body and interior Behr Air Conditioning Unit ?⚠️?

[1976inka]

My 1976 2002 was equipped (at the dealer?) with a Behr A/C unit.  It seems to have it's own vents that run independent of the blower fan for defrost, etc.

 

I'm in the middle of a long going rehabilitation from barn-find status, and had the regular blower and other electronics working well.  When I turned on the A/C for the first time, it blew some smoke at me (seemed to come from the twist knob that turns the unit on/off).

 

Is there a resource for troubleshooting these?  It did not appear to blow any of the fuses in the panel under the hood.

[gastephens]

Search and search some more. You can find the wiring diagrams and other info you will need posted somewhere on the FAQ or internet in general. I ended up replacing both the temperature and fan controller with units from nostalgic ac. I did have to add a ballast resistor to the temperature controller to get it to operate in the optimal range. http://nostalgicac.com/ I replaced the York compressor with a Sanden with hobiedave bracket (again, search is your friend). I also replaced the dryer, condenser, and lines when I converted to R134. If your system is currently inop then go straight to R134 using only the squirrel-cage fan and evaporator from your Behr console (assuming they are ok).

 

FWIW, it is a big learning curve and lots of work but it is totally worth it. AC makes a car that you can use every day in hot weather and rain.

Edited June 2, 2016 by gastephens

[kaptanoglu]

A FAQ search will likely yield a much more complete answer, but I will give you my .02:

• The A/C system was installed at the dealer, because, at the time, zee Germans didn't really believe us when we said it really got hot here in the summer
• Modern A/C compressors (the thing that looks like an alternator under the hood) are much more efficient than what is likely on your car, and most folks replace it with a Sanden unit (search the FAQ for that, as you will also need a custom bracket)
• There are two control switches inside (on Sputter, at least) - The one on the left is the temperature control (warm to cold), and the one on the right is fan speed (low to high).  My understanding is that in almost all cases, the one on the left doesn't work (and Sputter's doesn't), and the fan speed options are "high" and "off".  If one of those is smoking, then "high" may not work either.
• What we did with Sputter:
  • New Sanden compressor
  • New condenser (the radiator thingie below or in front of the radiator)
  • New condenser fan (in front of the condenser)
  • New accumulator (about the size of a beer can near the P/S headlight
  • Old evaporator/fan box (under the dash)
  • Old controls

I would not have much optimism regarding a "barn find" A/C, particularly since they were marginal when new.

 

I hope that helps.

 

J

Edited June 2, 2016 by kaptanoglu

[kaptanoglu]

4 minutes ago, gastephens said:

... I ended up replacing both the temperature and fan controller with units from nostalgic ac. I did have to add a ballast resistor to the temperature controller to get it to operate in the optimal range. http://nostalgicac.com/ 

 

NICE TIP!  I am going shopping now, as I have HIGH/VERY COLD and OFF.  I understood that the controllers were NLA, but it looks like you cracked the code.

[gastephens]

I think this is the thermostat that I used. The capillary is too long so you just make a loop under the blower and then route it into the evaporator.

http://nostalgicac.com/controls-motors/ac-thermostats/rotary-thermostat-18-inch-capillary-probe.html

[ray_]

Sanden, btw, to help with searches :-)

 

Also as you will find, squeezing in the largest parallel flow condenser you can fit is a really good idea.

 

Cheers,

[kaptanoglu]

1 minute ago, ray_ said:

Sanden, btw, to help with searches :-)

 

gastephens post got me to check my spelling, and I have since corrected it  ;-)

[ray_]

2 minutes ago, kaptanoglu said:

 

gastephens post got me to check my spelling, and I have since corrected it  ;-)

 

 

Well now I have to edit my post! Thanks a lot!

 

BTW we missed you and your wife at Mid-Am.

 

Cheers,

[gastephens]

Interesting story about the AC installations. I drove my BMW to a vintage race at Road Atlanta. At the time my AC system was stock with a working York compressor. A guy came over and wanted to see it. He was one of three installers at the port of Jacksonville FL in the mid 70s. They worked at the shipyard parking lot in 90+ degree heat. They had rolling carts of parts they would haul from one car to another installing AC systems before they were shipped to the US East coast dealers. He said there was a good chance he had installed my system because it was a Florida car and the firewall holes were cut in his preferred location!

[kaptanoglu]

7 minutes ago, ray_ said:

BTW we missed you and your wife at Mid-Am.

 

(threadjack warning)

 

Thanks.  We missed seeing you and everyone up there as well.  Work intervened this time around, but we will be back next year (hopefully with better functioning control knobs)

[1976inka]

Uh you guys are superheroes.  An hour later and I've got all the keywords/resources necessary to get started-

 

Thank you!

[gastephens]

Search and search some more. You can find the wiring diagrams and other info you will need posted somewhere on the FAQ or internet in general. I ended up replacing both the temperature and fan controller with units from nostalgic ac. I did have to add a ballast resistor to the temperature controller to get it to operate in the optimal range. http://nostalgicac.com/ I replaced the York compressor with a Sanden with hobiedave bracket (again, search is your friend). I also replaced the dryer, condenser, and lines when I converted to R134. If your system is currently inop then go straight to R134 using only the squirrel-cage fan and evaporator from your Behr console (assuming they are ok).

 

FWIW, it is a big learning curve and lots of work but it is totally worth it. AC makes a car that you can use every day in hot weather and rain.

Updated: I installed the ballast resistor to adjust the fan speed. Temperature controller works without modification.

Sent from my XT1097 using Tapatalk

[John_in_VA]

The original Behr A/C documents were available at the tii register site, but it appears that site is being worked on or has been poached by a FL real estate interest.

[Conserv]

12 hours ago, gastephens said:

Interesting story about the AC installations. I drove my BMW to a vintage race at Road Atlanta. At the time my AC system was stock with a working York compressor. A guy came over and wanted to see it. He was one of three installers at the port of Jacksonville FL in the mid 70s. They worked at the shipyard parking lot in 90+ degree heat. They had rolling carts of parts they would haul from one car to another installing AC systems before they were shipped to the US East coast dealers. He said there was a good chance he had installed my system because it was a Florida car and the firewall holes were cut in his preferred location!

 

The fellow that founded I.C.E. AC out of San Diego had a similar background, installing Clardy A/C's for dealers at one of the Ports of Entry in '75-'76 -- it might have been a West Coast P.O.E.  Dealers got economies of scale by having these P.O.E. A/C teams install A/C's on their behalf, while the cars were waiting to be trucked to the dealer.  A/C installation was supposed to be a 10-hour job, but these teams could do a system in 3-4 hours!  So when the I.C.E. AC guy decided to produce an '02 A/C system in the early 2000's, guess which system he duped?  Yes, the I.C.E. AC system looks just like a Clardy system but with a Sanden compressor and a different condenser (not parallel-flow, however).

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

[Emyers]

Later Clardy's came with the rotary (Swash plate) compressor.  The one I installed in 1977 had one.