Since the days turned hot, setting records here in Nebraska, up to 95 degrees around here, I had occasion to run the AC. It didn't seem the AC was very cold (it was cool) and the cab did not cool off at all on the ride home from work. The air seemed cool, not cold. I was told by the previous owner that he had changed it from R12 to 134A sometime ago and it may just need a charge. I took it to the mechanic. He called me and said he didn't find any leaks (dye test) and added a can of 134A and it is at full charge and blowing cold air. But, he had to put the correct fitting on the low side as it still had the R12 fitting? I got the car and took it for a test and the air did not seem any colder to me. I checked under the hood again today and don't see any leaks. With the car warmed up and the AC on MAX, the air temp at the middle vent is 52 degrees. It is at 54 degrees on the normal setting. I notice that the belt to the compressor is really flapping around. The belt itself looks good with no visible cracks or glazing. Is there a belt tensioner that needs to be adjusted, or is the belt shot?

Is this as cool as it gets? What's the deal with the low side fitting not being a 134 fitting if he had the gas changed in the past? Thanks for any info you can share to help cool me off.

If you can distort the belt with your hand more then a half inch it is not tight enough. thats about all I can tell you tho.

The low side adapter fitting must have been removed before you got the car. The compressor takes some power to turn it, so a loose belt may be slipping a bit, and not turning the compressor fast enough etc.

You should be able to do better than 53 degrees. but that's assuming that the R134a conversion was done CORRECTLY. High 30s to low 40s at the vents is not an unreasonable expectation.
However, the missing conversion fitting is a hint that it probably was not done correctly and that a parts store "conversion kit" was installed.
Did your mechanic mention what the system pressures were?

The flapping belt can be caused by a number of things. Here's a few:
-Loose belt.
-Oil slugging of the compressor due to too much oil in the system. (common with "death kit" conversions).
-Broken reed valve in the compressor.
-Excessive high side pressure. (poor condenser airflow, air in the system, overcharged, weak fan clutch).

Your system does have a leak. The old refrigerant went somewhere. My bet is on the compressor shaft seal since no other leaks were apparent.

Keep in mind that poor cooling can also be caused by by a poorly sealing or non-functioning blend door. It will allow cooled air to pass over the heater core and be reheated. You can check this by blocking off the heater hoses and checking the outlet air temperature.

Keep in mind that poor cooling can also be caused by by a poorly sealing or non-functioning blend door. It will allow cooled air to pass over the heater core and be reheated. You can check this by blocking off the heater hoses and checking the outlet air temperature.

I tightened up the belt and now that runs smooth. I went on a road trip the other night to pick up a motorcycle (one reason I bought the Elky was to transport our 4 motorcycles and riding lawn mower when needed). It was 72 degrees outside but really warm in the Elky. I had the control set to "Vent" and the air didn't feel as cool as the outside air and I could feel hot air coming in down below the dash on drivers side. Don't know about passenger side. Did some more online research and found two possibilities that I need some affirmation on. 1) the heater control valve and, 2) the blend door not sealing.

Is this the heater control valve? It has some corrosion on it. Rock Auto has a metal one for about $20 so I may just go ahead and replace it.
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb47/rhlueke/1987%20El%20Camino%20Conquista/IMG_1216.jpg

Concerning the blend door. I removed the glove box and observed that the control wire does move the control arm, but doesn't seem to work correctly.
Here is a picture of the control arm position with the temp control lever all the way on "Hot".
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb47/rhlueke/1987%20El%20Camino%20Conquista/IMG_1221-1.jpg
Then with it all the way to the left on "Cold"
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb47/rhlueke/1987%20El%20Camino%20Conquista/IMG_1222-1.jpg

It didn't seem to go all the way closed as you can see the position of the mechanism on the right side of the picture remained in the same position, although the center part of the mechanism pulled back towards the firewall.

I was able to push the mechanism back further with my finger and it stayed in place. You can see the difference in the position of the lever arm on the right side compared to the other two pictures.
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb47/rhlueke/1987%20El%20Camino%20Conquista/IMG_1223.jpg

So at this point, I am thinking that the cab is hot because the blend door is not closing, letting air from the heater core come in. Question is, how do I adjust this thing to work properly, or does it need to be replaced? If anything, I can always leave it pushed closed now as it is (assuming the air flow will not push it open) during the summer and as soon as I operate the lever when cold weather arrives, it will open by the control lever.

The little gold flying saucer on the heater hose is the water check valve, only helps with heat... blend door might need to be adjusted, and seal might need replaced on it... you have to get to blend door from engine compartment side... i just went through almost the same problem, but no heat issue...lol

I would enjoy 95 degree heat right about now... for its still snowing off and on here in nevada...lol

Rockauto has that control arm listed here: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php

The picture shows it upside down as to how it should be when it's in place. So my question now is, since it is somewhat "L" shaped, I assume it pivots and if it pivots, it should stay centered in the hole, right? My part moves back and forth and side to side. Does that mean that the hole it sits in is worn and now allows the thing to move around instead of a stationary pivot?

Sorry, here is the link to the part.
http://info.rockauto.com/getimage/getimage.php?imagekey=814072&imageurl=http%3A//info.rockauto.com/FourSeasons/74806.jpg

It didn't seem to go all the way closed as you can see the position of the mechanism on the right side of the picture remained in the same position, although the center part of the mechanism pulled back towards the firewall.

I was able to push the mechanism back further with my finger and it stayed in place. You can see the difference in the position of the lever arm on the right side compared to the other two pictures.
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb47/rhlueke/1987%20El%20Camino%20Conquista/IMG_1223.jpg

.

You can try to "Adjust" the lever arm above. The threaded rod needs to be pushed through the white nylon bushing above to get a tight fit when the cable is in the Fully Closed position. It is like a slip fit. I used a pair of channel lock pliers to hold the back of the nylon bushing while pushing on the end of the threaded rod with the other end of the pliers.

Also, be sure that this arm is not "Broken". It is a common failure point. It sorta looks like the right portion of the arm is moving independent of the part of the arm where the cable attaches. If so , it is broken.

Also, be sure that this arm is not "Broken". It is a common failure point. It sorta looks like the right portion of the arm is moving independent of the part of the arm where the cable attaches. If so , it is broken.

Pretty sure the arm itself is not broken. What I see happening is that the area that the "L" shaped lever pivots on seems to be able to move side to side and back and forth. Here is a picture of the area that is suppose to pivot (axis of rotation)
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb47/rhlueke/1987%20El%20Camino%20Conquista/Blenddoorpivot.jpg

I don't think it is suppose to be able to move around other than just rotate. I don't know what the hole looks like that this thing mounts into, but I suspect it is worn and allows the thing to move around. Any affirmation on that thought?

IIRC, that arm mounts on a pin or nut that is molded into the housing. By looking at the pictures above, it looks like that pin may be sheared off. It would be easy to remove the cable and see what you have under there. Looking at the picture of the replacement part, it shows a "knob" that fits down through the center of the bracket. Maybe that "knob" s missing. Can't tell by the angle of the pictures.

IIRC, that arm mounts on a pin or nut that is molded into the housing. By looking at the pictures above, it looks like that pin may be sheared off. It would be easy to remove the cable and see what you have under there.

Well duh! Why didn't I think of that :dontknow:? It is placed in a difficult to reach position but I think I can get at it. I got to go to the auto store and pick up an angled mirror to take a look at the top of that housing that the thing sits on. I will take a shot at it tomorrow.

Thanks

So here is the culprit. The pivot point on the blend door lever is broken off.
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb47/rhlueke/1987%20El%20Camino%20Conquista/Blenderdoormechanism.jpg

This is what it is suppose to look like.
http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb47/rhlueke/1987%20El%20Camino%20Conquista/Blenddoorlever.jpg

The space up in there is really cramped and I am having a hard time getting a mirror up into there so I can see what the top of the housing looks like for the hole this thing should sit in. Plus, no light. I will order the blend door lever and go from there. At least I can manually push the rod back to keep the blend door closed for now.

You might try setting your digital camera on video and using the camera to try and get a look at the area. Take a minute's worth of video, moving the camera around, and then take a look.

And after this gets fixed, well, it may blow a tad cooler. I dealt with the same problem, went back with ALL new compressor, lines etc, not remanufactured, and still just don't get "cold" like you'd think. One aspect of the Camino that GM could've spent a little more time/money to make it correct. Hope yours works to your liking when done.

OK, I was able to get the broken piece out of the housing. Just had to do it by feel and rotate the piece until the wings aligned with the slotted holes in the housing and then lift out. One of the wings is also broken off. Rock Auto had the lever listed on their website but when I tried to order, it said the item was no longer available. I did a lot of searching and found that Summit Racing had the lever listed and I placed an order, about $15 shipped. The order was accepted so hopefully that means it is available. Hope I don't get an email in a few days saying the item is no longer available. If it is not, then I have no idea where to look next. I could try gluing the two pieces together, but I doubt that would hold for any length of time. I was wondering if this same piece might be found in a Malibu of the same years?

I am not a fabricator, but I am fairly decent at McGyvering things. I was thinking of just taking two pieces of flat metal and bolt them together at the angle formed...looks like around 70 degrees, and have the bolt be long enough to act as the extension for the wings. The original shaft diameter holding the wings is 7.5mm. Cut a slot in the end of the bolt and cut a washer in half and JB weld it into the slot for the wing. Use a nut at the base to give it the height shown by the picture of the original. Then a simple short bolt (or non-threaded pin) on the short wing to attach the cable to.

Well, I was finally able to locate a blend door lever and got it installed today. They sure are elusive devils. Many places listed them as available but just as soon as you place the order, their supplier no longer has them available. Finally got it from GBodyParts.com.

I still can't get the air conditioner any cooler than about 58 - 60 degrees. I guess I am going to have to take it to a "good" AC service person to get it thoroughly inspected. I took it to a garage a few weeks ago and paid $140.00 to check it out. Said all it needed was one can of 134 and now it blows cold air. But it was the same.

That vacuum operated water valve could still be a problem. I've had them get stuck half-off, letting some coolant through. .......and check the vacuum hose on that valve.

Thanks for the advice on the heater control valve. Just got a new one the other day and will install in the next few days. The Elky is now with the carburologist getting a thorough exam for blockage, leakage, irregular timing and pulse (RPMs) and then a road stress test. My car insurance premiums depend on a good health report...hehe. Probably can't get coverage if they find it has a pre-existing condition.:cruch: