Installing Air Conditioning?

[CrimsonReign1]

hey, im new to the site and i've been looking all over on how to do this or even if you can do it and havent found anything.

I have a 93 SE with no AC and it gets pretty hot here with the summer comming up. i was wondering if anyone has done it here? sorry if this has already been posted

[Daninski]

Find a Wrecked MX3 and get all the parts. Check the manual for the relays, etc. You'll need to research.

[Nd4SpdSe]

An SE w/o A/C?

[CrimsonReign1]

ya, at least im 99% sure its an SE, it used to be red but it was painted black by a previous owner so i cant check the fender, its got all leather int., no cloth at all, heated seats, sunroof but no a/c.

[_-Night-Shade-_]

I'm pretty sure Colin's SE also came without A/C.

[wytbishop]

My SE has no A/C...

I saw a 93 in the parts yard with all the parts but I walked away thinking it'd be way too much work. Others have since told me it's not too bad. Electrically, I think it would be pretty straight forward. There's only one switch that I know of, but I'm not sure if/how it ties into the existing HVAC system. The rest is just parts and knowing how to install them. It's a little tricky due to the special o-rings and such...or so I'm told. What scares me about it is taking it to a shop to have the refrigerant charged and finding out I have a bunch of leaks. It could get pricey.

[CrimsonReign1]

ya, i'd like to avoid doing it at a shop, mainly because im not made of money but i feel like i know mx3's better then they would (the mazda dealership knew nothing about it). they could end up doing more damage too and it might end up not working well anyway. if someones done this with good results, id love to hear how you did it

[ninjajim4]

i had a leak once and and ended up changing every single line out to find this minuscule leak that didn't show up with dye. took like 2 hours, being careful not to bend any lines. it's not a big job. you can also buy an o ring kit off ebay for 20 bucks with every size you'd ever need. only thing i can think of being an issue is the electrical, but i say do it

[Daninski]

There is a coolant with a stop leak in it. My AC friend recommends it over pure refridgerant.

[nightfire]

There is a coolant with a stop leak in it. My AC friend recommends it over pure refridgerant.

That sounds like something I'll need shortly. Can you ask him what it was called?

[Nd4SpdSe]

I believe it's a dealer-installed item.

A few year back, I walked in the Mazda dealership, and a guy was ordering an A/C kit for his son's Mx-3. It regularly sold for almost $2000 but they were selling it for under $400 since it was sitting in their possession for so long.

[ninjajim4]

i forgot to say... if youre worried about leaks, don't go wasting refrigerant. vac out your system, which you should do anyway despite what some might tell you, and see if it holds overnight. if you have a vac pump, all it costs is electricity

[nightfire]

i forgot to say... if youre worried about leaks, don't go wasting refrigerant. vac out your system, which you should do anyway despite what some might tell you, and see if it holds overnight. if you have a vac pump, all it costs is electricity

I'm planning to do that... though probably I'll just do 90% of the install work, then drop it off at a garage to have them test, replace any bad lines, and pressurize the system.