?
Managed to ship over a condenser from the states for less than £100 knowing the fittings were on the opposite side to our UK cars so i will have to make up some extension pipes when ready . This winter my main priority job was to fit a new inlet manifold gasket on my 2zz engine as i have had an air intake leak since the engine swap
This has been harder and more involving as i also decided to upgrade and renew the suspension bushes + sub frame etc. So for the moment i put the AC swap on hold put hope to fit later in the year.
Has anyone shipped one from Japan? There are tons on yahoo auctions and the Jap cars are RHD - import costs are usually quite high though