Hi everyone, I'm replacing my a/c compressor and several other a/c parts as needed. This morning I went to change the suction line [ the line between the condenser and the evaporator ] when I came across an inline valve of some kind on the condenser side of the line. I could not remove the portion in the old line. Question... what the heck is this valve? and do I need it at all ? The new suction line does not have anything in the condenser end. Any ideas ????
Peter
87 F350 factory air

 

probably an inline filter often installed when having issues with "Black Death"

 

a picture would help.

 

For those wondering about "Black Death" here is a good write up ====>> https://aircondition.com/tech/questi...is-black-death

 

Maybe something like this ??? https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-f-250-ac.html

yes Pics are helpful

 

Yes, that's the part. Not so much of a filter. More of a restrictor upon disection. I'm going to assume that if I have a fully flushed and cleaned out system, that this part can be deleted. The only part that is not new, is the condenser. I would replace this filter/restrictor but I cant find a part # or description in any Ford diagram.

 

that is the high side line then, not suction



perhaps you can just clean it..... probably just a screen in it and the condenser is where most crud builds up, anyway

 

That's correct. I read the article on black death. Very informative. One of the conclusions was the observation that filters did not work very well. I'm just going to leave it out of the system.
Thanks for your expertise.
Peter

 

Right, small filters are not very effective .... But it never hurts to have a Filter in that Location just in case. it can prevent some damage, most the time the CCOT will catch most the crud before it goes into the evaporator.

since you are not replacing the condenser but you are replacing the compressor <<<=== I assume due to failure then you may not be able to flush all the crud out of the old condenser making the filter a bit more important.

 

I am replacing the compressor because I had a leak at a hose, and once I got into the system, I decided to replace the rest of it because of the age factor. I've owned this truck for 27 years and have maintained it fairly well. Outside of the changeover to R134 about 15 years ago and the occasional addition of freon, the a/c has worked great.
I purposely did not replace the condenser because the new condensers are more likely to clog than the original. In addition, I try like hell not to purchase items made or sourced in china. It's almost never worth money. Even with all of the money this has cost, I'm still way better off than paying over 50 grand for a new truck.
Peter

 

about 8 years ago I had to replace my condenser and it was a real PIA to find a new 2 core single Pass, everyone wanted to sell me a multi-pass even Ford too and I told em No Thanks

I also had to refuse a bunch of compressors because they were too tight.

good quality is sometimes hard to find in US made products today


EDIT: of course everyone says parallel flow is better ....

 

I'm a firm believer in " old is best " Very little that is produced today is anything of quality or value. That's one of the reasons that we all drive old trucks !
Peter

 

When they left the old refrigerants behind (r12&r22ect) they had to completely redesign the size of the system. As the new refrigerants are sorry and require more real estate/volume to achieve the same cooling output as the original refrigerant.

Because of this I do recommend the newer parallel condensers. But if the ac fails it's highly recommend you do change them because they're not as cleanable as the older style series flow. Realistically this isn't that big of a deal though as the dryer will catch pretty much everything and should always be replaced after failure, or flushed if the systems ever open.

I run one from a 97 in my truck. It requires a bit of trimming but bolts in and a different line/evap combo is needed or use an adapter.

I went away from the 134 for the propane/isobutane when I did a recharge two years ago. Not sure if I'd run it again but it does cool better than the 134 ever did and closely mimicked r12 pressures. 134 normally requires higher pressures to work. Something our compressors aren't designed to flow.

In the end it depends on what climate your in. I'm in Texas and we need all the help we can get. Pair that with the fact my door/window seals have seen better days and I don't have a lick of window tint yet I never sweat in the cab.

There's plenty of options out there. Main thing is if in your area if you need them in my opinion.

I'm to the point I'm considering running dual condensers some days 100+degrees of hot humidity

 

I was always pretty happy with the a/c in my truck. Even after the R134 conversion, it worked well. I did notice a minimal loss in cooling ability, but not that big of a deal. Shortly before the hose rupture the output temp at the central vent was 45 degrees, with an outside temperature of 82 degrees. If I can get it back to that, I'll be a happy camper. Of course, the temps in the foothills of Ca. are not as bad as you guys get in Texas.

Peter

 

I'm in South Texas and at the time I did my AC work I was in the Dallas area and I was Real Lucky to find the Dual Core Single pass Condenser.
I have no Idea what semi it is for as it was selected by measurement, there is a few good Truck AC suppliers in the Garland area.

we just had 101F temps and my better half told me the AC was too cold

but still out systems are Orifice Tube Accumulator see my diagram above, .. when compressor spits crap it is normally out the high side in the direction of Flow, while I have seen en spit out both sides.

systems that have expansion Valve Drier will catch the crud in the Drier more so than our Accumulator.... see posted diagram note the different placement of the Items.