As usual, this group is a veritable online enclyclopedia, and again, thanks
David, for you information. One followup question, I noticed that the "high
water mark" on the motor housing was only about 1/3 of the way up the outer
housing, which appears to be a one piece shell, so is it possible that the
motor didn't get contaminated with antifreeze? It is probably a moot point,
as I suspect the motor has failed, however I am going to do the twelve volt
thing you mentioned, and thanks for the ignition on, engine off trick, I
forgot to try that out. And from your post, I guess it is a good sign that
the sweep arm and circuit board appear ok, it looks like coolant never got
that high inside the servo. So assuming I can get the motor running, the
next step looks to be take the car to the a/c garage and have them do the
conversion, and have them tell me that every other component in the system
needs replacing/rebuilding :-). Note that I share your scepticism
regarding the a/c troubleshooting, which is why I am trying to do as much of
the grunt work myself. Anyway, thanks for the pointers on what to do next,
and the website links.
And yes, the autotemp is in the 72, I only own one imperial at this time.
The car is honeydew, with white vinyl top and gold leather interior. As far
as I know, they are bucket seats. Being a luxury car, they don't meet my
mental picture of a bucket seat, however they are separate seats.
Robert Weldon
72 Imperial 2 dr (for sale)
68 Newport conv.
75 Dodge Dart Sport (318 auto, factory air, next a/c repair project)
97 Plymouth Voyager Minivan
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Duricy" <desotobravo@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, August 30, 2004 12:31 AM
Subject: IML: AutoTemp II, The Inside Story (Link)
> Robert,
>
> I took an old AutoTemp II servo out of storage and
> photographed its construction from top to bottom.
>
> You can see the electrical circuit, the vacuum
> circuit, the sweep arm, the motor, the transmission,
> the flawed valve chamber, and even the lockout switch.
>
> Point your web browser to:
> http://www.duricy.com/gallery/albums.php
>
> When you see the picture of the AutoTemp servo, click
> on it to enter the album.
>
> Now I'll try to answer the questions in your original
> e-mail.
>
> --- Robert Weldon <rweldon@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > After starting
> > the car, I watched the servo as the car warmed up,
> > to see if I could see any signs of it functioning.
>
> Thanks to my aluminum servo, my memory is hazy.
> However, I believe that if you put the igntion in the
> "On" position, the servo will be activated. Without
> the noise of the engine, you'll better hear servo
> movement.
>
> > I didn't hear any noises, and when I pulled the case
> > apart again, with the engine still running and at
> > operating temperature, I noticed that the motor on
> > the bottom of the unit would turn very slowly, and
> > only if I helped it.
>
> > The system appeared to be
> > stuck on high heat, no amount of changing the
> > temperature knob would change the temp, nor would
> > changing from low to high a/c or how or high
> > defrost, and there was no sign of the A/C compressor
> > clutch working. I also noticed a slight amount of
> > coolant inside the casing, again in the part where
> > the motor goes, although I could not see where it
> > was coming in, and it remained only a small amount
> > on the bottom of the housing.
>
> These are classic symptoms of a compromised servo. The
> plastic has failed, liquid has entered the servo body,
> the motor is frozen, the gears are rusted together,
> the sweep arm is stuck to the circuit board, etc.
>
> When the servo is stuck, it is stoped at the fan
> speed, door position, and temperature level where it
> was when it died.
>
> > My questions are, how do I test this motor in the
> > servo to see if is in fact, actually working, and
> > are replacement motors available and at a reasonable
> > cost.
>
> You can hook up the servo (off the car) to a 12 volt
> transformer. If a replacement motor is available,
> you'll have to find the match yourself.
>
> And when you do, your new motor will be just as doomed
> by the plastic body.
>
> > Also I couldn't figure out the purpose of the
> > smaller motor mounted in the top part of the server,
> > it never seemed to do anything while I played with
> > the system, and I couldn't determine it's purpose.
>
> That's not a motor. It is somekind of switch. It can
> only turn when the real motor tells it too. If the
> real motor is frozen, well. . .
>
> > And finally, how do I know if the a/c compressor
> > clutch is engaged, I am assuming the outer part of
> > the pulley should be spinning with the pulley?
>
> You can tell when the compressor is engage when the
> center portion spins.
>
> However, the compressor will only operate if there is
> enough refrigerant in the system.
>
> You can still see if current is getting to the clutch
> by using a test light. I recently did this with my '68
> Crown, which uses a different AutoTemp system but the
> same A/C clutch.
>
> > Anyway, I am hoping I can get some answers or
> > suggestions from the gurus here, otherwise I will
> > have to spend actual money at an a/c specialist in
> > town, although I don't want to spend money getting
> > the refrigerant flushed and changed over until I
> > know the system is functional.
>
> Unless your A/C expert is an exceptional fellow who
> once worked for a Chrysler dealer, you're likely to be
> disappointed. As has happened to me, you'll probably
> end up with a fat bill, a damaged car, and no
> air-conditioning.
>
> For me, the money was better spent on an aluminum
> servo, tools, and education.
>
> > Robert Weldon
> >
> > 72 Imperial 2 dr (for sale)
>
> Is your AutoTemp in the 2-door '72 Imperial? The '72
> and '73 2-doors are among my favorite. What color is
> it and does it have bucket seats?
>
> Good Luck!
> Dave
>
>
>
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