I am pretty new in this car thing. I worked on cars quite a bit in high school but not by myself. the first thing we usually did was take out the AC for not only power but room under the hood. I have never done this myself. I was reading in my book I have to discharge the AC systems and then i can take out the compressor and other various hoses. Does anyone have a best way to do this? Do I simply take everything out and plug hose locations with plugs? Thanx.

You live in arizona and you want to take out the AC!!!!!:confused::confused::confused:

Beyond that though, if it's a factory air car, keep it and deal with it!!!!

Restore it so it spits out ice cubes!!!!:D

I have two other (much newer) cars for driving around the city, this one is for fun on Sunday mornings.

Oh, so it's not hot on Sunday mornings!!!:D:thumbsup:

I kinda agree with bigjames. If it's an original AC car, at least keep the equipment, one day you might actually want to take it to the hot sunday afternoon BBQ. As for disconnecting the system, do you know when the last time it was serviced was? If it hasnt been for years, the system might have developed a leak and is dry. But I do believe you're supposed to take it to a Certified recovery center so all the R134 doesn't vent into the air :) After that it's like anything else, disconnecting hoses and plugging up holes.

Dont do it. Leave the AC. You'll be sorry.

well now I am torn. how would i know if it is already discharged? the last owner did not know when last serviced. only blows warm air.i am still leaning on taking it out.

well now I am torn. how would i know if it is already discharged? the last owner did not know when last serviced. only blows warm air.i am still leaning on taking it out.

Ask your self these first:
1)Do you need room under the hood???
2)Do you expect to see any noticeable gains in power???

If you answer no to these, than leave it. You are not going to feel the power increase by removing the A/C system... and unless you need to put something where the A/C system is currently... it is not doing any harm. Taking it out is doing no more than creating more work for yourself now, and taking some value away from your car when you sell it.

well now I am torn. how would i know if it is already discharged? the last owner did not know when last serviced. only blows warm air.i am still leaning on taking it out.

Remove one of the service valve caps and depress the valve core for just a quick-split second to see if there is any pressure in the system.
It might spit out a tiny little bit of oil so be prepared.

If it seems to be a lot of pressure, screw a service gauge hose on and see how high it is.

Removing the A/C will lower the value of the car.:yes:

I only drive my car on the weekends and sometimes at night to buddies houses. I WISH i had A/C. If I were you I would keep it.....your choice though

Ask your self these first:
1)Do you need room under the hood???
2)Do you expect to see any noticeable gains in power???

If you answer no to these, than leave it. You are not going to feel the power increase by removing the A/C system... and unless you need to put something where the A/C system is currently... it is not doing any harm. Taking it out is doing no more than creating more work for yourself now, and taking some value away from your car when you sell it.

Also, leaving the ac on the car, even if it's not functioning, will keep the system sealed from the atmosphere/moisture/dust. If in the future, you decide to want "cool", the system internals will still be clean, ... assuming that they're currently clean.

The AC compressor is driven off the engine through a clutch. AC off = clutch disengage = essentially no power consumption. Leave it on the car, you won't regret it.

I am going to leave it in. :)

thanx all. did anyone see my post under the "body shop"? i am working on my vinyl top too

I had the same thoughts back in 1984 on my malibu ...never need it , looks bad ETC......fast forward to 2007 I had to install a aftermarket A/C because I removed the factory stuff and of course never kept the parts through the years. Take my word if you keep the car long enough you will want cold A/C some day . :yes:

I remember back in the day when the first thing we did was rip stuff like that off the car. It is unique to have a full functioning A/C in a musclecar today no matter what the age group. We recently entered a Street Car Shootout with Lynda's Chevelle and won most legit street car because of the windows being rolled and it being 100 degrees that day. Keep it intact. You will be glad you did.

I pulled out all the AC stuff in my '73 awhile back. It didn't work, anyway. Now I have a baby, and it's 100+ outside, and I feel like a child abuser the few times she has to ride in my car. It probably just needed freon, maybe a new compressor. Most definantly leave it on.