19 replies to this topic

[dragonwingsubaru]

those of you with ea82's that have removed your ac compressor, are you guys just running 1 belt to cover the ps,alt,and waterpump or are you running a 2nd shorter 1 in the place of the 1 that was taking off when the compressor was taken off???
just trying to figure out if i should run 1 or 2

[jrwood]

i know its not on topic with your post but i was thinking about removing my AC compressor until i found out i could convert it to an AIR compressor....just some food for thought...thats what im going to do with it anyways

[85Sub4WD]

I still run my AC - but there is a factory belt system which does not have the A/C, but does have the PS - it uses two belts for everything - a good idea anyway because if one belt fails, you aren't up the creek without a paddle

Just food for thought

BTW - what do you mean by air compressor? the AC compressors must be constantly lubricated to work and not seize - refrigerant has oil in it which does the job normally, but I doubt it would last long without that lube

I think some 70's models had a "4WD cooling fan" but I don't know if that would fit either

[dragonwingsubaru]

jrwood ive seen ppl doing that type of thing b4 on some of the 4x4 sites, i just decided to pull mine off since 1 i had everything unbolted on the top of the motor to do a head gasket and 2 because i havent even has any hoses going to it for the last 10 months, ac is overall pretty useless to me, among other things it wastes 2 much gas.

85sub4wd thanks for the info guess ill need to figure out what size belt im gonna need to use there then,
and as for the ac compressor needing to keep lubed as i said above i havent had any hoses on it for a while and other than occasionally pouring some oil in the holes every month or 2 it never siezed up, for that matter it still seemed to work just like it should, .

[Tom63050]

those of you with ea82's that have removed your ac compressor, are you guys just running 1 belt to cover the ps,alt,and waterpump or are you running a 2nd shorter 1 in the place of the 1 that was taking off when the compressor was taken off???
just trying to figure out if i should run 1 or 2

Even before I ditched my ac system, I was running only one belt on it because of the hassle with keeping the other belt tensioned. I put a new belt on it, and for extra safety put a brand-new belt in the trunk as well.

I have the AC compressor that's inboard of the alternator. I need to keep the compressor on the car because it's part of the setup that supports the alternator. At least until I come up with a bracket to replace it, which will hold the alternator brackets in place. But I have disconnected the compressor, and thrown away everything else that's ac-related, just for a cleaner engine bay. The ac wasn't working anyway, and I didn't want to put money into it. I have another car with good ac.

[Vanislru]

I used to run 1 belt but after installing the big tires the ps would make my belt squeal trying to trun the big meats. if I didn't have the big tires I'd be back to 1. Although you don't lose much power the extra belt does use a bit more. Better mileage with one belt.

[dragonwingsubaru]

granted i havent started it yet since im still putting the finishing touches on hooking everything up, but with the part where the ac bracket bolts to the main bracket and where it bolts to the manifold, and also adding a bolt and nut where one of the ac bolts used to be it seems quite sturdy, at least sturdy enough to shake the entire car while yanking on it without the bracket moving at all, course my alt sits a little bit differently anyways since im running a gm alt on it
forgot to mention that my ac compressor was in between my alt and my ps pump as well

[TheSubaruJunkie]

I didnt remove the AC on my RX, I got it with the A/C already removed. But my engine only has 1 belt running everything.

-Brian

[Milemaker13]

i know its not on topic with your post but i was thinking about removing my AC compressor until i found out i could convert it to an AIR compressor....just some food for thought...thats what im going to do with it anyways

Ok, that sounds like a neat idea... But something I think would be even more useful would be an AC generator in there instead. I have been kinda looking around for a small used generator head I can play with. Swap the AC clutch onto the gen head and mount it up somehow. Then if you ever need some juice, switch on the "AC" switch and you will get, well, AC!
Seems like I could really use this setup, always out in a field working on something. Dragging a gen around kinda sucks. Just an idea I've been working on. An added note, I was also thinking of remaking my rear pipe bumper to actually be an air tank, to refill a tire in case of a flat. I just wonder how unsafe it might be having a 2" pipe on the bumper pumped up to 125psi.

[hatchsub]

among other things it wastes 2 much gas.

.

That whole thing about it wasting too much gas is not correct. Mythbusters busted that one awhile ago. They got two identical ford explorers and a test track to run them on. One they ran with AC and the other they ran with the windows open around the track. The one with the windows open ran out of gas first I suppose that it could also be that newer systems are less of a drain on the cars engine than older ones. All i know is i ripped my compressor and condensor out of my subaru cause the compressor was shot and i didnt feel like spending the money to fix the system.

[grossgary]

That whole thing about it wasting too much gas is not correct. .

that's situationally dependent. it's correct in his situation because he's not using it. it's an added load on the system that isn't being used. if mythbusters ran one without an a/c system at all and the other with an a/c system...everything else being equal, the one without the a/c would have ran out of gas last.

remove the power steering too and install a manual rack or an XT6 elecrical power steering rack. you'll need a belt for the alternator and water pump and that's it.

[hatchsub]

or if mythbusters had run one with the AC on and windows up and one with the AC off and the windows up then the one with AC on would have run out of gas first

[Virrdog]

I have the AC compressor that's inboard of the alternator. I need to keep the compressor on the car because it's part of the setup that supports the alternator. At least until I come up with a bracket to replace it, which will hold the alternator brackets in place.

I gutted the compressor so I didn't have to make a bracket on my last wagon. Lots of bearings and stuff in there.

[GeneralDisorder]

That whole thing about it wasting too much gas is not correct. Mythbusters busted that one awhile ago.

I fixed my AC on my EA82 sedan (needed new o-rings and charging), and this last summer I can say that with ice-cold AC, and my Weber I didn't notice any real drop in mileage. I was driving 150 - 300 miles a day at the time, and filling the tank every morning. I tracked my mileage between 27 and 29 just like it always is all year round. And some of those days were up near 100, and I had the AC running cranked for several hundred miles. On the days before I fixed it with the windows down my mileage came down into the 25-26 range. I calculated my mileage EVERY morning as we had our own fueling pump at work and I pumped my own gas. I ALWAYS topped off the tank exactly the same way and it was always the same pump, and the same gas.

GD

[nkx]

i have the inboard alternator as well; im only running 1 belt.

[Milemaker13]

What about recharging A/C in a 92 loyale? Does it have R12 in it or the
134a? If it is R12, can it be converted to run 134a? Some people have told me to get the 134a recharge cans and put it in to see what happens... I figured I'd ask if anybody has an opinion on that. I was going to remove the A/C- but if it could be recharged, I might just keep it.

[jacobs]

That whole thing about it wasting too much gas is not correct. Mythbusters busted that one awhile ago.

It's easy to disprove that Mythbusters story! All you have to do is take a gutless nonturbo Subaru up a long hill with the AC on and turn around and go up the same hill with the AC off and the windows down. You'll find the AC takes a lot more power.

[azsubaru]

What about recharging A/C in a 92 loyale? Does it have R12 in it or the
134a? If it is R12, can it be converted to run 134a? Some people have told me to get the 134a recharge cans and put it in to see what happens... I figured I'd ask if anybody has an opinion on that. I was going to remove the A/C- but if it could be recharged, I might just keep it.

The Loyale came with R12, but you can convert it. With the potential problems messing around with AC, if you've never done it, take it to a shop. It's not that expensive, and you can end up spending more by just trying things. Not to mention, you can get hurt.

Do a search on this board and you can get lots of threads from people who have done it.

[stumpy]

I have an 89 GL-10 and the AC belt was off when I purchased it as a dead rig. Not into AC my self and I suspected the T-belts were the problem.
So, as I took it apart to check it out, off came the AC unit and hoses. It's an out board one but I had to keep the mounting bracket as it holds the tensioner for the altinator.
Much less clutter under the hood now!
Running one belt as it was when I purchased it.
The only problem was there was no adjustment possible for the altinator and the belt squealed often. Not sure if it's all stock or some one has changed some thing along the way but 10-15 minutes with a grinder and severl fittings produced ample adjustment!! Stumpy

[flyjum]

Yea Im changing my HG right now and I took the compressor off and has so much more room. Mine is seized up so kinda had to. Still had freon in it lol. Also it came with one belt only.