New rad..........removing A/C?
Discussion
Radiator cracked the other day 
Alternator belt snapped (again) obviously water pumped stopped working car overheated and I was desperate to get home..... the result was steam pouring out of the bonnet, and a large crack across the top of the rad (plastic section) i'm a fool i know.
Just got new rad delivered (very swiftly from Mx5parts) and got some new belts to go on, plan on tackling it tonight, whilst i'm in there I fancy removing the A/C too or at least the A/C rad that sits in front of the main rad.
Is it a big job to remove? Any pointers or links to getting it out?
Could I simply just remove the A/C rad for now or is there no point?
What extra's would I need other than a smaller belt? I dont have the smaller belt yet but want to get as much done as possible and get the car back on the road tonight....Am i planning too much too fast?
Help please... cheers
Alternator belt snapped (again) obviously water pumped stopped working car overheated and I was desperate to get home..... the result was steam pouring out of the bonnet, and a large crack across the top of the rad (plastic section) i'm a fool i know.
Just got new rad delivered (very swiftly from Mx5parts) and got some new belts to go on, plan on tackling it tonight, whilst i'm in there I fancy removing the A/C too or at least the A/C rad that sits in front of the main rad.
Is it a big job to remove? Any pointers or links to getting it out?
Could I simply just remove the A/C rad for now or is there no point?
What extra's would I need other than a smaller belt? I dont have the smaller belt yet but want to get as much done as possible and get the car back on the road tonight....Am i planning too much too fast?
Help please... cheers
if the crank pulley is wobbling it could be the woodruf key has acted like a lathe on the crank and rendered it useless for holding the crank pulley, if thats the problem an engine swap is inevitable)
if its not, im glad for you!
if you want to remove the aircon and not the pas a shorter belt will do that fine, just ask a motor factors for one measured with some string on your setup.
on mine there wasnt really an aircon radiator just some tube running in front of the real radiator, which i removed along with the pump.
getting rid of the pas is nice for driving though, and its possible to make it lighter by removing the seals from the rack.
i ended up(its a track only car) removing all belts, and running an electric water pump off the battery. which works fine for sub 500 mile daytime driving(no lights)
in total i removed about 30kg of stuff, and reduced drag on the engine.
if its not, im glad for you!
if you want to remove the aircon and not the pas a shorter belt will do that fine, just ask a motor factors for one measured with some string on your setup.
on mine there wasnt really an aircon radiator just some tube running in front of the real radiator, which i removed along with the pump.
getting rid of the pas is nice for driving though, and its possible to make it lighter by removing the seals from the rack.
i ended up(its a track only car) removing all belts, and running an electric water pump off the battery. which works fine for sub 500 mile daytime driving(no lights)
in total i removed about 30kg of stuff, and reduced drag on the engine.
Nothing to do with A/C in the boot. What there is, is:
A/C condenser (radiator) in front of the coolant rad
Drier (I think) next to the condenser
Compressor (pump) mounted to the engine block
Evaporator under the passenger side dash between the blower motor and the heater (replaced with a straight pipe on non A/C cars)
Wiring to the A/C button in the centre of the fan 3 position switch
High pressure and low pressure lines to connect them all together
There are also pretty hefty fines / imprisonment on the statute books for releasing any A/C refrigerant to the atmosphere, so to be a good boy, you should get it drained properly. A local A/C servicing company should be able to do this - I had a mobile chap come out and charge me £20 to fully drain and vacuum out the system on mine before removal.
Edited because I managed to spell the same word incorrectly in two different ways.
A/C condenser (radiator) in front of the coolant rad
Drier (I think) next to the condenser
Compressor (pump) mounted to the engine block
Evaporator under the passenger side dash between the blower motor and the heater (replaced with a straight pipe on non A/C cars)
Wiring to the A/C button in the centre of the fan 3 position switch
High pressure and low pressure lines to connect them all together
There are also pretty hefty fines / imprisonment on the statute books for releasing any A/C refrigerant to the atmosphere, so to be a good boy, you should get it drained properly. A local A/C servicing company should be able to do this - I had a mobile chap come out and charge me £20 to fully drain and vacuum out the system on mine before removal.
Edited because I managed to spell the same word incorrectly in two different ways.
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 28th August 10:35
LexSport said:
Nothing to do with A/C in the boot. What there is, is:
A/C condenser (radiator) in front of the coolant rad
Drier (I think) next to the condenser
Compressor (pump) mounted to the engine block
Evaporator under the passenger side dash between the blower motor and the heater (replaced with a straight pipe on non A/C cars)
Wiring to the A/C button in the centre of the fan 3 position switch
High pressure and low pressure lines to connect them all together
There are also pretty hefty fines / imprisonment on the statute books for releasing any A/C refrigerant to the atmosphere, so to be a good boy, you should get it drained properly. A local A/C servicing company should be able to do this - I had a mobile chap come out and charge me £20 to fully drain and vacuum out the system on mine before removal.
Edited because I managed to spell the same word incorrectly in two different ways.
Is there a guide to removing A/C online somewhere? Also are their any other benefits other than saving weight?A/C condenser (radiator) in front of the coolant rad
Drier (I think) next to the condenser
Compressor (pump) mounted to the engine block
Evaporator under the passenger side dash between the blower motor and the heater (replaced with a straight pipe on non A/C cars)
Wiring to the A/C button in the centre of the fan 3 position switch
High pressure and low pressure lines to connect them all together
There are also pretty hefty fines / imprisonment on the statute books for releasing any A/C refrigerant to the atmosphere, so to be a good boy, you should get it drained properly. A local A/C servicing company should be able to do this - I had a mobile chap come out and charge me £20 to fully drain and vacuum out the system on mine before removal.
Edited because I managed to spell the same word incorrectly in two different ways.
Edited by LexSport on Thursday 28th August 10:35
LexSport said:
Weight and airflow to the coolant rad, primarily I'd say. From memory, the A/C compressor uses an electro-magnetic clutch, so the draw when off (or on WOT with it on) will be minimal.
yes it uses a clutch thats pretty free running when off.the pump is very heavy too.
ive got no alternator or pas or mechanical water pump either. any guesses on those?
like i posted earlier i never found a coolant rad, just some pipes in front of the usual rad, arranged to cool.
MX-5 Lazza said:
There should be a rad for the ac. The "pipes in front of the usual rad, arranged to cool" should be for the power steering.
oh yeah you are right, i ripped it all out at the same time, yeah, and got oil all over myself, now i remeber.i never found the rad though! i just needed some space for my leccy water pump quickly really.
I ripped the aircon out of my banger - very easy as it had no gas at all left in after 17 years.
The pipes they use are incredibly weedy so I just started bending and snapping them until all the bits fell out.
If you take the AC compressor off you can also remove that massive metal bracket that it bolts to the block with. I got a shorter belt from Halfords (about 870mm I think) which I hope will run the steering pump OK.
The pipes they use are incredibly weedy so I just started bending and snapping them until all the bits fell out.
If you take the AC compressor off you can also remove that massive metal bracket that it bolts to the block with. I got a shorter belt from Halfords (about 870mm I think) which I hope will run the steering pump OK.
Yep, my engine rebuild is now complete and the bracket is still in the garage. Weighs quite a lot too, especially combined with the weight of the a/c compressor.
Seems like an 870mm belt is OK to drive just the power steering pump, it's tightened up OK although it's not been run yet to test properly. Only problem was that I couldn't find a 3 or 4-groove belt of that length so I had to get a 5-groove belt and cut one groove off, so time will tell how long it will last.
Seems like an 870mm belt is OK to drive just the power steering pump, it's tightened up OK although it's not been run yet to test properly. Only problem was that I couldn't find a 3 or 4-groove belt of that length so I had to get a 5-groove belt and cut one groove off, so time will tell how long it will last.
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