hilux_1990 Posted September 18, 2006 Share Posted September 18, 2006 Hey guys, The button on my dash (next to the fan speed control) which selects internal recycled air is not working properly. It connects to two vacuum hoses and when you push it, it normally stays pushed-in and lights up. Has anyone had problems with their switch? it appears the button is permanently attached to the switch, so I'd have to swap out the whole dash piece? 1991 Subaru L-Series GL Wagon 4WD EA-82 carby, manual trans 160,000kms/99,420miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayakertom Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 I replaced that vacuum module on my gl - one button got stuck because of cracked plastic. I recall there being 4 or 5 vacuum hoses. It was a bit of a pain and I was lucky to have a replacement module in my donor wagon. As I recall, the top and bottom curved plastic pieces above and below the buttons pull out exposing hidden screws. The dash has to come off and I remember there being a wire cable for the heat control lever that was a pain to release from the module. Best to get a module out of a donor vehicle before tearing into your dash. Good luck. Hey guys, The button on my dash (next to the fan speed control) which selects internal recycled air is not working properly. It connects to two vacuum hoses and when you push it, it normally stays pushed-in and lights up. Has anyone had problems with their switch? it appears the button is permanently attached to the switch, so I'd have to swap out the whole dash piece? 1991 Subaru L-Series GL Wagon 4WD EA-82 carby, manual trans 160,000kms/99,420miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syonyk Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Is there a way to retrofit the recycled air feature into a wagon that didn't come with it? My AC has a hard time keeping up with 100F ambient air temperatures sometimes. -=Russ=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86ruguy Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 SY....if your rig is an ea82 your a/c should have two(2) options on the a/c button. 1 light push turns on the a/c...push it again and it should go into max a/c which is RECIRCULATED AIR ( not recycled) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syonyk Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Oh, I didn't know Max was recirculating. Sweet. I knew that the blower moved more air with it in max, but I figured it was somehow just hitting the blower with more POWARH! I guess that means I really do need tint. It blows cold, and the system is charged, but it just has a hard time keeping up on 95+ degree days in the sun. -=Russ=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Oh, I didn't know Max was recirculating. Sweet. I knew that the blower moved more air with it in max, but I figured it was somehow just hitting the blower with more POWARH! I guess that means I really do need tint. It blows cold, and the system is charged, but it just has a hard time keeping up on 95+ degree days in the sun. -=Russ=- russ: question for you. have you ever had the cooling coil out of the car? I have the same problem with my car, just not enough oompah to keep it good and cold in the heat of the day (maybe not 100 degrees, but 92 at 95% humidity is far worse...) Ive often wondered how difficult it would be, and what the return might be, to try and clean off the condensor coils, because i know the car has been smoked in (in a couple different ways) for MANY MANY MILES with the AC on. I live in a house with window unit ACs, and we smoke inside, (AND i have a cat) so I have to remove my AC twice a year and clean it to keep up efficiency. I think it would be a worthy investment of my time to purge the system, remove it, clean it, and reinstall it. I might consider picking up a junkyard unit to refurbish in this manner to just make it a swap, but then again i wouldnt know about the integrity of such a unit... so i dunno. Any thoughts on the idea? i dont wanna waste my time, but you havent seen what my AC looks like after missing a semi-annual cleaning........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syonyk Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Can't say I've had it out of the car. I'm not sure I'd want to do that either, I still have the factory R-12 charge in, and getting that stuff dealt with is expensive. :-/ I don't think it was smoked in, but it could probably use a cleaning. -=Russ=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 well, i see your point. i assume you see mine, too.. while we are on the subject, is R-12 any better a refrigerant than r-134a?? someone asked me the other day, and i couldnt answer them. im just curious why you haven't swapped out, i suppose. i know all about the "why" of the change and everything, just not how the two refrigerants compare in effectiveness/efficiency... as for "servicing" it, i am a BIGTIME ecologist etc... but the way i figure it, we already made the refrigerant.. its gonna wind up up there sometime.... of course, by this point you could probably find someone with the scavenging equipment to SELL it to!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellets Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 Here is what I know about r12 and r134. I have one of those fancy license to do refer in cars.(???) R12 is colder than r134 and runs at a lower head pressure than r134. I have converted both of my 88 d/l wagons to r134. $7.00 a can sure beats $50.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syonyk Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 The issue that I've heard with converting a R-12 system is that the newer refrigerant is not as efficient. On a car designed for it, it will have a somewhat larger condensor & evaporator than a car designed for R-12. My AC has trouble keeping up when it's really hot (it blows cold air, but there's just a lot of car to cool), so converting to R134a won't help this any. Honestly, I think tint will take care of the issues - reduce the solar load significantly, and the AC shouldn't have a problem. -=Russ=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 19, 2006 Share Posted September 19, 2006 cool. i was just wondering, i had never really heard the issue discussed before, and i thought that r12 was probly a better regrigerant.. of course its moot point. $7 vs $50 and rising, with only a finite amount left anywhere in the universe.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilux_1990 Posted September 20, 2006 Author Share Posted September 20, 2006 So anyway... My ea82 has a combined knob that controls the fan speed with a button in the center that turns A/C on&off. On the instrument cluster side of that fan/AC knob is a vacuum button, which is broken. Normally you push it in and it lights up, and you push it again to release it. See attached photo of this "internal air" button (right-hand drive vehicle) The passenger & drivers air vents near the doors have their own levers to control internal/external air. I think this button just controls the central vent flaps that feed into the A/C system. I'm not exactly sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 20, 2006 Share Posted September 20, 2006 So anyway... My ea82 has a combined knob that controls the fan speed with a button in the center that turns A/C on&off. On the instrument cluster side of that fan/AC knob is a vacuum button, which is broken. Normally you push it in and it lights up, and you push it again to release it. See attached photo of this "internal air" button (right-hand drive vehicle) The passenger & drivers air vents near the doors have their own levers to control internal/external air. I think this button just controls the central vent flaps that feed into the A/C system. I'm not exactly sure. Man, thats not fair!! i want a button to turn the ac on and off like that... it just seems that with the system used in my car (and any other USDM ea82 ive seen in the junkyard, tho im not omniscient by any means) switches the AC on simply thru the vacuum switch. in other words, our fan knobs are just dumb four speed knobs, with no button. the levers select the vent to be running either AC system air or fresh air intake from outside. very nice feature if you ask me, the datsun all used to have them too and i was really glad to find even better vents in the soob when i sat down in it for the first time. otherwise, the recirculate switch is the same as on yours. its interesting that you get the option of turning the AC off but still run the ventilator system, and we do not. also, my AC seems to turn the AC off when i put it to floor or bilevel.. defrost and blow-in-your-face will run cold air, but anything with the floor involved, the AC stops cooling.. anyone have any idea why this would be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virrdog Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 The issue that I've heard with converting a R-12 system is that the newer refrigerant is not as efficient. On a car designed for it, it will have a somewhat larger condensor & evaporator than a car designed for R-12. My AC has trouble keeping up when it's really hot (it blows cold air, but there's just a lot of car to cool), so converting to R134a won't help this any. Honestly, I think tint will take care of the issues - reduce the solar load significantly, and the AC shouldn't have a problem. -=Russ=- One of the first things I did with my wagon and it will actually get cold enough to turn the fan down on a hot day. You have to get the premium metallic tint, though. That will actually reflect a lot of the light off the window instead of absorbing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeshoup Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 also, my AC seems to turn the AC off when i put it to floor or bilevel.. defrost and blow-in-your-face will run cold air, but anything with the floor involved, the AC stops cooling.. anyone have any idea why this would be? A/C runs only when the A/C is selected, or the defroster is selected. The reason for the defroster using A/C is so that it dries the air. As for manually selecting when to run the A/C, I'm just gonna wire up a switch to turn it off when I have the AC or Defrost selected. Unfortunately, no real easy way to switch it on with a setting that normally doesn't use A/C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 21, 2006 Share Posted September 21, 2006 mike: i was wondering if the OZ style setup AC switch would take the place of whatever switches it on in the defrost or dash vent position, thereby making it a "non-dummy" system and let you turn the AC on in any position?? because then its just a matter of importing a swtich setup and lots of other stuff from down under at an exhorbitant rate to fix the issue on the car that i have!! ill just remember to grab some next time i head down to brisbane, right? of course, im being sarcastic.. about the retrofit anyhow.. but im upset that we didnt get a switch like that in the first place. i guess that was my point :- ( thanks for the info though, at least now i know not to expect it to be different with the new vacuum switch i already need to install. and i LIKE to use the floor ac vents.... that sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skatedownpdx Posted September 22, 2006 Share Posted September 22, 2006 SY....if your rig is an ea82 your a/c should have two(2) options on the a/c button. 1 light push turns on the a/c...push it again and it should go into max a/c which is RECIRCULATED AIR ( not recycled) i didnt even know you could push it lightly. im used to hittin that thing in a hurry to get some cold air. good to know for the future though! is there a way to circulate air with heat in the ea82? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted September 23, 2006 Share Posted September 23, 2006 the button above the off button (mine arent marked so i cant recall the labelling) is a two position switch. you go from off, and hit it once, its on one position. hit it a second time, it pops out a little (i think, otherwise it pops in a little) popped in is recirculate, popped out is fresh air. if you move the lever up to heat, its blowing heat and not AC. there isnot a way of recirculating the air for the defroster... that, or it is always recirculating. sorry for the two vague points, but my switch is kinda busted up right now.. it works fine but the little ears for the screws that hold it flush up against the inside of the dashboard are broken on the switch, so the entire apparatus is kinda pushed back and needs to be replaced. that being so, the buttons do not physically function quite right, and sometimes need to be punched quite forcefully.. hence the broken faces of them all. as for recirc on defrost, i dunno, but i know you cant switch it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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