Its Cold Inside!

The air conditioning is finally in and working. I had already installed the condensor and switch in the cab so today I set to and installed the compressor, radiator and pipework - it took 4 hours in all and involved removing the original radiator (drain first) and associated pipework. The first thing to do is to remove the miriad of 10mm bolts securing the under tray. The second is to remove the air intake, radiator and water bottle. Then follows the power steering belt. After this it is all installation! The most difficult part was securing the bracket the compressor sits on - the original bolt holes were completely full of rubbish.

Well, after adding oil, dye and gassing up ( evacuate air for a long time to remove moisture) it certainly works and is certainly cold! Time will tell if there are any leaks.

Pipework installed - this was the easy part!

Compressor installed - this was the difficult part - notice the rust on the pully as the compressor has been sitting in the garage for the past three weeks. This soon removed itself when the belt was attached.

Fans ready for action - notice that the left side one is for the air con and is slightly smaller. The good news is that both fans now come on when the air con is engaged.

Belt adjuster - this is part of the power steering but controls the air con at the same time. I must admit it took some time to work out just how this operated - (works the opposite to what you may think!)

Almost Ready - radiator striped and ready for the install of the compressor. My advice is have a cup ot tea before attempting this part. I must be getting old, but scrabbling around whilst holding a lump of cast iron ( the compressor is heavy) attempting to engage a fine thread bolt can result in loss of blood to the arms!

I did not take pictures of the radiator - simply slots into place and attach two bolts. Don't forget to add the coolent back into the radiator! Now, if only I could find a hot day when I could put the top down and turn the cold air on - the summer we are having, I somewhat doubt it! The other half wins again!! (see earlier post.....)

Exhaust manifold is in!

AGH! went to Sam Goodwin of Nuneaton today to have the new 4 into 1 exhaust fitted. I had already wrapped the upper parts of the manifold with exhaust wrap so the unit was ready to go. I have to give every praise to the professionalism shown by the engineers at Sam Goodwin - the job took 3 hours and I was charged a sensible price, a rarity in these days of inflated garage bills. The finished install really looks the part, but as everyone wants to know, did the new manifold make any difference to performance? Firstly, noise output whilst pootling about is unchanged - (thank goodness) but when used in anger I have to report that it actually makes a difference! A definite increase in acceleration can be detected and what a glorious sound above 5000 rpm! Was it worth the price? Yes! I'm off to Mallory park in September so will have an opportunity to try it out in anger. Lastly, a big thank you to the guys at Sam Goodwin.

Hard Top or Not!

This blog is filling up with You Tube clips but here is one I saw earlier:
Enjoy!

Air Conditioning

Ok, it may be mad to suggest that an open top car will ever need Air Conditioning but when I saw a complete system for a MK2 going for a very reasonable price from Autolink, I just had to place the order. The parts arrived very quickly. Thanks Andrew. Over the next couple of weeks I will be installing the system and will keep everyone posted. My advice is that if you need anything unusual for your Mazda, give Andrew a call on 01489 877770 - He is a first rate chap who really knows his stuff. Below is a picture of the raw air con system:

My other half remains sceptical as to the point of the project but I just could not resist the complexity. You may be interested in this YouTube video. It is not related to the Mazda but does detail the general details associated with Air Conditioning. Watch this space over the next few weeks!

2009 v 1999

Have a look at the brand new 2009 model. Still think the Mk2 is a superb car when compared!

EGR Valve

I do not have this problem at the moment but found this excellent video clip with regard to the problem. Enjoy!