Thread: My Red '97
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Old 04-20-2020, 07:39 PM   #43
78F350
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 3,672
Garage
Today I got the AC working. The clutch bearing on the compressor was worn out. The proper thing to do in this case is to take the car to a shop and have them install a new compressor, then evacuate and recharge the system. In my case, I've got a couple old compressors on the shelf from cars that I've scrapped and I figured there was nothing to lose by taking about 30 minutes to just swap out the clutch. Cost me nothing, no gasses were released to the atmosphere, and the AC works great now.


Next I took a look at the front suspension. It has felt a little loose. With the front jacked up and wheels off the ground, I rocked the wheels. There was obvious play at the ball joints. The rest looked pretty good except for the left strut being covered with greasy dirt. I decided to go ahead and use parts from a 2002 S on it. I thought of transplanting the whole wheel carrier with the strut, but I want to go back to the 16" wheels on this car and I don't think they fit well with the S model brakes.


Now that I have those springs and struts on the front, I probably need to swap the rear springs as well to keep it all balanced.
Future work; I want to figure out why the power steering isn't working. There's plenty of fluid and no obvious problems with the pump or leaks. I don't really mind the ride with manual steering, but I don't like having it broken unless I know why.
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