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Heater Box With Air Conditioning


Bruce

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Two questions related to a heater box on a car with Behr AC installed:

 

1. Any write-ups on extra steps required when AC is involved? The FAQ article makes no mention of it and I've only seen posts saying it's harder with AC.

 

2. Are there any differences between a heater box with AC and without? I have access to a non-AC heater box that I was thinking to refurb ahead of time, but there's no point in that route if the boxes are different.

 

Thanks

Bruce

'75 2002 - Fjord

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I think they are the same. I just pullt the ac from my 75, there was no extra plumbing or anything that went to the heater box. There was a single wire I had to plug into to heater in order for the blower to work. When the ac unit is in there, it controls the heater blower.

Ryan

'75 Pastellblau "ol blue"

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The heater box is unchanged, but the Behr unit (unlike the Frigiiking) has the A/C blower wired with the heater blower so they can't be turned on simultaneously.  It's best to have the Behr wiring harness diagram around if you're removing the heater so you don't get the wiring wrong when you reinstall--otherwise the heater blower motor won't work.  (Ask me how I learned that!). 

 

You can remove the heater box without disconnecting the A/C freon lines if the installer left slack in the freon lines...you'll need to loosen the clamps that hold the lines in the engine compartment so you can slide the A/C console (stripped of its outer covers) towards the car's back, and off to one side.  Then you can get the heater box out into the passenger footwell. 

 

If you can't find the archive article, drop me an e-mail and I'll send you a column I wrote on removing a heater box from around a Behr A/C unit.

 

cheers\

mike

'69 Nevada sunroof-Wolfgang-bought new
'73 Sahara sunroof-Ludwig-since '78
'91 Brillantrot 318is sunroof-Georg Friederich 
Fiat Topolini (Benito & Luigi), Renault 4CVs (Anatole, Lucky Pierre, Brigette) & Kermit, the Bugeye Sprite

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I think the Behr heater boxes were all the same in the '02 series (except for the motor design and number of speeds (2 vs. 3).

 

As Mike mentioned, if the installer (dealership most likely) left enough slack in the (2) hoses, then you should be able to slide the A/C unit over into the passenger footwell for access to the heater box.

 

Simplified instructions

Disconnect battery

Remove console side panels

Remove console front panel (radio stays with the panel) and place in the driver's (left) footwell.

Be careful of the brass capillary tube that sticks into the front of the housing.

Disconnect the condensate drain from the bottom of the condenser to the tunnel

Disconnect fan/blower power (if separating the front facia)

Move fan/condenser assembly into pass. footwell.

 

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Jim Gerock

 

Riviera 69 2002 built 5/30/69 "Oscar"

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On 5/30/2013 at 11:22 PM, Bruce said:

 

2. Are there any differences between a heater box with AC and without?

 

Saying it a different way, all heaters were installed at the factory. No A/C's were installed at the factory. Installing A/C, which was done by a dealer, a mechanic, or an individual, did not entail changing the heater. As Mike has said, the Behr A/C system was the only one of the popular three systems -- Behr, Frigiking, and Clardy -- that even contemplated an interface with the heater controls. (In Frigiking and Clardy systems, you could run the heater and A/C full blast simultaneously! On cold days, I used to use the Clardy fan -- temperature control turned all the way down -- to distribute hot air issuing from the heater, with far greater effectiveness than was possible with the factory heater fan alone.)

 

Steve

Edited by Conserv

1976 2002 Polaris, 2742541 (original owner)

1973 2002tii Inka, 2762757 (not-the-original owner)

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  • 1 month later...
  • 5 years later...

There are three main types that were installed when the cars were contemporary - Behr, Clardy and Fridgiking. Behr seems to be the most desirable but it is all a bit subjective. 

 

Condition seems to be the main driver behind price as you can imagine with the plastic faceplates and dash parts becoming brittle with age. The evaporator matrix needs to be pressure tested and checked for leaks. It seems the common prescription these days is to keep the evaporator and replace all of the other equipment (condenser, compressor etc) with modern equipment for best performance. Don’t get too excited about buying a full kit of original parts as you may end up throwing away a bunch of stuff. 

 

Pot luck what what you can find, it could be $100 to $300 for the evaporator depending upon condition and manufacturer. 

 

Post a Want to Buy elsewhere on this board and I think ICE AIR make a modern copy of the Clardy (I think) plus there are another couple of arrangements using new parts but they are of differing quality of integration with the car. 

 

http://iceautoair.com/bmw1.html

 

 

 

 

rtheriaque wrote:

Carbs: They're necessary and barely controlled fuel leaks that sometimes match the air passing through them.

My build blog:http://www.bmw2002faq.com/blog/163-simeons-blog/

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On 11/7/2018 at 1:39 AM, OwenStew02 said:

Just the original A/C unit for the 2002 like this one. How much do they go for.63A94938-4201-4A5F-AA13-DBE7F9EF3316.thumb.jpeg.cde31077e47c098032f657de49474af6.jpegED304EAD-D043-4CDE-A2DF-B5A5556646A9.thumb.jpeg.6b5a19e4ae5d6729e86cf7a110c3755e.jpeg

 

The particular unit you’ve shown is a Clardy evaporator/blower. Perhaps because the Clardy, introduced in 1975, was the last of the of the “Big Three” systems developed, it has, arguably, a bit more air volume than either the Frigiking, introduced 1970 or earlier, or the Behr, introduced 1972. But it doesn’t have the Behr’s “factory built-in” appearance. I put a Clardy in my ‘76 in 1976 (below) and it’s still going strong — after a refresh — but I really like the looks of the Behr. Forum member Ray, on the other hand, sings songs of love to his refreshed Frigiking, which allegedly enables his ‘02 to serve as a meat locker! ??

 

I agree with Simeon’s price range generally, but I have seen people (generally new or desperate ‘02 owners) paying $500 or more for units that have excellent and complete console fascia panels, wiring, and controls with them. Optimally, an evaporator/blower comes with everything you need inside the car. But that is increasingly rare. Expect to “dig around” a bit to assemble the complete package.

 

New units, such as the I.C.E. air, are much more expensive — but they are complete and are not brittle 45-year-old plastic.

 

Buy and read Rob Siegel’s excellent new book on fitting A/C before you do anything.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

89492759-A66C-437A-BBD6-179D08F50043.jpeg

B034551D-6E32-4F55-9C23-9E4ED86598D3.jpeg

Edited by Conserv
  • Haha 1

1976 2002 Polaris, 2742541 (original owner)

1973 2002tii Inka, 2762757 (not-the-original owner)

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1 hour ago, Conserv said:

 

This particular unit is a Clardy evaporator/blower. Perhaps because the Clardy, introduced in 1975, was the last of the of the “Big Three” systems developed, it has, arguably, a bit more air volume than either the Frigiking, introduced 1970 or earlier, or the Behr, introduced 1972. But it doesn’t have the Behr’s “factory built-in” appearance. I put a Clardy in my ‘76 in 1976 (below) and it’s still going strong — after a refresh — but I really like the looks of the Behr. Forum member Ray, on the other hand, sings songs of love to his refreshed Frigiking, which allegedly enables his ‘02 to serve as a meat locker! ??

 

I agree with Simeon’s price range generally, but I have seen people (generally new or desperate ‘02 owners) paying $500 or more for units, or for units that have excellent and complete console fascia panels, wiring, and controls with them. Optimally, an evaporator/blower comes with everything you need inside the car. But that is increasingly rare. Expect to “dig around” a bit to assemble the complete package.

 

New units, such as the I.C.E. air, are much more expensive — but they are complete and are not brittle 45-year-old plastic.

 

Buy and read Rob Siegel’s excellent new book on fitting A/C before you do anything.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

89492759-A66C-437A-BBD6-179D08F50043.jpeg

B034551D-6E32-4F55-9C23-9E4ED86598D3.jpeg

Thank you so much! Have a great day.

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There are early and late heater boxes, but there aren't non-a/c and a/c heater boxes.

 

On cars with dealer-installed Behr a/c, there is a relay that makes it so that, when you turn on the a/c, the heater blower motor is shut off (that is, you can use one or the other but not both at the same time), but if you're installing a/c from scratch, you don't need to do it that way.

 

The center console you show is a from a Clardy system like Conserv (Steve) shows photos of. Both it and the Clary evaporator assembly are rarer than hen's teeth. I had an eBay search set up for five years and never found one. So it's not a question of what they go for; it's a question of finding one that someone wants to sell. The Behr and Frigiking consoles and evaporator assemblies are much more plentiful and much easier to find.

 

I agree with Simeon's and Steve's comments.

 

You can try talking with Bob Poggie at IceAutoAir.com. He does sell a new full 2002 a/c system. It's expensive, about $1850. There's very little information on his website about it. I spoke with him about a year ago when I was writing my book about the a la carte availability of just the bracket or just the evaporator assembly and console. He seemed to indicate that that was a possibility, but they're certainly not click-and-buy.

 

--Rob

 

 

The new book The Best Of The Hack Mechanic available at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0998950742, inscribed copies of all books available at www.robsiegel.com

1972 tii (Louie), 1973 2002 (Hampton), 1975 ti tribute (Bertha), 1972 Bavaria, 1973 3.0CSi, 1979 Euro 635CSi, 1999 Z3, 1999 M Coupe, 2003 530i sport, 1974 Lotus Europa Twin Cam Special (I know, I know...)

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