Thread: Re-installing A/C in a B14 SE-R. Pics & a couple install notes/tips

Four hour job today to remove all A/C components (compressor, condenser, lines, drier, etc.) etc from my rusting 97 SE-R, evacuate the system, re-install into my 98 SE-R and recharge. Of course the 98 SE-R came with A/C originally but the previous owner removed it.

Costs:

-A/C O-ring seals kit: $11.99
-A/C pro re-charge kit with re-usable gauge: $28.99
-Belt conditioner: $4.00
Total: $44.98

Reasoning: Simply can't deal with another summer in a black vehicle without A/C!! Last summer I'd literally have to bring a change of clothes with me because I'd arrive at my destination drenched in sweat. These summers have been getting hotter and hotter even up here in the North-East and I decided I'd get this over with now in May before the REAL hot weather starts creeping in. I had never worked on any A/C components before but it was really a matter of plug and play, and a bit of customization. On a difficulty scale where 1 is changing the oil and 10 an engine swap, I'd put this at about a 4, but many thanks to all the info on here and @SE-RMonkey 's tips he texted me throughout the day (he has done similar work on his former P10).

So here are some pics and some information about doing this, for any of you who are thinking of putting A/C back in your car. This was a bit different for me as I owned the car with all the parts I needed, but I *did* calculate the prices of these individual parts at various local pull yards and the totals came anywhere from $100-$200 depending on core return charges. Plus, I knew the A/C in the 97 SE-R worked well. It's always a bit of a gamble purchasing a compressor from a junk yard.
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How my day started. 97 SE-R donor on left, 98 SE-R right.
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O-ring seal kit. $11.99 at Autozone, they had it behind the counter just had to ask.
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The 97 SE-R donor car, A/C hot & cold lines still in good shape! The car itself runs very well at 209k miles.... just has cancer in the usual bad spots. It's a damn shame. I ran the A/C when I first picked it up last fall and it was cold and strong, I hadn't touched it since.
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First note: there's no way really of getting around it: you need to remove the radiator and the fans. Had I known I would have pre-ordered a Mishimoto rad from Greg or something in advance (doh). The nut at the end of the the cold line at the firewall is enormous, way over 24mm (my largest open ended wrench) so I just used a big adjustable one. There are two or three 10mm nuts on a bracket that's attached to the power steering fluid reservoir and they need to be removed. The power steering reservoir can stay put and doesn't need to be removed thankfully. Also a few plastic clips that hold the lines together (be careful they break easily).
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Here are the hot and cold lines removed. I inspected them thoroughly and they were in good shape. I may pick up some heat wrapping from Autozone in the future just for added insurance. (Speaking of that, anyone ever use that stuff and if so, results)? Pressure was relieved, long story short, lines cleared and evacuated etc. etc.
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The drier/receiver (people seem to call it different things) removed. If I had to do it all again, I would have just purchased a brand new one from Autozone HERE for $18.99. Due to rust, this was a real pain in the ass to remove and I ended up breaking a bolt. Ahh well. Topped it off with some liquid steel. If I have to I'll go get a new one. So again my advice is just get a new one if you're pulling these parts from a pull-yard or whatever. Oh and yep I quick spray painted it black because it looked like crap.
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The condenser removed. Not bad for 209k miles!! A brand new condenser goes for $138.99 at Autozone (surely for less on Rock Auto) - although I use Autozone prices as ball park range prices on things. But I wanted to test my luck with this condenser, and it came out easily.
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New seal on (greenish color, OEM Nissan ones are black) I could only find 5 of them total to replace. Has anyone done this and found more than 5? I looked for quite a while thinking there would be more but nope. The old seals actually looked pretty good, but again it's only $12 for the kit and you might as well do it since everything will be apart anyway.
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And the big enchilada, the compressor removed and it's mounting bracket. Luckily you don't have to remove the alternator to do this and the pulley remains attached. That was a big PHEW for me. For some reason I was pretty sure I'd have to remove the alternator to access it. Between the compressor and the bracket I wouldn't be surprised if they weigh a combined 20lbs. Quite heavy. I carefully cleaned the compressor up and doused the bracket in degreaser, then also sprayed it black w/ an anti-rust paint. You need some pretty long extensions to get at these all are like 12 and 14mm bolts IIRC. Get some long open ended wrenches of that size help too. Have your PB Blaster or WD-40 handy as there's a lot of rusty-ish bolts down that low on the car. Just for the heck of it, I looked up the prices of some new compressors and they're $275-$350 on average. You're much better off in my opinion going to a pull yard and grabbing one for $40-$50. Luckily I *believe* the GA16DE motor uses the same compressor as the SR20DE so you should have no problem finding one at the pull yard if you wish.
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Removed radiator, grille, and fans on the 98. You don't need to remove the hood latching mechanism. (Nice)
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Condenser & compressor re-installed on the 98! All went very smooth, simply plug and play. Don't put the belt on the compressor until you get some oil back in.
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The lines re-installed on the 98. I suggest installing the larger line first or you may have fitment problems. When I was re-installing, I put in the small line first and couldn't get the large one to fit correctly until I removed them both and started over. Just FYI. Also make sure you get the A/C belt from the donor car (or new one) nice and snug.

So I had everything put back together and started the car up. I had this ready to go:
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Yeah, I know people will say you need to go to a real shop to have the A/C re-charged, but I've had great success with these in the past. I owned a 2004 Kia Sorento that one day in the middle of July started blowing warm air with the A/C. I used this stuff and it lasted me for 2 years until I eventually sold the car. I suggest getting one of the recharge kits with the gauge as you can remove it and use it again again. Basically all you do is open the service port cap (the one near the firewall at least on our cars) - and with the motor running and A/C on full blast, spray the stuff in. There is a dial on the gauge where you're supposed to set the current ambient temperature and thus keep spraying the stuff in until you hit the desired range.

Sooo.. I started working this morning at 9AM and finished at about 1PM, although I did take a bunch of breaks.
It's 80 degrees here today.... and I made this post from my laptop INSIDE the car running with the A/C on settings 2 and 3. I just drove around for 20 minutes as well, ICE COLD. It was a good day today.

My compressor is dying out on mine! Gotta get a new 1

Hope it stays cold for you. And just to clarify, I "almost" did the AC work on the P10. Had everything ready to go, then the exhaust shit the bed and I gave up.

Thanks guys! Drove about 50 miles today and blowing ice cold. So nice

@nissansr20nx - can you tell me the symptoms of the compressor going bad? Just so I know what to look for. I know the general things, but interested to know what you specifically experienced

How did you fill the system with r134 without putting a vacuum in it first?

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

No idea, but it works, for now at least. Blows ice cold.. will see how long it lasts.

That's a dam good question. I was gonna ask the same.

Chip

Be careful. As the ambient temperature rises, so too will the headpressure and the non-condensables (the air) trapped in the system will show their ugly faces.

Chip

I don't think you'll enjoy the long term results of your reinstall...

A/C on our cars is pretty easy to work on and it's pretty reliable too. I think most of us who taught ourselves A/C started off where you are today, so here's the quick version of what i've learned over the years. Hopefully it'll help and inspire you to learn more.

Air has moisture in it. The reason to draw a vacuum is to boil off and extract that moisture along with the air. Once the vacuum has evactuated the closed system, the vacuum can be filled with coolant. The drier shouldn't be reused. It isn't designed to absorb much moisture, and once left open to the atmosphere, it's absorbs all it can from the air. Moisture in an A/C system promotes rust, that rust can scale off and destroy the expensive bits of the system like the compressor, and fully or partially block the lines causing all sorts of pressure inconsistencies. A/C systems most finique bit is getting the pressures right. Check the FSM for the correct pressures, but our systems are pretty forgiving.

For a working A/C system... since the A/C system is a closed system, the only reason to be low on coolant is a leak. Top off canisters are a temporary solution to a permanent problem that'll just reoccur. The trick is finding the leak... which is often slow and in a difficult to spot location. A/C dye can help, but only if it's in a visible spot. A/C electronic coolant sniffers can also help narrow it down.

The main tools can often be rented with a deposit from autoparts stores (vacuum pump and manifold gauge set), but the dye, u/v light, yellow glasses, sniffer, recharge bottle tap, and scale (if used) will probably have to be purchased.