A black 348 in 95-degree weather....

After way too much stuggle, I decided to enlist the help of ferrarioldman and the patience of the SportAuto crew in fixing my A/C in the 348.

Without going into all the details, I can safely say it was WORTH THE PRICE IN GOLD to having it working. Today in NC, the temperature is around 95 and my "daily" car is registering 101-degrees at highway speed on the interstate.

I picked up the 348 and drove home -- 25 miles. Oil temp never budged past the middle tick, water temp never budged past 11:00o'clock, and the A/C never wavered from an icy 40-degrees at the vent.

ROCK ON !!! Who brought mittens and a wool scarf??


Riding in my 348 is like this:




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John -

Honestly, the old compressor was poorly converted to R134a and there was so much glomp (technical word) in the system that it made sense simply to change out all the components. It held a charge for about 4 minutes and even then, the mouse blowing on the ice cube got tired very quickly.

I've learn a lot through this exercise. (1) when replacing the compressor, it's almost always necessary/recommended to replace the drier. (2) The expansion valve should also *always* be checked and verified clean before reusing. (3) hoses need to be checked and verified clean. My hi-pressure hose looked like clogged artery from the movie "Supersize Me". (4) never put that crappy leak-stop stuff from Autozone into your AC system. Mine was probably done by a previous owner, as ferrarioldman pretty much laughed at the condition of the system when he opened it all up. (5) overnight shipping on a compressor can be expensive.

Although the total number of labor hours was high (I had a few other things done to the car), I found sources for *identical* compressors and driers at a fraction of Ferrari retail. Now, having seen them bolt perfectly onto my car and perform flawlessly, I'm confident that I've got a solution for 348 owners that'll make 'em happy.

Compressor, $520 brand new (not a rebuild, no core exchange needed). http://ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?cPath=13&products_id=200488 It's better than Ferrari retail of $1300.

Receiver/drier $150 brand new (not a rebuild, no core exchange needed). while the Ferrari retail is $400 -- and on a huge backorder worldwide. http://ricambiamerica.com/product_info.php?cPath=13&products_id=232915 I'm still working with the supper to get this prefitted (for the same price) with the pressure switch. For now, you'd need to reuse your old one.

Believe me, I didn't embark on this A/C process to make a sales pitch. However, I feel like I found some very good components that us "brothers" can enjoy, and get back to chillin' in our cars.


-Daniel

 

Yeah, I guess it does. We share the same basic DNA... you've just got a slightly different body shape.

"Country cuz..." If only you looked like Daisy Duke

 

Drew -

If the car is still blowing cold 90 days after they filled it at the shop, you're probably o.k. -- for a little while. Did the shop put a "leak-stop" type product into the system? (I know from BAD experience that stuff is like heroin... it works for a little while, then makes things much much worse) The leak could be coming for all sorts of places, but the compressor seems like a good guess. From what I've learned (and I admit, I was a total A/C neophyte before my odyssey) many people recommend replacing the compressor, drier, and expansion valve all at the same time.

Hang onto your money for now. If it's still blowing cold, there's no reason to build a warehouse of parts --- that's my responsibility. If, and when, the time comes that the charge isn't held or the compressor dies, then give me a ring and we'll get everything going.


-Daniel

 

Expansion valve is circled here. You need to remove the carpeted trunk liner to see it (and all the other cool gizmos!)
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63306500 is only about $50. The shop labor to pull the old one and clean it might be more expensive than just replacing it. Depends on your rates, I suppose.

Ken - I typically think of the Schrader valves as the high/low side ports where you connect your freon and test guages. Schrader valves look like they belong on bicycle tires. By contrast, the "Expansion Valve determines the correct amount of refrigerant going into the evaporator, and it lowers the pressure of the refrigerant. When the compression starts, the expansion valve opens and the liquid refrigerant flows into it. Once in the expansion valve, the refrigerant is correctly pressurized. As the evaporator calls for more refrigerant, the expansion valve allows the required amount of refrigerant into the coils. " (plagerized from another website)