1984 El Camino A/C restore questions

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bazthespazz

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Nov 17, 2012
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Oregon
I recently inherited a stock '84 El Camino with the 305 V8 and automatic transmission and would like to get the A/C unit up and running now that summer is here. Can anybody tell me where the pressure switch is located on the 84's so I can jumper it to make sure the compressor is OK before I put any more money into it? Also, any suggestions on things I should be looking for in the process of trying to get it going would be greatly appreciated. Mechanically it's in great shape, 105,000 miles and runs strong. My father-in-law got too old to drive so now it's mine. It's sat for the past few years so it needs a little TLC. Thanks in advance!
 
If I'm not mistaken the low pressure switch should be on the accumulator. I did an engine compartment restoration on an 84 Cutlass back in the mid 90's. The car ended up being took apart for about a year. When I got it back together, the A/C didn't work and it had worked fine when I pulled the engine (I left the compressor connected to the hoses to keep the system in tact). I jumped across the low side connector and the compressor ran and the low side immediately got cold. I pulled the jumper wire, plugged the connector back into the switch and the A/C worked fine. The low pressure switch was apparently hung up. Maybe that is your problem.

You may want to put some gauges on that thing before you hot wire the compressor to see if it has any charge. Visual inspection, look at the condition of the hose assembly, particularly the rubber. Look at all the connections for oiliness as an oily connection betrays a leak. Also look at the front of the compressor for an oily mess as that could indicate a leak at the front seal. If everything looks good, it has refrigerant and it won't run, then suspect the low pressure switch. Hotwire it and see what happens.

If you get into the system, I would pull it apart at the orifice tube and look for trash in the screen. It that looks good, go back with a new orifice tube and a new accumulator, pull a vacuum on it and see if it holds. If it does, you should be good to go. Oh, one other thing. If the connections are real oily, the system may need some oil put in it. You can do that without opening the system with a can of oil charge (oil in a pressurized can with a little refrigerant). Is it still R12 or has it been retrofitted to R134A? If it has been retrofitted you might want to upgrade the condenser to a parallel flow unit, which will improve the system performance at low RPM (idling) and low speed. If I forgot anything post more questions. I'm happy to help (or at least try to help).
 
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Well I found the pressure switch and jumped it and the compressor turned right over so I'm assuming I just need to recharge the system. Do I do that with the engine running and the A/C on high?
 
I recommend putting a gauge set on it to see where the system pressure is at. If its low, there is a leak somewhere that should be repaired. If its flat, then the system needs evacuated. I don't intend to sound condescending at all so please don't take this the wrong way. If you have to ask whether the system needs to be running to charge it, you probably should get some help with this. There's more to A/C work than just hooking up a can and shooting refrigerant into the system. Especially if you want good performance from the system and want the repair to last.
 
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