Removing AC
 

Ok fellow rotor heads,

I want to remove my whole a/c system. What steps do I need to take?

Thanks.

step #1....grab

step #2....pull!

4 bolts hold on the compressor... thats the easy part... then you can remove the lines... hack saw works best.... then remove the condensor in front of the radiator... its not to hard.... then remove the evaporator under the passenger side dash... thats super easy if you remove your glove box....

One thing I'd like to point out is that there is a clamp/bolt under the battery box that's almost impossible to get without taking out the battery. If you have any stuck bolts, put a wrench on the bolt and slide a metal pipe over the wrench so you can get more leverage. Then you'll need a good hacksaw that can fit into tight spaces. I think that's about it, good luck!

-Darren

i hear the evaporator isnt worth even taking out .... ???

belt
 

I'm wondering... removing that compressor belt won't mess anything else up? and is it really worth removing the AC. What are the pros and cons?

the only reason I thought of it is because it doesn't work and I thought it was just low on refrigerant but I filled it and it still doesn't work so it'll probably be expensive to fix so I thought I might just eliminate it completely.

That's the exact same reason I eliminated mine. To remove the thing up front, it helps to remove the hood latch brace thing, just a couple bolts (leave the cable on) and slide out the a/c part (condensor, I think?). The bracket under the battery is indeed a bitch. Just disconnect where all the lines connect, it's not hard to remove it without cutting it up. I think I only cut mine in one spot, with bolt cutters.

I actually sold the condensor (or whatever the radiator-looking thing is), so I made money in the end. I want to rig up an on/off switch for the fan for defog, and sell my logicon too.

I didn't notice any difference after removing it, in how the car operated. Cons: no a/c. Pros: more room to work in the engine bay, losing the weight is nice too.

Nah, the only time you have to be concerned about belts is if you've gotten rid of everything except the alternator belt, then you'll need a dual-belt pulley on the alternator.

If your A/C doesn't work, you may as well remove it. I was in the same situation as you, it looked like it wasn't going to be worth it to fix it, so I pulled it out. It's just dead weight, it'll look a little better, and it'll be easier to change spark plugs. The only real downside is that if you live in a hot climate, you need to think about whether you can live without it. I see you live in Texas, so you might want to think about that a little harder, especially considering how well-insulated the FC is. I live in Minnesota so it wan't that hard of a decision for me :).

And I wouldn't reccomend pulling the evaporator. I got partway through taking that out before I realized that it's the only thing connecting the fan to the heater core, so you'd basically be disabling your climate control system altogether by taking that out. Just cap off the lines that are still sticking out the firewall.

-Darren

Yeah, I live in El Paso and it's ridiculously hot. It hits 100+ almost every day in June and July but I lived through it this summer, so I think I'll be ok. Good weight loos program... haha...

In case someone hadn't already mentioned it, watch out for the freon (or whatever it is) shooting out. You want to drain the system first (see those little valve stems?), environmentalists will say have a pro do it, it's bad for the air. Mine was already empty.

Oh damn, thanks. I'm doing it today and I didnt' even think of that. I would've been frozen to death. haha!

It is DEFINATLY worth taking out... most of the time they are clogged up with leaves and other junk... and if you get the tube from an rx7 that didnt have AC then that means LOTS more leg room for your passenger. Plus there is no point for it to be there... and its only held in by 3 bolts... just take it out.....

will that disable the heater also?

Why do you want to remove the ac?? for the 10lbs that you remove? Trust me its not worth it. There is no power loos when the ac is off. There is no benefit other than a clean ass engine bay.

haha too late. It didn't work and it would be too expensive to fix. I already removed the receiver/drier, and the evaporator?(radiator looking), i need the compressor still. What's the thing under the glove box called?

... the passenger side foot well? ;)

Yeah, good luck finding an FC that didn't come stock with A/C. I'm sure they are out there, but I've never personally seen one. As I said before, if you take it out, you seperate the fan from the rest of the system and render your climate control system useless. I think one day I might take it out and try to fabricate a tube myself to bridge the gap left from the evaporator (the "thing under the glove box") , but for the time being it doesn't really matter.

Martin, the total A/C system weight is way more than 10lbs. I didn't really feel a difference after I removed it, but if you're doing any real weight reduction on an FC, the A/C is a good place to start.

what was wrong with it???

ok lets rewined cuz people love making an opinon a fact:

U DO NOT NEED an A/C but its a comfort thing i pulled the shit outta mine last week and im still trying to get the stupid crapbox from under the passenger side dash..... yea no real difference..but w/e every car i have ever owned was A/c less

2-70 ac system bud

roll down ur 2 windows hit 70mph and ur good to go (learned that one from my mexican buddy here in tx..lol)

(and if ur talking weight savings....go manual windows...lol)

Don't worry about that box. If you really want to remove it, it's held on by 2 bolts on the top and one on the bottom, then there is a clamp on the right with a philips head screw, then a clamp on the left which I believe you just pop off by hand. I'm just going by memory here, it's been a couple months, but I think that's right. It's really not that difficult to remove. I had mine just about all the way off before I noticed that it would seperate the fan.

Actually, if you keep your AC you will prob get better highway gas mileage. I am sure the drag of a compressor is less then two windows and a sunroof open.

James

Ok.. NO.... you are not always going 70 mph and the outside air will never get as cold as ac. Plus there is absolutely no damn benefit to doing this, other than a cleaner engine bay.

My uncle (a ferrari owner) calls it Italian air conditioning.
Also, I believe someone found that he actually got better gas milage with the A/C on than with the windows down.

THAT is very true. As in a FACT.

i can say from living in CT during this time of year, lack of AC can suck

when you open the windows and the sunroof, your top half is nice and cool but NO AIR WHATSOEVER gets down to your legs, so you sweat your ass off