1963 A/C won't take charge | Ford Thunderbird club group 1955-2005 T-Bird models

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1963 A/C won't take charge

  • Thread starter Thread starter Carnutjim
  • Start date Start date
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Carnutjim

Bronze Member
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Thunderbird Year
1963
I can't get the air conditioning on my '63 to take a charge. I have replaced the compressor, dryer, and expansion valve. However, when trying to charge it, little freon will go in. Both high and low pressure gauges
read the same.-A bout 70psi which is about the static pressure of freon. Has anyone else had this problem? What is the solution?

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Carnutjim said:
I can't get the air conditioning on my '63 to take a charge. I have replaced the compressor, dryer, and expansion valve. However, when trying to charge it, little freon will go in. Both high and low pressure gauges
read the same.-A bout 70psi which is about the static pressure of freon. Has anyone else had this problem? What is the solution?
Click to expand...
Have you pulled down the system with a vacuum pump? Do you have the original square style compressor? Are you familiar with how you need to turn the valves to mid position for some operations?
 
Tom Alpers said:
Have you pulled down the system with a vacuum pump? Do you have the original square style compressor? Are you familiar with how you need to turn the valves to mid position for some operations?
Click to expand...
Yes, Yes, and Yes. I even removed the in-line check valve in case it was stuck shut. I recently disconnected the hoses on the A/C in order to remove the engine for a rebuild. The hoses were capped
to avoid contamination, but when re-connected, it would not take a charge. That is still my problem. Thanks for your response to my posting Tom. You did bring up some valid points. I do appreciate it.
 
74 Harley said:
Does the compressor start running at all?
Click to expand...
Yes, the compressor runs, and I replaced it with a new one which also runs well. I tried again yesterday, and I believe the compressor is producing vacuum because the low side gauge read
10 psi, but the freon would not go in. Thanks for your response.
 
It's been a very long time since I have worked on an old a/c system, so if the compressor starts running is it producing cold air inside? It sounds like you really do know what you are doing, and the situation seems odd to me too. How much is going in? Which refrigerant are you using?
 
74 Harley said:
It's been a very long time since I have worked on an old a/c system, so if the compressor starts running is it producing cold air inside? It sounds like you really do know what you are doing, and the situation seems odd to me too. How much is going in? Which refrigerant are you using?
Click to expand...
If I really knew what I was doing, I probably would have it figured it out by now. I pulled this unit from a parts car and installed it in my convertible. It worked great for several years. After I changed it
over to R134A it still worked fine. The compressor runs, but it will not produce cold air inside because even after doing a vacuum on the system, it won't take one 12 ounce can of freon. Normally it
takes a second can before it begins to produce cold air. Oh well, with winter coming on, I won't need the A/C. Thanks for your response!
 
have you tried bleeding the system? it sounds like you have a flow blockage, maybe one of the lines collapsed on the inside, like the old 2 wall exhaust pipes used to do?
 
Ok, I have a dumb idea, pull the lines off of the condenser and try to blow it out, same for the radiator in the firewall. Somewhere there's a blockage of see ome sort, and air is cheaper than Freon.
 
I had a car (modern) where the desiccant sack in the receiver-dryer ruptured and clogged things up pretty good. The suggestion of pulling lines off and seeing if you can blow air thru them is a good one.
 
I appreciate all the good suggestions. One of the first things that I did was to replace the receiver-dryer. That didn't help. I did think about blowing air through the lines, but didn't
figure that much air could get through the expansion valve. However, it is a suggestion that I will try within the next couple of days. It's worth a try!
 
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