Experts: Look at the photos where my A/C was stolen from

I found the owner's brother last night and he confirmed that the 1985 Toyota Tercel wagon 2WD that had been in the family since it was new, definitely had A/C. He used to ride in it a lot.

Experts: I have shot these photos under the hood and would appreciate any eagle-eye evidence that supports that there once was an air conditioner in this car.

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Be sure to click on the pictures to get the larger versions.

I'm going to be in touch with the Bureau of Automotive Repair tomorrow to see what can be done.

The car had extensive work done on it the past few weeks, and when I asked him to charge the A/C he acted very odd. He's been my mechanic for years, and he's never acted like this.

I also saw the same car as this one on the lift that same day...

Advice is appreciated too.

---firefly

Reply to
firefly
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In Los Angeles I found out that each A/C pipe from the junk yard costs $100. The cost for the rest of the iffy used parts is high. The cost for new and installed is $2,300. The compressor new is $350. The world down here is like a war zone for survival and for any kind of comfort.

The owner could open shop on Sunday and make a nice profit installing my parts in the other 1985 Tercel wagon I saw on the lift.

Supplying this many illegals who strip everything clean in seconds makes the demand jack the prices of everything sky high.

We have millions of do-it-yourselfers now in Los Angeles, and they are the majority.

---firefly

Reply to
firefly

Would not a Toyota dealer be able to look up the VIN and see if that one came with a.c.? I don't know if things were that well documented in '84/85 to tell you for sure - I know a modern car you can get a complete printout for with the car fully defined from the VIN. Also, at that time a.c. may have been a dealer add-on item, and so may not show in the VIN records. BUT - it might be worth checking to see what the dealer can come up with.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

Hey Firefly, after looking at your photos, I can say that your car either did or didn't have an AC system. To be on the save side, call the police and report that (might be) thief. Then go to a Toyota dealer and order an AC unit to be installed on your car. Tell the Toyota dealer your story and ask them to bill your old mechanic. You should have no trouble getting them to laugh.

Next, take out an ad in the paper and tell the general public about this shyster mechanic. Ask the paper to bill your old mechanic and, after telling your story again, you should have no trouble getting them to laugh.

I know that you've had no trouble getting me to laugh!

Thanks for the comedy relief, it was needed.

Reply to
Retired VIP

I find it amusing, too.

I hope his psychiatrist does. I wonder if he will get an increase in his antipsychotic medication, now that his paranoia is up.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

Not necessarily.

The AC system is the same on a lot of cars. Er, Toyotas, that is.

Reply to
hachiroku

Yeah, he could.

Even as far back as '85, the build information is still on file and can be looked up easily.

Reply to
hachiroku

Sorry, man, I don't think this car ever had AC.

The only mount points you show are way too dirty/rusty to have had anything removed recently. Most of what you show are evaporative emissions components.

Most Toyotas had the AC installed at the port of entry, in your case, Long Beach. This means removing part of the dash to install the air exchanger. Chances are the mechanic didn't remove the air exchanger. If he did then he would have had to swap out a LOT of parts under the dash, and it would have taken quite a long time.

Also, this means removing the radiator. If the bolts haven't been disturbed then they weren't removed.

All in all, it's way too labor intensive for someone to do on a Sunday. Perhaps removing the system one day, and installing it the next, but you pretty much have to remove two complete climate systems and then reinstall two complete climate systems. No easy chore on that car.

Reply to
hachiroku

One of my first jobs was at the port of entry where, among other things, port installed air conditioners were installed. I saw literally thousands of units installed in vehicles, so I think I am fairly familiar with what the cars looked like with and without AC.

Air 11: The label is not readable in the photo, but the same label is used for vehicles with and without AC.

Air 10: The plate shown is one of the VIN plates that is mounted on the firewall. It does not give any information regarding whether or not AC is installed or not, but I can tell that your color code is 884 (blue) and you have a gray interior.

Air 9: The cable that leads to the temperature control on the dash is connected to the valve for the heater. The "hose stuffed into a hose" is the factory installation. The outer "hose" is insulation to keep vibration from wearing a hole in the hose for the evaporative emissions charcoal canister. The oval plug in the firewall is where the AC lines would go if AC is installed. The dirt on the oval plug and the surrounding areas on the firewall and the lack of fingerprints suggests that the plug has been in place for a long time. There is no mark from where the receiver/drier was installed. I doubt if someone stealing an AC system would take the trouble to install the original factory plug, which gets discarded when AC is installed, and then carefully apply dirt to match the surrounding area.

Air 8: Another view of the charcoal canister and firewall plug shown in Air

9 - they look undisturbed to me.

Air 7: I don't remember for sure, but I don't think that the flat area is where AC line would be attached. The red heater hose is aftermarket.

Air 6: If the vehicle did not have a factory AC, it would not have an AC fuse. I suspect that a shop with ready access to fuses would just install a new one in the vehicle that they are installing the AC in if they were going to steal an AC system. This photo does not provide any evidence one way or the other.

Air 5: The bolt holes look pretty rusty and not like they have had bolts installed in them. Also, the flat area at the top of the bolt holes also look rusty and not like anything has been mated to its surface.

Air 4: A V-belt rides on the sides of the pulley, not the bottom. The condition of the pulley where a V-belt would contact looks like it has not had a belt installed. If a belt was installed, I would think that the sides of the pulley would have the paint rubbed off.

Air 3: The picture does not show the footing for the condenser. The condenser is installed on the other side of the radiator, towards the front of the car. The radiator bracket definitely looks original, the radiator cap, upper radiator hose, and clamp are aftermarket. A picture of the front of the radiator, especially on the driver's side, instead of the back would be more relevant.

Air 2: A view of the right front strut, a vacuum switching valve, vacuum lines, air cleaner housing, and EGR modulator. Doesn't provide any information regarding the AC.

Air: You have mentioned the heater control cable connected to the temperature setting on the dash several times, and I am not sure what your point is. The heater control cable moves the lever on the heater valve, and the lever opens and closes the heater valve. What is worth noting is that the area along the firewall where the high pressure line would have run looks undisturbed and evenly dirty and not like a line was removed.

The pictures you posted would not convince me that an entire AC system was removed from the car. There are no good views of the left and right fenders and firewall where the high and low pressure lines would have been installed, or the front of the radiator, where the condenser would have been installed.

Reply to
Ray O

Contact Toyota customer service. From your VIN they will tell you anything you care to know about the vehicle including the color of the eyes of its original owner.

Reply to
franz fripplfrappl

As someone pointed out, the a.c.'s were often added at the U.S. docks. Do they update that kind of info. in the VIN database?

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Reply to
Bill Putney

Call the police and tell them your fairy tale. Hopefully, they want fall for your troll routine.

Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

I can't recall...

Reply to
hachiroku

If the AC was added as a port installed option (PIO), then it is in the VIN database. If it was added at the dealership, it is not.

Reply to
Ray O

**Perhaps he's accidently driving the other Tercel that was on the lift :)

kaboomie

Reply to
kaboom

Bureau of automotive repair..?? Come on..?

Maybe he can also cross complain with the bureau of air conditioning and refridgeration..

Reply to
Charles Pisano

The Bureau of Automotive Repair, or BAR, is a California thing. The CA BAR is supposed to protect consumers and administer the state smog check.

Reply to
Ray O

Did you or anyone else look at the captions?

If you didn't, your observations are laughable.

---firefly

Reply to
firefly

You just need to have your jaw crunched. That would repair your dementia.

---firefly

Reply to
firefly

Wrong.

I just discovered that the cool lever that wouldn't budge for anything, that is hooked-up to where the pipes at the firewall go in-----now moves with my little finer all the way to one side, and all the way to the other.

This convinced my girlfriend, who has also driven the car for 2 years.

And to mention that I found the previous owner's brother who said his brother had it almost since it was new---the main family car. He assured me that he would get rides in it with frosty air conditioning blowing on him.

I win.

Reply to
firefly

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