1954 BUICK AIR CONDITIONING MAINTENANCE

WARRANTY

Following is a reprint from Dealer Special Service Letter Number 139 dated March 1, 1954, covering the warranty on Frigidaire Air Conditioning equipment.

The warranty on 1954 Frigidaire air conditioning equipment on our cars is the same as any other unit or part of the car.

The warranty on 1953 Frigidaire air conditioning equipment is also the same as any other unit of the car with the exception of the correction of evaporator water leaks, solenoid valve parts, compressors and compressor seals. The warranty on these four items will continue to December 31, 1954, regard­ less of mileage or ownership.

The reason for extending the warranty on these items is “that a few early production air conditioned cars may contain units that are subject to leakage or seizure and these should be replaced at no expense to the owner. Repairs should be made as follows:

COMPRESSOR SEAL FAILURES:

In case of compressor seal failure, a new seal, Part No. 5876587 should be carefully installed. The seal formerly used, Part No. 5876546, should not be installed and new seals bearing this part number and in the original package, should be returned to your Buick Parts Warehouse.

In case of repeated failure of seal No. 5876587, the compressor should be replaced with a new compressor Part No. 5440863 L.V., providing seal installation has been properly made.

SEIZED COMPRESSORS:

In case of compressor seizure, a new compressor, Part No. 5440863 L.V. should be installed. The L.V. following the part number indicates that the compressor is of the latest type. No replacement compressors should be installed on 1953 cars unless the L.V. shows on the part number. The serial” number of these late type compressors start with 75MB001. All new compressors in stock which do not bear the above marking should be immediately returned to your Buick Parts Ware­ house. Used 1953 compressors should be returned to your Zone M.R. Room promptly in the original compressor crate and properly tagged with all pertinant information.

COMPRESSOR CLUTCH SOLENOID CAMPAIGN

Several air conditioning compressor clutch operating solenoids have failed in service. It has been found that a majority of these failures were caused by a poor contact between the ground terminal and the solenoid case. Solenoids manufactured after May 21, 1954, have the ground rivet soldered to the grounding strap and to the solenoid case, which corrects the difficulty.

All compressor clutch operating solenoids in service stock which do not have this soldered connection should be returned for credit. Solenoids which have ground strap soldered in place will be packed in boxes with an “x” after the word solenoid.

All 1954 air condition equipped cars built before June 12, 1954, are to be corrected by use of a ground wire (Package Group 9.186 Part No. 1392131) from the ground terminal to one of the solenoid mounting bolts.

On solenoids, Group 9.186, Part No. 1119765, this ground wire should be assembled under the right solenoid mounting screw as shown in Fig. 71 and on solenoids, Group 9.186, Part No. 1119771, this ground wire should be assembled under the left solenoid mounting screw as shown in Figure 72.

1954 Buick Compressor Clutch Selenoid

1954 Buick Compressor Clutch Selenoid

1954 Buick Compressor Lock Washer

1954 Buick Compressor Lock Washer

The external tooth lock washer is to go on top of the solenoid bracket, the wire terminal is to go on top of the external tooth lock washer, and a 5/16 medium spring lock washer (zinc plated), Part No. 120214, is to go on top of the wire terminal.

CAUTION: Do not disturb the nut at the solenoid ground terminal. The wire terminal is to be installed and retained by an internal tooth lock washer Part No. 138530 and a nut, Part No. 120622, contained in the Wiring Package, Group 9.186, Part No. 1392131.

All solenoids not having soldered ground rivets must be campaigned as outlined above. AFA’s for material and .2 hours labor may be submitted. NOTE: Only one car Serial Number may be listed on each AFA.

PLUGGED EVAPORATOR DRAIN TUBES
ALL AIR CONDITIONED CARS

Cases of plugged drain tubes especially due to under­ coating have caused considerable trouble in the field. We again wish to mention that plugged drain tubes will cause an excessive amount of water to collect in the evaporator unit. In some cases this water may leak out of the evaporator and cause considerable damage to the luggage or items in the trunk. For this reason it is imperative that the evaporator drain tubes be checked to see if they are open and draining properly. As stated, this condition is especially prevalent on cars that have been under­ coated, and these jobs should be given special attention.

VIBRATION NOISE IN AIR CONDITIONED CAR
1954 SERIES 50-70

To eliminate the noise and vibration at 30-40 M.P.H. and roar at higher speeds encountered in some of the Air Conditioned cars, the following procedure should be followed:

  1. Remove clip Part No. 5888000 from the toe pan on the body and seal the screw hole against water leaks.
  2. Loosely assemble clip Part No. 5888000 and bracket Part No. 1163845 on the pipe as shown in Figure 73 to determine location for drilling holes in dash to frame brace.
1954 Buick Air Conditioner Vibrasorber

1954 Buick Air Conditioner Vibrasorber

The pipe should be so located to obtain approximately 1/2″ clearance between the pipe and dash, and to have a minimum of kinking in the vibrasorber connection. This vibrasorber connection should be in neither compression nor tension when reassembled.

  • Drill two 7/32″ holes in the dash to frame brace using bracket Part No. 1163845 as a pilot. This bracket is the same as the one used on the fender skirt for holding the compressor discharge line.
  •  

    1. Assemble the bracket to the dash to frame brace.

    A No. 10-32 x 3/4 bolt should be used for the clip to bracket connection.

    Any kinks in the vibrasorber connection should not exceed those relatively shown in Figure 73.

    INSUFFICIENT COOLING
    AIR CONDITIONED CARS

    Many owner complaints of insufficient cooling on Air Conditioned cars are not developed from a faulty system. When such complaints are received in the Dealerships, first check the system for any defects to assure operation of the unit to factory specifications in accordance with the Air Conditioner Manual.

    Complaints of insufficient cooling when the system is performing to factory specifications may be corrected by disconnecting the Lucite Ducts from the Roof Air Ducts. Do not remove the Lucite Ducts. These ducts should be disconnected only by an agreement with the owner and they should be secured in place when disconnected. With the above arrangement, the Lucite Ducts are moved inboard sufficiently for the Air Stream to clear the Roof Air Ducts and to be guided along the contour of the headliner.

    NEW EXPANSION VALVE
    AIR CONDITIONER

    Approximately June 1, 1954 a new smaller thermo­ static expansion valve was used in the evaporator assemblies on air conditioner units in production. All evaporator serial numbers starting with 5118852 and up will have the new expansion valve. The first type expansion valve Gr. 9.213 Part No. 5440860 will continue to be released for service until all stock is exhausted, at which time the new valve will be released as a replacement for both 1953 and 1954 models.

    Before replacing the thermostatic expansion valve on any air conditioner unit, a complete check of the system should be made to actually determine if the expansion valve is at fault. This can be done by carefully following the Trouble Diagnosis procedure outlined in the new 1953-1954 Air Conditioner Manual.

    The factory setting of the new smaller expansion valve is approximately five (5) turns (counter­clockwise) from the fully closed position. Factory setting on the former type valve was approximately 10 turns from closed position.

    1954 AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR CLUTCH BEARING

    In order to effect a tighter fit of the clutch assembly on the compressor shaft, the diameter of the shaft has been increased to give a .0002 to .0005 press fit of the clutch pulley and bearing assembly to the shaft. All compressor clutch bearings installed on compressors prior to Serial No. 64MB060 were slip fit. Clutch bearings installed on compressors after Serial No. 64MB060 are pressed on, therefore, it will be necessary to use a puller for removing the clutch pulley from the compressor. A suitable puller can be made from a clutch cover, Group 9.188, Part No 5916027, as shown in Figure74.

    1954 Buick Air Conditioning Compressor Clutch Bearing

    1954 Buick Air Conditioning Compressor Clutch Bearing

    The 3/ 8 – 16 nut is brazed to the inside of the cover so that the 3/8 – 16, four inch bolt will pass through the center of the actuating pin hole. The end of the bolt must be ground with a taper so that it will fit on the inside of the countersunk portion of the shaft and not damage the splines.

    To remove a pulley using this puller, first remove the cover, clutch plates and balls from the pulley. Attach the puller to the pulley with at least four (4) bolts and tighten the four inch bolt against the end of the shaft until the pulley is loose on the shaft.

    HANDLING FREON 12
    1953 AIR CONDITIONER MANUAL CORRECTION

    On page 29, paragraph 11, subparagraph a, delete the following:

    “When delivered, each cylinder has a label which specifies the “GROSS” (total), “TARE” (empty) and “NET” (Freon-12) weights. Because it is not practicable to use the last pound or two in the cylinder, the Freon distributor will allow credit on the amount left as indicated by weight of cylinder.”

    This information was released in error and dealers will not receive credit for Freon 12 remaining in cylinders returned to the distributor.

    COMPRESSOR SEAL IDENTIFICATION

    All neoprene rings of compressor seals have a grove in the horizontal shaft seal surface, starting with compressor serial No. 46MB700.

    This 60 degree .025-.030 depth grove was incorporated in the seal to permit gas to escape from the compressor seal cavity when installing the seal. The sealing surface of the Neoprene seal is its face when pressed against the shoulder on the shaft.

    AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR PULLEY SNAP RING PLIERS

    The air conditioning compressor used on 1954 Buicks is equipped with an electrically operated clutch type driving pulley. Truarc snap rings are used in the assembly. These Truarc snap rings must be removed before the pulley assembly can be removed from the compressor or before it can be completely disassembled.

    Special “Truarc pliers” for these snap rings are stocked by Kent-Moore and are priced at $1.05 each. Two different sizes are required and they should be ordered by numbers, J -4245 and J -4880.