A funny thing happened under my hood today...

I could have sworn when I got this 1985 Toyota Tercel wagon 2 wheel drive a couple of years ago that I was looking eyeball to eyeball with an air conditioner. My first thought was to make sure the engine was ready for the extra burden of an A/C before I even tried to get it charged.

Today I asked a mechanic at the shop where I was getting the brakes done, (I get lazy sometimes), if he did air conditioning, and he said yes. I pulled open the hood and he discovered and I did after he did, that there wasn't an air conditioner there.

My question is this: Are they so precious and like bars of gold and piles of jewels enough for one of these foreign mechanics to steal? I had to leave the car overnight a couple of times at 3 different locations, where there is a locked gate.

He swears that since there isn't a switch on the dash saying A/C that it came from the factory without A/C. I'm starting to think I've lost my mind. It has a lever that goes to cool.

Can you tell if there once was an air conditioner? There is a space on the place where the radiator sits that shows room for what could have been a former condenser; there are two holes where the bracket goes for the compressor, and a middle groove for the belt.

What's the scoop?

Would one of these guys steal it, thinking I would never notice?

---firefly

Reply to
firefly
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I sense very strongly that a couple of years ago I saw the A/C guts under the hood, and planned to see if I could get it working someday. The memory is strong, the thought was cost-prohibitive, considering that what would be considered very good money in most states is vacuumed away monthly when you live in Los Angeles. It was out of mind for a while.

I haven't owned one of these cars, and I thought it might be designed to simply turn the A/C on when you slide the bar to cold.

If I dreamed it, it was as real as anything I ever experienced.

---firely

Reply to
firefly

Well yes, by all means do call the police and report the theft. You did paint it with personalized water didn't you? If so, then it's just a matter of getting the PW reader, plugging it in to a garden hose and reading off the pictures of the guy who stole it. It should have gotten his DNA at the same time.

Come on guy, you can do a brake job but you have no idea if your car ever had an A/C unit?

Reply to
Retired VIP

This model had either a button about 3/4" square that has "AC" in blue and "Econ" in green separated by a black line, or a blue button marked AC and a green button marked Econ. I had one but I can't recall which button it had. It's right near the fan switch. If the button isn't there, you didn't have AC from the start.

Reply to
Hachiroku

Nobody steals AC systems from a vehicle without leaving signs that are obvious to even the most unaware non-car enthusiast, and I have never heard of someone stealing a complete AC system from a car, since it is probably a

4 or 5 hour job that also involves interior work. It would be easier to steal the entire car than just the AC system.
Reply to
Ray O

You say you've had this car for two years and can't now recall whether you were right or wrong about seeing an air conditioning system? Seems to me you don't look under the hood to check your oil, coolant, brake fluid, windshield washer fluid or battery very often.

Hmmmm.

Reply to
mack

A bit late for April fools, say some what....*LOL*

Reply to
ep45guy

Well, I'm 55 years old, but I don't think I'm losing my mind,---entirely, but I must have remembered my old Mustang that had the A/C ready to be charged. I had the Tercel checked by some pros today and it didn't even have signs that someone at one time tried to convert it. I just had a little Twilight Zone experience is all.

---firefly

Reply to
firefly

Yeah, I found out today it would be $2,300.

We'll squirt each other with water bottles instead this summer.

---Firefly

Reply to
firefly

That's OK! I'm right behind ya!

Reply to
hachiroku

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