- Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:26 pm
#111458
You don't have to remove the dashboard, just the glovebox. It's quite a pain to get to everything under there. I'm pretty sure you have to pull the blower out first. You'll want a good assortment of 10 and 12mm sockets, deep, shallow, flex extensions, wrenches etc. A flat screwdriver to pry the clips off. Pretty sure I remember some large phillips screws in there somewhere, so you'll want a stubby screwdriver.
Go to slhonda parts and act like you're going to buy the AC system. That will give you some good diagrams of all the parts you're removing.
See if my memory serves me right.
To do this properly, you're going to need to find a non-AC Civic in the junkyard. Take the firewall grommet near the battery, the block off tray in place of the condenser, and the heater box w/out the evaporator.
Then take it to a shop and get the system drained. The refrigerant can cause blindness so you don't want to have pressure in there when you're disconnecting lines.
You'll need some big ass wrenches to get some of those AC lines off. I don't remember the size but you can see what I'm talking about if you pop your hood.
You can cut off the AC belt or jack up the engine and remove the front lower engine mount so you can get it off. Then just start pulling stuff out, careful not to bend the lines because you can keep the system and reinstall it or sell it. It's all pretty obvious and self-explanitory.
Don't forget the tension pulley or the reciever/dryer.
There's a big plug behind the passenger side headlight. That's about all I remember.
The compressor, condensor, and evaporator add up to a surprising amount of weight. The block off tray improves aerodynamics dramatically. If you really want to go all-out, see if you can find a VX AC/Engine mount. It's a lightweight alloy. The VX also has a rear diffuser and a light weight alternator bracket.
