Well here is the latest on my car problems. I had the mechanic out today and the leak was actually in the manifold gasket itself. We replaced the gastet and the noise pretty much went away. The engine could be quiter for my taste though still. When crusing the noise level is low but when starting out it sounds a bit tanky. I had the mechanic lean out the carb a bit more to try and pass emissions. I went after the repair and it still failed by quite a bit. The test is so strict in Arizona now and these cars were not made to run that lean I think. I'm taking it to a carb rebuild place tomorrow and for $120 they will completly rebuild it, refit it and retest it using the same test and gaurantee that it will pass. Is that a good price? On the A/C side not good news. The mechanic pressure tested it and the condenser had a hole in it so I took it to a radiator place and they had to ark weld the aluminum where the hole was. That was only $50. Got the condenser back on and put in a can of freon and nothing. The compressor is kuput! So I ordered from Autozone a compressor ($169), expansion valve ($25) and dryer/accumulator ($33). I will have the mechanic (mobile type) back out on Friday to put it all back together. Question: I noticed that when we were testing the A/C that the air would only come out through the window defrost vents and not through the regualar vents. The controls are in the correct position of course. What could this be? How to fix it? Another Question: Does the car get better gas milage without the evap tube? Is is really needed? Here is what the car looks like:
All the heater/ac controls are run by vacuum. There is a can mounted in the engine compartment somewhere that will have 2 lines running to it. 1 is a vacuum source from the engine which should go through a 1 way valve on the can, and the other goes through the firewall to the vacuum switch on your heater control. If your vacuum is good to the switch, then the switch is broke. That is a common problem. The end cap of the switch is plactic and usually breaks off. Nobody makes the switch so you will have to find a used one or an NOS one. I found an NOS one at a car swap meet/show.
I see the line you are talking about. I'm not sure the switch is broke but will look Friday when I'm under the car. If I disconnected the vacume line from the can I assume that I could then feel the vacume and that would prove that the problem is the switch. Let's say I can't find a switch for awhile and that is the problem. I would rather have it stuck in the vent mode than the defrost fan mode. Is there anyway to get it to switch manually?
You are correct. There should be constant vacuum on the line going thru the firewall. There really is no way to rig it because all the doors in the system are operated by vacuum actuators. You might try running a vacuum line directly to the actuator. If you need a switch, try to find a NOS one. If you cant, email me, I have some used ones. Mavaholic@aol.com
I have a related question... the controls on my 77 seem to work correctly, but there is almost always a vaccum hiss coming from under the dash. If I pull the controls tight to the top, it stops. Is that normal or is that a slight leak?
might be off topic, hehe, but i aw '74 and the word emmissions... I had problems gettin my 74 inspected and passed for emissions... but as most books state (inspection books that is) any car 73+ needs a catalytic converter and such... its bullshit. IF you have a problem with passing b/c emmisions, i suggest taking it to a local muffler guru. Thats what i did, and passed no sweat. Beleive it or not mavericks commign with a caty in 74 was an option. apprently the original owners of my mav didnt chose that option, and all is well. and of course 2 simple tests to see if you truely need emmissions.... first look on your dash console and if it doesnt say "unleaded fuel" anywhere.... that means u dont need caty.... also take off gas cap and if the pipe just goes straight to gas tank.... (no metal covering) then u dont need caty... anywho, just felt like rambling on. Later
Its a leak. My 77 makes no noise at all. There is a plug that has about 5-6 hoses that plug into this switch. Make sure it is fully seated on the switch. If it is, it's probably the switch itself.
Latest update. My carb rebuild was successful. The car passed emissions!! It's much smoother running now as well. The carb is a single barel (250 cid) and they could not find the clutch plate and spring. So I guess until I find it I will be okay until next winter when the choke will not work. I've got a new A/C compressor, Accumulator, clutch assembly all waiting for my mechanic to put in for the next project. In Arizona A/C is a must!! I lucked out a bit as I have 2 cans of R-12 to contribute to the cost of the recharge. I saw today some stuff call "Freeze 12" which is supposed to work in my system as a substitute for R-12. Anyone have any experience with that stuff? Can you add it in with R-12 if you have a leak? Pretty funny to hear that someone is going to use my photo I posted as wallpaper....more power to you!! Now if I could just get the inside looking as good as the outside...
If the "freeze 12" is propane based it will probably work . Be warned though propane can catch on fire if you get a leak
Latest Update.... I finally got it registered in my name and got the license plate today so I feel better about not running around half the time with an expired temp registration. On the A/C. Had the whole new system put in today and was not around when the mechanic finished but am a bit disappointed with the results. The air blows somewhat cool but not nearly as cold as I think it should. Perhaps he ran out of freon. Does anyone know how many cans of R-12 an empty factory installed (same parts as the factory installed) A/C should take? I know for sure he put in the two cans I gave him.
Interesting thread. Back when I had the 250 cid inline 6 on Pegasus, it had a vacuum leak under the dash that made my valves rattle (!). Strangley enough, replacing the vacuum tubing will all-new tubing (about $15.00 worth) helped the performance and cured the rattle. Just something else to check! Tracy
