testarossa 87 a/c question

It sounds to me like you might have a problem with the expansion valve.
unfortunately the expansion valve is under the dash and the dash assembly must be removed to access it.since the inside fan is blowing air then the fuses wont be the problem, unless the fuse to the compressor is blowing,but my guess is that this fuse is'nt blowing.I've seen 3 testarossa's with bad expansion valves in the past 2 years,so that's my guess.but Hey "I could be wrong"

 

dbcooper is right in that the expansion valve is an occasional failure spot for TR A/C. However, I have seen a number of cars that were diagnosed with bad expansion valves where the valves were wrongly accused. Try this first - it worked with my 87 and a number of friend's cars:

The dessicant in the receiver/drier of the TR (and I guess all cars) does go bad over time and start to break up. When it does, you have little pieces of dessicant floating all through the system, occasionally plugging things up like a bad expansion valve would.

Find a good A/C shop (they don't have to know Ferrari, really - just A/C well) and have the receiver/drier removed and have them blow all the lines clean. Then put in a new receiver drier and my prediction is that you'll be fine. You just need someone who understands how to clean out the A/C lines. My local A/C company charged me about $350 for the cleaning and the new receiver drier (a generic Four Seasons model which fit fine). The system has worked fine since (5 years).

As dbcooper mentioned, getting to the expansion valve requires pulling most of the dash. I was quoted 19 hours of labor each way, so that repair would approach $4k. Clearly my method is a gamble worth taking.

The misleading part is that replacing the expansion valve probably would cure the problem too because it would normally involve cleaning the tubing and replacing the receiver drier (which you're supposed to do anytime you break into the A/C piping). However, if you can get the same effect without getting to the probably good expansion valve, it's well worth it!

 

I think that it is a fuse board issue. My TR (87) had similar issues. The fuses looked fine and when reinstalled (and contact made), the system worked fine. The problem actually lies in the connector at the bottom of the board.

The problem is that they have too many items going off that circuit and when it gets hot the metal expands. As it expands and contract over and over again, the metal fatigues and contact is lost.

I had to replace my fuse board 2X until I figured out that every few months I would take the offending connector out and clean and adjust the contacts...everything worked fine.

 

Yes - the fusebox / connectors in the TR are a POS design. I had a problem for a while where I would intermittently lose a bank of cylinders. Tracked it down to a poor contact at the fusebox which would occasionally shut off the fuel pump to one bank.

If it's a fuse problem, it's usually easy to tell. When the contacts start to open up and make weak connections, they get hot, so it's not unusual to see the plastic connectors discolored, melted or burned over certain connections. I've even seen them get hot enough to de-solder the pin from the fusebox board. Check the A/C related fuses and see if anything looks bad.

You can replace the fusebox connectors, but the problem will return. You can occasionally re-angle the pins as ingenere suggested. My fuel pump ones were badly burned, so I cut off the old pin insert and crimped on a normal female spade connector. These fit dramatically more securely than the OEM connector. It takes a few more minutes to pull the fusebox, as you lose some of the 'quick-disconnect' concept, but it's a good trade for dramatically increased reliability and reduced chances of fire.

 

I have repaired numerous TR fuseboxes and will testify that any electrical problems with a TR the first place to look is the fuse box and also the plastic connectors that plug into the fusebox.The metal connectors that make up the plastic plug have two prongs that slide over a blade connector in the fusebox.I find that over time,due to heat caused by building resistance,the metal prongs fatigue and either spread apart or break off entirely.Either one will loose contact and whatever circuit that feeds nolonger works.Have also seen Wiring for the fuel pump feed discolor and burn,this is obviously caused by the fuel pump aging and building up resistance internally and slowly frying the wire without popping the fuse.You can see this by pulling the plastic plug from the back of the fusebox that includes the fuel pump feed and inspecting it,the white plastic plug will have a brown line running across it where the fuel pump wire is running under it.Future doom is a given. Tim
P.S. if the receiver/drier is coming apart,the bits flowing thru the system will plug the expansion valve.However I feel that his suggestion about checking the Receiver/drier first is a good idea.I havent seen many disintigrating receiver /driers in my years of wrenching but it does happen.Good luck.