JDsmash

Hello everyone, it has been quite some time since I've felt the need to seek advice/help but here I am again. I hope I'm not looked down upon for the few posts that I've contributed here.

Anyways, here's my situation. I've got an 1986, 5 speed, non-turbo, 2+2 Z. It's been running just fine and has been a very reliable daily driver. I only wish I could just take better care of it. But I've only got part time work hours and am tied up alot with school. I'd like to hear some recommendations as to what I should do in terms of up keep.

On my to do list so far is the following:
1. Change my transmission fluid.
2. Repair or upgrade my shocks/springs.
3. Fix vaccum leak for AC system.

I'd greatly appreciate any feedback on what I should do/use to take care of these items. I've been wanting to fix my suspension becuase I'm fairly certain my rear shocks are no longer good and I'd rather not have to buy any more tires then I need. Any suggestions as to brands/kits I should look into buying? As for my transmission fluid, I'd really like a break down as to how to go about doing so (step by steps? ) and what fluid should I use to repalce the existing fluid. As for my AC system, I've noticed the warm/hot air that feeds in under acceleration so I'm assuming its a vaccum leak situations. But also just recently I've noticed that it seems when I have the system running on "AC" rather then "ECON" (or the vents) the blower only outputs to the vents towards the front winshield and the tops of the vents near the doors ( the defrosters vents ? ). Any idea what why that is happening? ( Air does come through the vents regularly as they should when I'm using ECON however.)

NismoPick

You'd only be looked down upon if you ask "how can I turbo my car?"

#1... Manual tranny fluid change is easy... remove drain plug, let drain, replace drain plug, remove side fill plug, pump new tranny fluid in w/ handle pump. Your Haynes manual should have the tranny fluid specs, as well as your local parts store.

#2... Stock & upgraded shocks / springs can be bought @ www.thezstore.com / www.blackdragonauto.com / or your local parts store.

#3... Does it still blow cold air when the a/c is on (that was unclear)? The vent system is all vacuum actuated, so if there is a leak in one of the lines it will default the vent ports back to defrost (and floor?). Locating the leak can be quite a chore... tho the tubes usually crack @ the connections.

JDsmash

For my transmission fluid change, where can I find a handle pump and are they very expensive? Any rough estimate at how much and how long it takes to do the whole job?

As for my AC: It doesn't seem to blow cool air anymore, I recently just went out and just to test it again I sat idle in my garage (with the door open of course :P ) and let the AC run long enough which normally would have been time to produce cool air, but it wasn't getting cold and it was still only blowing out of the defrost vents.

Thanks for the quick response and I'm still open to any/many more tips/tricks. = )

NismoPick

I just use the handle pump that comes w/ the 1 gal / 1.5 gal tranny fluid. Insert the spout into the fill hole & pump the container. You can by fill lines & a separate pump... but to me that is more messy & time consuming.

As for the a/c... if it no longer blows cold, it's prolly too low on freon. When you have the a/c active, is the outter a/c pump clutch spinning?

hoov100

any parts store will have the pump, shouldn't be more then $5 and will probably take about 40 minutes, you still in riverside? i have a working AC compressor if you need it..

JDsmash

Thanks again for all your help.

How can I tell if it's spining? Would I just go out and take a look somewhere? Or am I listening for something in particular?

NismoPick

Do you have a Haynes manual / FSM? If not... I suggest buying one because all of these things are in there.

This is what an a/c pump looks like:



When you're not running a/c, the outside part is not spinning... when you have the a/c on, it is. There is a pressure sensor in the lines that prohibits the a/c pump from engaging if the system is too low / high on pressure.

entropy31

turn on the AC and watch the compressor. it should engage and disengage every so often. the sound of the engine will also change, as more load is added while turning the pump.

JDsmash

So it looks like my compressor "functions" as you said it should. When I turned on the AC the outter portion (clutch?) began to spin and while the AC was off it was not spinning. I hope this is helping narrow down what my possible problem might be.

Also, I have a Chiltons guide. But its nice to hear from real people too. Should I look into getting another type of guide/FSM as well?

hoov100

get a manifold gauge that is used to check for freon pressure and see how much freon you have in your system, you might habe to convert to r134.

NismoPick

Or just use Freeze12... then you don't have to convert.

JDsmash

So should I actually go out and buy a maifold gauge? Or do you know if those are rentable? And one more question, is it a messy job? I only ask this just becuase I'm assuming that I'm testing for pressure(s). Nothing is going to shoot out and gush all over everything if I disconnect the compressor hoses right? sorry if I'm sounding very green, I'm just looking out becuase I'd like to learn all that I can the "safe way" before finding out the hard way. Thanks again so far for everything.

hoov100

you can rent them, its about the cleanest job you can do on the car, unless your filling the system.

PooFlinginMonke

The R134 ones at harbor freight are just r12 gauges with r134 convertors on them..........at least they were last year.