I just got my sytem going.
Cold,Cold,air flowing.
The compressor wasn't loud at all!!
My brother pulled a vacuum and we left it for about 2hrs,holding 28 on the vacuum.
Charged up with almost 3 cans R134.
According to his gauges, running about 32 on low side and 280 on high.
Works Great!!!.

The compressor,dryer,screen,evap core,and radiator condenser came from O'reillys.

I am going to run it some more tomorrow and double check everything.
If it cools as good as it does now with 100+ temps outside, I am HAPPY.

If everything stays the same as it is now,I'll leave it alone.
If necessary,I might have to add a touch more R134. Trav...

 

I am going to have to add a little more 134a to mine. The air blows cold, but with my black interior, and no tint on the windows its struggling in this 114 degree days. Works wonderfully when it 90 degrees out. It may just be the simple fact that when I get in my truck after work its 150 degrees in there. Any A/C system is going to struggle with that.

 

114 degrees? glad I don't live there, it's 90 here right now and I just spent the last few hours in direct sunlight painting the front of my engine and installing the water pump and carb stuff, and I thought I had it bad at 90 lol.

 

Pulled the master cylinder off of my brake booster earlier today, filled it with fluid, and put the clear tubing on the bleeder fittings. I had some help hold the piping submerged in the reservoir of the master, and pumped the brake pedal nice and slow until she coughed up no more air. Then hooked up the brake lines.

I like bleeding the master cylinder on the truck. Way easier, I think.

Didn't even bleed the lines at the front and rear yet, and the pedal is WAY tight! Or at least, more so than it was before. I've got brakes now. The light on my dash went off too! I'll admit that I was pretty worried that the differential valve was bad. If it was, I'd just eliminate the differential valve and run straight brake lines. Where I'm at right now, my truck still gets a safety inspection until it turns 35 or so. Where I'm moving doesn't care about anything with the vehicle so long as you've got bumpers and lights and can go over 5 mph.

I'm planning on taking pictures of the new one installed and the snap ring on the rear of the old one. The old one has been leaking for a long, long time. That explains why my booster has gone bad. The old master looks HORRIBLE. I had to wipe out the slot that it sat in inside the booster!

The booster isn't "bad" bad. It works, and it doesn't have a major, or a minor leak for that matter, going on at the moment. You can tell it does need replacing though. Still, I've got my power brakes.

No words to describe my elation.

Next task is lifter replacement. It's got new rocker arms and pushrods, but a few lifters make some good noise. Get those replaced and the motor will be QUIET. All I'll hear is the YFA sucking air and the glass-pack going "whoop whoop whoop whoop."

 

I will be satisfied when I get it running, but the hot weather will probably be gone by then. However my perception of "hot" is somewhat flawed now. Previous years hot was 95+ degrees. Now anything below 100 is a relief. On Friday it was 99, but the heat index hit 107.

When i'm ready, instead of trying to charge by high and low side pressures I'm just going to set the R134A cylinder on a digital scale and charge by weight instead of guessing since the pressures vary based on atmospheric pressure and temperature. (Probably even more variables than that)

 

Yup. Its bad around here in the south. Although I will take 114 degrees and relatively low humidity over 90 degrees and a lot of humidity.

 

In the SOUTH?

Man, go down to New Orleans or Louisiana, and anywhere east of that, including Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, western half of Tennessee, and the southern 1/4 of Virginia.

It'll be 100 degrees outside with 90% humidity. All you gotta do is wait and it'll happen.

I'll take the dry heat found on the western half of the country over the wet soggy crap we call summer on the eastern half. Down here we refer to summer as the "easy-bake oven".

Life is cruel! But the trucks are everywhere down here.

 

I love going outside and getting in the car. Forehead will be covered in sweat beads. Body isn't actually hot, just skin reacting to the oppressive moisture in the air.

 

Had that happen to me earlier today. Hated it.

I felt like a glass of ice water.

Lookie, lookie! No more brake light!

 

Since everyone's talking about AC already...

I bled out some of the R134a today from the Cavalier (it had way too much, thanks to the PO I bet). It cools alot better now, but it's like it only gets cool in waves. It'll get super cold in Park or at a stand still, but if I'm on the road or raise the RPM some, it starts getting warm. Occasionally the compressor will cycle on-off-on-off quickly as I drive but it's only every great once in a while.

Current low side readings with normal AC on (not max AC) are 35-45psi. It's driving me crazy.

It's crazy that my mom's Cherokee has double the miles of the Cavalier yet its AC works perfect.

 

We have plenty of humidity in Oklahoma. This yr has been better than most in the past thanks to our drought conditions. Usually we have anywhere from 95%-100% humidity coupled with 103° or 105° temps. I know the gulf states are worse,but,our terrible summers have been recognized in a lot famous songs.

On a typical Summer day here it will rain for about 15 minutes in the morning and then the sun will come out to make a very unpleasant day. Usually its hard to get anything done working outside because you spend have the day wiping sweat out of your eyes while struggling to breathe in the heavy wet air. We are spoiled this summer. Although it is hitting 116° or 119° the humidity has been somewhat low so the sweat isnt running off of you like your in the shower. Using an anti perspirant is pissing in the wind. I just use a deodorant that covers any terrible B.O. because keeping your pits dry is a losing battle. My cousins from CA try to put on their anti perspirant 12 times a day when they are down here and I just chuckle.

 

I wouldn't recommend removing the differential valve. Not only is it a safety device, that is illegal to tamper with, it will in most cases void your automobile insurance if it's removed and you get in an accident.

That and that same valve has most likely saved my life. I had a wheelbearing pack and brake job done at a shop once. They broke the brake line on the caliper.

The differential valve did it's job and told me I had eminent brake failure.

I had only one or two pedal pushes to stop when it lit the brake warning light.

 

Im from KY, so I know all about the humidity. Thats why I said I will take 114 degrees of dry heat over 90 with high humidity. Its still hot no matter what though. We are moving back to KY to raise our kids. Then we are moving north to build a house in the woods someplace where it stays cool or bitter cold. We are cold weather people.

 

Hey, I got an 80 f150 im parting out. Ctubutis is taking the bed and tailgate. If you want anything let me know. I got a frame, and bits here and there. No cab or front clip. I got a good front bumper. straight 300. Im pretty much giving this stuff away to the guys on the forum.

 

I suggest Fairbanks, AK if wanting to stay in the US.

Utsjoki, Finland if happy with Western countries.

Murmansk, Russia if you're attracted to it.