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Old 06-24-2018, 09:16 PM   #11
joker
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I ended up using a 3/8 standard socket, a couple of extensions, and a 1/2" breaker bar with adapter and it broke loose quickly. Going back on was so much easier without cats in the way. I got the x-pipe portion finished earlier today.

Started installing the cat back. Pulling the old one off my blade broke in the sawzall so i had to stop and make a run for new blades. Got back and got the exhaust off and started installing the new setup. I couldn't use the bolts I had purchased because I replace the factory mid-pipe so I had to make a trip to home depot and pickup new bolts for the cat back to mid-pipe connection. Evidently Mac nor Pypes include those in the install hardware. got back and got everything lined up, now my mufflers are sagging and the factory exhaust hangers look way over stretched. Hopefully a run to Autozone for new exhaust hangers in the morning will be the last setback for this install. Man a lift would be a godsend.
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Old 06-25-2018, 06:35 PM   #12
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Finished the exhaust today. Now it sounds like a mustang should. I am pretty sure it picked up at least two thumbs up on the butt dyno.

It isn't as loud as I thought it would be and doesn't sound quite as raspy as some of the sound clips I listened to of similar combos. I will try and get a sound clip soon.

Last edited by joker; 06-25-2018 at 06:38 PM.
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Old 07-03-2018, 02:05 PM   #13
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The last three days, well on and off, have been used to repair my a/c system. There has definetly been a bit of a learning curve.

I stumbled across some bad info on a youtube video that said I could replace the orifice tube easily.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq3iwF6GFts

However, upon disconnecting the system I learned that it is crimped in to the liquid line and cannot be replaced separately. I am not sure if this guy staged the video just to be an ass, or maybe his car was not "repaired" correctly in the past, but it is not located where his was in the video. His engine is clearly a 4.6 2v but something is definitely different. I found a liquid line in stock but the store was closed on Sunday so that put off progress until Monday. After an hour drive Monday morning to an Advance that had the line in stock I got the system back together.

Attempted to pull a vacuum on the system and it would not hold. I put a light charge on the system and used soapy water to find my leak. Turns out it was at the connection for the discharge tube to the condenser. The replacement o-ring kit that I ordered from advance had smaller gauge o-rings so I just pulled the old one and reused it, the tightened it down until no more leak. To verify I pulled a vacuum and made sure it held for an hour.

I am vacuuming the system now and learned another interesting fact about vacuum pumps and altitude. At sea level you should be able to pull just over 29 HG, however max vacuum where I am located is between 24 and 24.9 HG due to elevation. Any of the a/c repair guides I have found use 29 HG for the reference of how much vacuum should be pulled.

Over all the job has been a pain but a good learning experience. I'm am going to pull a vacuum for a few hours rather than the one hour referenced by Ford just to make sure I boiled out any flushing solvent or moisture that may have made it in to the system.

I will also mention that I paid for online access to Haynes manual before beginning this work. Over all it has been disappointing and I would recommend to anyone to get a ford service manual and not waste money on the Haynes.

Last edited by joker; 07-03-2018 at 02:19 PM.
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Old 07-03-2018, 09:19 PM   #14
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Awesome info. Thanks for sharing.

Interesting to note on the inches of mercury reading you discovered
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Old 07-04-2018, 02:14 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by QWKSNKE View Post
Awesome info. Thanks for sharing.

Interesting to note on the inches of mercury reading you discovered
No problem. I thought it was interesting as well. I was expecting 29 in HG but just thought the crappy Autozone rental pump wasn't working well, so I started searching to see if the lower vacuum level would still work. I found a chart that shows the difference in max in HG depending on altitude here:

http://www.asesystems.com/vacuum-lif...-vacuum-level/

I also found this that provides the max oil and refrigerant levels for various Ford vehicles:

http://www.techchoiceparts.com/refri...apacities/ford

The max refrigerant is somewhat easy to find, and in newer models at least is on a sticker under the hood. However, all of the references I could find to the amount of compressor oil needed referenced draining the old parts.
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Old 07-04-2018, 02:35 AM   #16
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I finished pulling a vacuum early this evening and began charging. The good news is that it holds a charge great, however my a/c clutch would not engage. Static pressure on the low side went up to 100 PSI and held but without the clutch cycling I stopped charging in fear of overcharging and blowing something out. I checked the connections on the high pressure switch, low pressure switch, and compressor clutch and everything was good. So I just left the system sealed and stopped so I could cook dinner and so on.

At this point the problem is likely electrical and not mechanical. Luckily my first step in troubleshooting revealed at least one culprit. At some point the fuse to my cycle switch (low pressure switch) blew. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to check it until around midnight. I'm going to pick up some fuses in the morning and with any luck this will be the beginning of the end. At this point there aren't many more pieces in the a/c system that could cause a problem.
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