Spider A/C & Headliners

[Rodney Tidwell <rodneygt@domain.elided>]

Spider A/C:

FWIW, the Bosch L-Jet Spiders w/ A/C lacked, at least, "typical" low or
high pressure switches and may have lacked any such switch.  I base the
previous statement on an '84 and '88 spider that I owned.  The two
systems seemed the same under the hood.  As to "typical," I mean there
where  no switches located on the dryer.  The only thing on the dryers
in the two spiders I owned were an inlet and outlet connection for the
freon.

Perplexed by this unusual setup, when I removed and rebuilt the engine
in the 88, I spent a little time looking around the engine bay but found
nothing I thought was a low or high press. switch.  Similarly, on the
84, I had to replace the condenser to compressor hose but saw no switch
on the condenser.

In both instances, after reinstalling the engine in the 88 and
installing a new a/c hose and drier in the 84, I was able to get the
systems to take freon merely by turning on the a/c in the car.  In other
cars I've added freon to due to low pressure (including my GTV6), I've
had to short the low press. switch to get the initial freon in the
system - the meager pressure in the 12 oz. can wouldn't do it.

Does anyone know for sure whether there were low/high switches or their
equivalent on L-Jet Spiders (at least '84 - '88 models)?

BTW, there are two a/c related fuses which are not in the fuse box in an
84 spider.  One, if I remember correctly, is on the drivers side (U.S.)
of the engine bay next to an electrical junction.  The other is hidden
behind the fuse box.  Both are blade type fuses.  Both were fortunately
blown when I got the aforementioned 84 with broken A/C hose.  There are
also one or two related relays on the passenger side under the hood -
pretty much straight across the engine from the fuse.  I don't recall
where these items were in the 88.


Headliners:

There has been various posts relating headliner failure to deterioration
of the rigid foam to which the headliner is attached.  As a general
rule, what you see deteriorating in not the rigid foam.  Headliner
material consists of the pretty material you see from the interior of
the car and a spongy foam backing.  I suppose the latter is to make it
soft to touch.  It probably also keeps the glue from soaking through and
staining the pretty material.  What deteriorates is the spongy foam
backing.  I suppose the rigid foam could deteriorate, but I've not seen
it.

Rodney Tidwell
McComb, MS

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End of alfa-digest V7 #848
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