Man, I'm dying this summer. seems like the dash holds ton of heat, about makes me pass out , that glass hatch is adding to it. anyone got any neat tricks keeping the interior cool this summer? SC

 

hook your a/c back up!

 

1. Roll Windows down
2. Take sunroof out
3. Point 'sunroof splitter' up
4. Stay above 20mph

Helped me survive 2 years of 100°F Texas summers with no interior or a/c. Also crack your windows about 1-2 inches when you have it parked, helps tremendously to keep the car from baking.

 

Window tint and a windshield cover will make a world of difference. I also leave the sunroof cracked while parked.

 

If attempting to stay away from the tinted look there is a clear product that will help reflect heat while maintaining the stock appearance. Tint makes a big differance

 

I just got to california where it sliek 107 in the sun i have the same problem.. No sun roof either. I bought a front window sunshade and i have old window tint im gonna replace with some 5%. I have all the stock ac componets that worked before i took it out but i threw the bracket away for it *doh* so i gotta get one for ac. also dont keep ur air on recirc just put it on vent cool and when u get going put it to 1. Itll circulate cooler air than whats in the car more than likely.

 

Sunshade, tint, louvers, vent open when parked, windows cracked (no too much; too easy to open the car if you know the tricks!) and a cloth dash topper too.

All my AC lacks is freon. & the will to spend the gawd-awful price for it.

 

^^^agreed! Louvers help tremendously!

 

This is what I do...

 

I lived without air in a black interior in the Alabama heat for 18 years and finally decided never again!!!!!! I did all the tricks listed above untill I finally gave in and spent the money to get the AC going and I refuse to go without..

 

Agreed, AC is expensive, heavy, complicated, a royal-pain-in-the-butt, and totally worth it for a black rx in the deep south. I finally found a hard panel to swap for my sunroof, found some factory louvers, tinted the windows, and now I'm driving a ford taurus because im too pansy to deal with premix, leaky webers, hot start flooding, exhaust drone, no ac,.... And I somehow still call myself a purist, tsk tsk tsk.

 

You can always trade me your black interior for my brown interior. You get a cooler interior and I get the black interior that I want and I don't suffer because I live in Washington where AC isn't a necessity. Everybody wins. lol. JK.

 

Always keep a bottle of cold water with you, that has a more cooling affect thenmost things out there, your only problem is when you not actually moving.... I just roll down the windows and go, although im probably gonna put AC back in.

 

A bit expensive but you could always paint the car white or another light color, much cooler on hot days.

I prefer the lighter colors for my Georgia commuting for that reason.

Plus the light colors highlight the lines and trim of the FB nicely



I have the glass roof on my current DD, the Silver One. I don't feel it's any hotter than the metal roof, but that may be because I like the glass roof better.

If you have a glass sun roof and want to swap it for a good metal roof (red interior) just let me know!

 

Put R134a fittings on there and fill it with cans from Walmart, only cost about $30 in total and so far mine has lasted for years...

I agree with everyone that the A/C system is kinda heavy but well worth it. I wouldn't go without it at this point

 

Isn't it necessary to evac the system and change out the lubricant first? I was of the impression that there's a serious incompatibility between the R12 lubricants and R134a.

 

i did an old mercedes, and i think we ended up with freeze 12, which is cheap and you can buy at any autoparts store.

actually freon isn't that expensive anymore, no car uses it so demand is low

 

I had thought this too, and also thought it was recommended to get a new dryer...

 

change receiver dryer, orifice tube, typically a pag oil and if old seals replaces with the newer blue ones.

Of course don't have to but if you want it to work the best it can, last and not leak that is what is recommended you do



Freeze 12 is a good product but there are things you need to do to use it, it's basically an R134 blend

 

R12 sells for ~$20 a can on e-bay... That's $1.42 an ounce.

 

Hay guyz just stopping by to let you know its 70f and sunny here, although its nice I really prefer 65f and partially cloudy. meh can't have everything perfect I guess

 

great ideas and fun to read. the ac system looks ok aside from not cooling the air. I'll check on the r12 r14 gas. I was under the impression that r12 was history. I'm cheap so I figure super tint the back hatch glass and cover that crackly black dash with some pad or something

Today I drove with the roof off and it made a big difference. I have to work on pulling the roof while I'm at a stop light. Maye its not meant to removed while I drive.. SC

 

Bahahaha lets just say I've gotten MANY a wierd look when opening, lifting and maneuvering a glass sunroof into the car while at a stoplight

I will let you in on a little secret before you go to swapping to R134, R12 has, does and always will cool FAR better than R134 with 2 identical systems, the only reason I would suggest changing is availability. the cheapest possible fix would be to take off all the lines, flush each section out with a/c flush solvent, get a new set of orings and recharge the system...if the compressor isn't shot and the txv still works then you should be set, as always I recommend having a shop do the last part because no one likes to spent $20 on a can of R12 only to find you have a leak somewhere, this way they can run a vacuum on the system and help to verify it's not leaking.

 

Yeah you are supposed to evac the old system and replace the dryer and o rings with new parts, but mine worked for a few years with just a charge of r134a. I later removed the system when doing a T2 swap (it was still working at that point), the parts sat for a few years, and I reinstalled them into another FB (this time with a new dryer and o-rings) and it has been working great for years since...

Really up to you guys how you want to do it, I'm just saying that it is possible to get working air without having a shop work on it... Oh and the cans of R134a you get at walmart etc usually have Pag oil in it, you can also get a small can of just Pag oil and put that in first if you think the system is totally dry...

 

I've used Freeze 12 for years. Keeps the Cosmo cool and brought several RX-7 systems back to life. Just added it to the system in most cases. Not the "right" way to do it, but $60 got me an adapter hose and 6 cans. Let me fill two systems and have extra to add later. I also use it to top off the systems in the 03 Tundra and 5) 02 T100s we used to have for our business. Haven't needed any yet in the 5) Tacomas we "upgraded" to in 07.

FWIW Freeze 12 is being discontinued this year. I have been using the new stuff they are selling, ES-12A. Sounds like it was named with us in mind. You can get a quick charge Kit for $40. I've always ordered it from their website. Never seen it in a parts store around here. I'll have to look.

http://www.autorefrigerants.com/

I also use their ES-22a to top off the central air unit in my house and office.