EBatl
New Member
I searched and searched for more clear instructions or a DIY on installing the underdash a/c kit from Tom's (PN 6325) without much luck so now that I am done I thought I would share my experience with you guys...
Overall it seems like a well designed setup - the bracket for the compressor is beefy and fits well. The directions are not very clear and seem to be more like general guidelines - they left me scratching my head a few times even though I have done lots of A/C work. Below are a few issues that we had to work though that may help you with your install.
-The underdash/ evap unit has to be installed a little to the right of center or the lines/ expansion valve will be in the way of the gas pedal - they do not make it clear how to mount it but I found that the self taping screws through the front lip into the bottom of the dash worked well...
-some of the bends on the fittings seem a little strange, luckily there is plenty of line - just seems to put more stress on some of the connections than I would like
-we bought and wired in a heavy duty relay so that we would not stress any of the stock wiring to run the system. this was not in the directions and was not included but seemed like a good idea.
-The belt routing diagram is wrong and the belt was too short. Furthermore it calls for running the alt bolt through a spacer with a nut on the back side of the bracket - unfortunately there is no room on the back of the bracket for a nut so we had to get creative. We also has to modify the upper radiator hose to clear the belt.
-The most frustrating part of the install was mounting the condenser - the instructions tell you to cut some brackets and then show you a picture of the condenser mounted in front of the core support with the lines going through a hole in the core support. The condenser will not fit in front of the core support with the hood release installed - it has to go behind. We had to cut out a section between the core support and battery tray to run the lines. It actually fits just fine behind the core support and in front of the radiator with the radiator sitting in its original position, it just seems counter intuitive and the directions show it somewhere else.
-after I got everything installed and started charging the system I went to turn the blower knob on and it would not turn! I called the manufacturer who told me that sometimes some glue gets stuck in the switch and to take out one of the vents, hold the switch from behind and put pliers on the switch to break it free. It worked although it wasn't graceful.
So anyway its working great, price was reasonable and we quoted 7 hours on the job - I think next time around we can do it in that amount of time or less.
By the way, the system hold 24 oz of R134A (I had to call to get that info too)
Overall it seems like a well designed setup - the bracket for the compressor is beefy and fits well. The directions are not very clear and seem to be more like general guidelines - they left me scratching my head a few times even though I have done lots of A/C work. Below are a few issues that we had to work though that may help you with your install.
-The underdash/ evap unit has to be installed a little to the right of center or the lines/ expansion valve will be in the way of the gas pedal - they do not make it clear how to mount it but I found that the self taping screws through the front lip into the bottom of the dash worked well...
-some of the bends on the fittings seem a little strange, luckily there is plenty of line - just seems to put more stress on some of the connections than I would like
-we bought and wired in a heavy duty relay so that we would not stress any of the stock wiring to run the system. this was not in the directions and was not included but seemed like a good idea.
-The belt routing diagram is wrong and the belt was too short. Furthermore it calls for running the alt bolt through a spacer with a nut on the back side of the bracket - unfortunately there is no room on the back of the bracket for a nut so we had to get creative. We also has to modify the upper radiator hose to clear the belt.
-The most frustrating part of the install was mounting the condenser - the instructions tell you to cut some brackets and then show you a picture of the condenser mounted in front of the core support with the lines going through a hole in the core support. The condenser will not fit in front of the core support with the hood release installed - it has to go behind. We had to cut out a section between the core support and battery tray to run the lines. It actually fits just fine behind the core support and in front of the radiator with the radiator sitting in its original position, it just seems counter intuitive and the directions show it somewhere else.
-after I got everything installed and started charging the system I went to turn the blower knob on and it would not turn! I called the manufacturer who told me that sometimes some glue gets stuck in the switch and to take out one of the vents, hold the switch from behind and put pliers on the switch to break it free. It worked although it wasn't graceful.
So anyway its working great, price was reasonable and we quoted 7 hours on the job - I think next time around we can do it in that amount of time or less.
By the way, the system hold 24 oz of R134A (I had to call to get that info too)
