tmikey
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- June 3, 2015
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- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1995 Ford Aerostar AWD
Hey folks, just wanted to take a minute and share some info on how to bypass the rear air on an Aerostar without the concerns of capping off the rear lines under the van. I bought a 95 AWD a couple of months ago that had a major a/c system leak, and after exhaustive searching narrowed it down to the rear part of the system. I didn't want to spend a fortune on repairing it, (the rear air and heat), so started looking for ways to bypass it, since I hardly ever use it anyway (this is my 7th Aerostar) as it is a work van.
I decided that instead of capping the rear lines, I would simply re-configure the system to be front-only by replacing the accumulator/drier with a 4 seasons #33061 and finding a replacement liquid line hose to run from the condenser to the front evaporator coil. In my case, a Motorcraft YF2211 turned out to be a perfect fit. Huge thanks to BrooklynBay for the thread on replacing the accumulator/drier, by the way!
Several suggestions/notes on the procedure:
1. Be sure to change your orifice tube while you have the liquid line disconnected from the lower port on the front evaporator coil. New ones are about 2 bucks, and it will save you grief down the road.
2. Make sure to replace ALL o-rings that you are able to in the process and lightly oil them up with PAG oil prior to re-assembly.
3. Attach the hold down straps on the new accumulator LOOSELY until you get it connected to the upper port on the front evaporator coil, then tighten it up once in place. Fortunately, I was able to peel the rubber foam insulation off my old accumulator and wrap it around the new one so the straps were nice and snug.
4. The liquid line hose that I used is specific to 134a systems. If you have an earlier year that came with r-12, you will need to find a different hose (and possibly a different accumulator) but the key steps to the process should be the same.
So the step-by-step is this:
Follow BrooklynBay's thread for the removal of the accumulator.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=315990
The critical difference that you will see between BrooklynBay's accumulator and yours (with rear air) is that there are TWO ports and hoses coming out of the front of yours. One hose comes from the compressor - the other comes from the rear evaporator coil.
Once you have the old one out, disconnect the liquid line hose from the lower port of the front evaporator coil and from the lower port of the condenser, using the appropriate size spring release tool. Using needle nose pliers, pull the old orifice tube out of the evap coil port, paying attention to it's directional orientation. Oil up and insert new one, making sure you push it in until it seats properly. Using a pvc pipe cutter, reach under the blower motor housing and cut the old rear line hose that you just disconnected from the front evap coil off just behind the "T" junction. This is just to get the old hose out of your way for installation of the new one. I threaded a bolt into mine just to seal it up, although this is really not necessary. Also do this for the rear line that was connected to the old accumulator, as you will not need this anymore either.
Now attach the new liquid line (YF2211) to the lower port of the front evap coil and the condenser (lower port), making sure that they are firmly seated and that the spring lock clicks into place. At this point, return to BrooklyBay's accumulator thread and install the new accumulator accordingly, although this time you will only have the single line from the compressor to attach to the front port on the accumulator, since you have eliminated the line from the rear system. NOTE: Not a bad idea to replace the low pressure cycling switch at this point as well. It's relatively inexpensive and can be a problem down the road.
That's all there is to it! Obviously now re-assemble everything else, pull a vacuum to make sure nothing is leaking (or have a shop do it for you) and recharge.
I decided that instead of capping the rear lines, I would simply re-configure the system to be front-only by replacing the accumulator/drier with a 4 seasons #33061 and finding a replacement liquid line hose to run from the condenser to the front evaporator coil. In my case, a Motorcraft YF2211 turned out to be a perfect fit. Huge thanks to BrooklynBay for the thread on replacing the accumulator/drier, by the way!
Several suggestions/notes on the procedure:
1. Be sure to change your orifice tube while you have the liquid line disconnected from the lower port on the front evaporator coil. New ones are about 2 bucks, and it will save you grief down the road.
2. Make sure to replace ALL o-rings that you are able to in the process and lightly oil them up with PAG oil prior to re-assembly.
3. Attach the hold down straps on the new accumulator LOOSELY until you get it connected to the upper port on the front evaporator coil, then tighten it up once in place. Fortunately, I was able to peel the rubber foam insulation off my old accumulator and wrap it around the new one so the straps were nice and snug.
4. The liquid line hose that I used is specific to 134a systems. If you have an earlier year that came with r-12, you will need to find a different hose (and possibly a different accumulator) but the key steps to the process should be the same.
So the step-by-step is this:
Follow BrooklynBay's thread for the removal of the accumulator.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=315990
The critical difference that you will see between BrooklynBay's accumulator and yours (with rear air) is that there are TWO ports and hoses coming out of the front of yours. One hose comes from the compressor - the other comes from the rear evaporator coil.
Once you have the old one out, disconnect the liquid line hose from the lower port of the front evaporator coil and from the lower port of the condenser, using the appropriate size spring release tool. Using needle nose pliers, pull the old orifice tube out of the evap coil port, paying attention to it's directional orientation. Oil up and insert new one, making sure you push it in until it seats properly. Using a pvc pipe cutter, reach under the blower motor housing and cut the old rear line hose that you just disconnected from the front evap coil off just behind the "T" junction. This is just to get the old hose out of your way for installation of the new one. I threaded a bolt into mine just to seal it up, although this is really not necessary. Also do this for the rear line that was connected to the old accumulator, as you will not need this anymore either.
Now attach the new liquid line (YF2211) to the lower port of the front evap coil and the condenser (lower port), making sure that they are firmly seated and that the spring lock clicks into place. At this point, return to BrooklyBay's accumulator thread and install the new accumulator accordingly, although this time you will only have the single line from the compressor to attach to the front port on the accumulator, since you have eliminated the line from the rear system. NOTE: Not a bad idea to replace the low pressure cycling switch at this point as well. It's relatively inexpensive and can be a problem down the road.
That's all there is to it! Obviously now re-assemble everything else, pull a vacuum to make sure nothing is leaking (or have a shop do it for you) and recharge.
Did you take any pictures to add to this thread? A side by side comparison of both accumulators would be a good way to start. Did you use a variable orifice tube or a regular one?
