ASK RAY
HOT T-BIRD, COOL A/C
Q: I have a 1987 Ford Thunderbird with the turbo 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. Last summer, the performance of its air conditioning progressively diminished. It was never converted to R134A. At the end of the season, I had the O-rings on the condenser, compressor, evaporator, and drier replaced. I also replaced the Schrader valve cores.
I pulled vacuum on the system and it held at 30 inches of mercury (inHg) for over 40 minutes. There’s a shop that can refill the car with R-12, however, I am waiting for the spring to do the recharge.
The compressor is a radial (pancake) design. I am at the crossroads as to whether I should convert to R134A (presuming a rotary compressor can be retrofitted) or to recheck the system in the spring and recharge with R-12. I am aware of the moral issues of using R-12, but R134A is no environmental angel either.
My goal is to keep the car in its original condition and I would prefer to avoid an exuberantly expensive conversion. I would hope to find a shop that can do professional comprehensive automotive A/C service on older cars. Thank you.
John D. Via email
A: If it were my car and I had access to R-12, I would keep it all-original and as-designed. It is a
