I just had it charged with 134a (after rehabbing the system and having the condenser and evap leak checked) and it's very cold. Yeah baby!
Now, question: the belt is bouncing all over the place. I have it pretty tight, as in I can press in the center of the upper length and it gives maybe 1/2". It just bounces on the bottom of the belt, before it feeds into the compressor but it bounces A LOT. Maybe an inch back and forth (or more). Make it tighter?
I called and asked the technician but he said not to worry about it. They just do that. Umm....?

 

Congrats Macadoo!

Cold A/C is definitely on my to-do list.

 

Thanks KDV. But like us in Illinois, you're probably having nice weather so far. We've ony had the house AC on a few days maybe.
I checked the belt and it was indeed loose. Maybe it stretched? I tightened it as tight asI thought I could without ruining the bearing. It still bounces but not as bad.

 

Put-r-ther Mac, A/C is a must with the wife in the front seat..... pfffft after you stomp on the gas putting the car sideways with rubber burning. That will definatly help with koolinl 'er' off !!
My wife gets overheated at times, I'm looking into A/C.

 

Lol, Eric. I'll admit, I've been sealing up our road with rubber from my BFGs. I should have bought cheaper tires for the first few months.

 

Good work getting the AC going! I'm working on mine now. Belts...when I put belts on, I like to put the numbers on the belt facing forward. I do it for 3 reasons. I do it for looks because my belts are NOS or repro. It's easier to see the size of the belt if you need one, so I do it on all my cars. Finally, a belt takes a "set". If it's always turned, say clockwise, then if you reverse it it can stretch or break. If you always put them on one way, you know they are spinning in the same direction as before. New belts typically stretch a bit, it's not uncommon to need to re-tighten them.

 

LOL, I dare to ask, what screamed louder the tires ,engine or the wife. Or 'D' all the above

 

Ugh. We've been over 100 degrees since May, and into 110s for more days than I can remember. Supposed to hit 114 next week. I don't drive the Cutlass during the summer.

 

Great news about cold AC!
So please recap what you used and did.
-Stock evap and condenser, convert to 134.
-what else? Stock A6? POA valve recal?

I remember my 72's belt flopping at the bottom an inch also when it worked. Those A6's take a lot of power to drive and will stretch belts. If you have one of those nasty cogged-bottomn belts, it may stretch more since less cording and material. I hate those.
Keep it tight with a 1/2" deflection. I even thought about devising some sort of tensioner pulley.

Have some vent and ambient temps to share?

 

Good advice, thanks. I guess I just naturally put the numbers facing front. It just looks cooler, ya know. But I didn't know about the non-reversible thing. Good to know.

Nah dude, she-who-must-be-obeyed thinks it's pretty funny. But the engine most certainly drowns out the tires.

That sux dude. So does the "at least it's a dry heat" line work? I would think once you're past 100 degrees, hot is hot!

 

Cool

 

Lol

 

Great, Mac! Just keep the belt nice and tight, and you should be okay.

- Eric

 

That will make your ride a lot more enjoyable. I have to get mine serviced as well. All the components are back on the car. I haven't checked around yet do most shops that work on AC still service these old units or will I have to find someone special!

 

Yes, the dry heat is actually tolerable as long as you aren't in the direct sun (like a convertible with the top down). After sunset 100 feels fine, unlike high humidity and even 85 or so like it was on the Gulf Coast. You can't hide from humidity. Out here it doesn't start to feel hot until 105 and above. 100 degree nights are not bad at all.

 

I couldn't find anyone who would do R12, even if I purchased the gas online.

Yeah, we'll be looking at high 90s here soon with frequent humidity levels in the 80s and 90s as well. It's the "sticky" I can't stand. Especially when trying to relax indoors.