I'm going to resurrect the A/C in my son's car. We live in Florida so its really life support in the summer. Currently the car is getting a low mileage engine put in. I was also told the Dryer is missing. I have not been able to find a drawing of the system to know what all is needed. I did buy a new condenser, but no fan.

So I need to figure out what do I need?

I can not find a new dryer, So can I buy a used one and dry it in the oven so the desiccant will work? Or just find one that fits and use it? Does anyone know of a substitue dryer?

I would also guess to buy new hoses, rather than old ones? Do the A/C shops have universal ones or make custom ones?

Thanks Dudes!

 

I also am putting back my A/C there is a company here in florida, eagle A/C overhaul is there name I believe, they have the drier for $30 and will overhaul your a/c for $130, and make custom lines for you, I need to relocate my drier so I have to make custom lines. I'm going to put everything back together and take it to them so they can make the lines right there. ALSO there is another company that will make you the hoses is hydraulic supply company they will make the lines for you right there dont know how far or if there is one near you the are both located in hialeah,FL. dont know if that helps.

 

Check the archive thread for the PDF manual. You can find schematics and drawings for the ac system there.

You'll need

evaporator (I assume this is still in your car)
compressor (see above)
condensor (no extra fan is needed, 3rd gens ran off of the dual fans but you can get a nice small pusher fan and wire it parallel with clutch wire so that when compressor engages so does your fan. Or you can make it temp sensitive)
dryer. (dryers are pretty universal)

Also, you'll need the ac pressure switch to plug back into the stock system.

Your a/c shop can vacuum you down and will most likely refill with R134. If you do it yourself you can use freeze 12. I think it cools better, is legal.

Most any a/c shops can refurbish your old lines if you have them. If not, plenty can fab new hoses for you.

I redid my ac with new dryer and custom lines and fittings for under $200.

 

Tech Manual sticky here:

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-gen-archives-73/tech-manual-directory-614824/

 

you are better to go with custom lines, i just priced a couple of lines from mazda the cheapest 1 was $50.00 for 1 $75.00 for another. these were the 2 cheapest oem lines.

 

You are better off buying a complete used system from the classifieds. They are cheap.

Some information here about getting a new drier:

https://www.rx7club.com/showpost.php...9&postcount=38

You should probably buy a R134a based system for ease of service.

 

You can source all the lines from the forum. If the compressor is bad there are plenty of aftermarket rebuilt units. Just google what you are looking for. I would replace ALL the o-rings, expansion valve, and dryer. I just bought a brand new drier from Mazda so they should be available. Remember touring is different than the r1/base ac.

 

How is Touring different...for the record?

 

mana VS nipon IIRC

 

I would recommend to put on a push or pull type fan on the condenser and wire it to come on when the compressor kicks in.

I find that doing this to any vehicle that has A/C that does not have a dedicated fan for the condenser really makes a difference.

 

Different fittings, lines, etc.

 

OK, I downloaded the manual and it was very clear and detailed. It showed everything I needed. I also needed it to fix a window switch.

I think the evaporator is still there. I think they never reconnected the A/C after an engine swap before we got it. But Its being swapped now, so hopefully the Compressor is OK.

I never did find a dryer. I would think that they would be somewhat generic. There is no moving parts just desiccant.

So if the A/C shops make lines I should be ok, that was another big unknown for me.

So thanks everyone, good stuff!

Duder

 

The thread I linked to above has information about buying driers. They may be somewhat generic but they have to line up and mount properly to the hoses and bracket. There is not much space in an FD engine bay.

 

Was the compressor sitting around for who knows how long with the suction and discharge ports open to the elements? If so then you may have gotten dirt/moisture in there, and you should, at the very least, flush it with several ounces of oil compatible with the refrigerant you're planning on using.

They are generic except for the shape, volume, location and size of the ports, and mounting. Driers can be had for BOTH system types. (Mazda sourced parts from two different suppliers for our cars (MANA and Nippondenso)) The drier for the Nippondenso system is a fairly generic unit used for various makes/models of cars and can be had from ackits.com for something like $8. The drier for the MANA system is specific to this car and can be had from a few sources...the cheapest source I've found is PartsAmerica but it appears they're no longer around. The part that PartsAmerica stocked was Part No 4016 made by Ready-Aire. EDIT: Partsamerica apparently morphed into CSKAuto.com The MANA drier can be had here: http://shop.oreillyauto.com/ProductD...pe=397&PTSet=A

Do not try to bake your existing drier in the oven. That worked WAY WAY back in the day when the desiccant was silica gel. Today's desiccants (technically they're called molecular sieves) can't be rejuvinated in the same fashion.

The A/C lines on the RX-7 are not like those found on most cars. Mazda used LOTS of hard lines (a good thing) on this car, but they used fairly non-standard connectors on the ends of those lines. In fact, the only rubber hoses in the system are at the compressor to allow for the engine/compressor to move independently of the chassis. Lots of automakers will just lay acres of rubber hose everywhere because it is cheaper. Most independant shops will lay acres of rubber hose as well 'cause it is cheap and quick. In the RX-7 there's really not room for the increased size of hose, and besides the connectors on the ends of the lines are proprietary to Mazda.

BTW, where did you find a condenser? I've seen some REALLY bad cheap Chinese condensers on eBay that, when installed in a system, will result in VERY POOR performance. You need to find a condenser that is the OEM parallel flow type, dimensions and fin density if you haven't already.

 

Touring models for the 1993 model year had a system supplied by Nippondenso.

Touring models for the 1994 model year had either a Nippondenso or MANA system. My 1994 touring has the MANA system.

From the pictures I've seen of cars for sale, Mazda went MANA for all cars bound for North America some time early in the 1994 M.Y. production run.

Bottom line is, you have to look at the system on the car and see what it has.

It should also be noted that parts from MANA and Nippondenso systems cannot be intermixed. The fittings on the ends of the lines/components are different sizes and thread pitches.