Air conditioning installation.

yorkiesteve

yorkiesteve

Hi all
So the other week I managed to acquire the last few pieces of a complete A/C system and set about fitting it to my K11 LX.
Maybe not an essential upgrade in the UK, but definitely nice to have here in Oz on those warmer summer days. Over here we got three versions of the K11, LX, SLX,and Super S, most LXs seem to be very base ( like mine ) so no A/C or PAS. SLXs seemed to have quite often been optioned with one or the other ( and sometimes both ), Super S often had A/C but not PAS ( personally I wouldn't swap out a Super S quick rack for PAS anyway )
Righto then, basically this is what you are going to need to successfully complete this instal.............

Clockwise starting from the top.........

Evaporator unit
Rubber bung/condensation drain
Receiver bracket
Receiver unit and pipework
Wiring loom specific to A/C components
More pipework
Alternator/Compressor drive belt
Compressor unit
Belt tensioner
Compressor mounting bracket
Alternator mounting bracket
Thermo fan unit
Condenser unit
image.jpg
 
I would also strongly recommend replacing all o rings.
First things first, toons ( in my case various mixes and remixes by Hybrid )
image.jpg
it's going to be a long day........
 
Now get inside the cabin and undo the two screws and two clips that hold the cubby bin and side mouldings at the bottom of the center consul, you are looking for this white and yellow connector ( it's taped up right out of the way, but it will be there ).....
image.jpg
 
Then remove the center console, stereo, and remove the four screws holding the heating/cooling control unit in place to allow it to hang loosely in place.........
image.jpg
 
Now remove the left and right footwell kick panels and pull back the door weather seals and use a large flat blade screwdriver to prise off the plastic A pillar covers and then use something sharp and pointy to dig out the two screw cover plates in the front of the dash ( when refitting they are handed left and right ) finally undo the six screws holding the dash in ( un clipping the left and right steering wheel stalks will make dash removal easier )......
image.jpg
 
Last edited:
You need to get your fan housing on the left to look like the one on the right. The top half simply unscrews, then you will see a score line that you can cut with a sharp knife or hacksaw to remove the bottom half.......
image.jpg
 
Now you can connect the white and yellow plug, the temp sensor plug, and remove the heater/cooling dial knobs and recirc slider knob so that you can gently prise off the facia of the unit which will reveal the location for the A/C on/off button ( which just clips in place ) then you can either open up a hole for the button to stick through or if you are lucky like me you have an A/C facia to just swap out with........
image.jpg
 
Now you can replace everything you have removed so far ( not forgetting the rubber bung/condensation drain ) and you are finished inside the car.........
image.jpg
 
Now remove the top cover to reveal the locations for relays, the top most one should be empty and that is where you are going to put your A/C relay.......
image.jpg
 
Next unclip the box bottom so you can feed the wiring through and push in the relay ( then close the box back up ).....
image.jpg
 
Last edited:
You can also do the same with the small fuse box/relay box so you can feed the wire through ( which is the way the Nissan techs did it, it's not essential, but it is a tidier way ) then connect the plug to the loose connector sitting near the left side headlight.......
image.jpg
 
Now you can fit the large/top and medium/middle grommet into the firewall, connect the A/C pipework and large connector plug, and connect up the receiver dryer.......
image.jpg
 
Now you need to support the front of the car on axle stands and remove the right front wheel and inner plastic splash guard which will give you access to remove the alternator.......
image.jpg
 
Once the alternator is removed you can instal the compressor mounting bracket.......
image.jpg
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 618
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 623
  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 605
Now all that remains is to connect any pipework left and connect any remaining electrical connectors such as the fan, compressor, and alternator. Tidy up wiring with cable ties then replace headlights, grill, and slam panel ect and refit the road wheel and lower the car back to the ground......
image.jpg
 
And lastly, take the car to an automotive A/C specialist for the system to be leak tested, lubed, and re gassed, after which you can enjoy crispy cold A/C on even the hottest days.
I hope this has been useful to anyone contemplating this upgrade. It is quite a bit of work to do ( I spread it out over two days ) but it's not beyond the scope of anyone moderately handy with a spanner and defiantly worth doing provided you can accumulate all the components needed to make the job as hassle free as possible.
All up this instal cost me around $250au and that includes $135au for the re gas, if anyone has any questions about this job I will try and answer them.

Happy spannering
 
Thanks ! morsan1903
We've had a couple of warm days here since I did the instal and it was nice to be able to be able to turn on the a/c and cool down. The micra has a lot of glass for its size and so it's a bit like a little greenhouse on wheels in bright sunlight ( even with window tint ) .
 
Warm here in Sardinia too..
In this moment is freezing.
MY 1.3 SS needs abs and A/C because ha without a log of job and money i thing.
Ciao

Inviato dal mio SM-J500FN utilizzando Tapatalk
 
Thanks ! Pollyp
Praise indeed from the blog meister. I have the Haynes manual for the k11 and as good as it is there is a lot missing with much fewer photos than I would have liked, not many exploded diagrams either and they are sometimes very useful in understanding how something comes apart. Luckily I have some genuine nissan workshop manuals in PDF for if I get stuck.
I could have gone into a lot more detail with the a/c instal blog ( which would have taken me longer to do than the actual job I think ) but hopefully I have gone into just enough detail that anyone who is moderately mechanically competent can attempt them self, and I am happy to answer any questions.
How are things with kassandra ? Last I heard you where having the dreaded insurance issues and it wasn't looking good for her.
 
:)
The workshop PDF is a fab read, U get to fully understand & appreciate how every single system works.
Aye the blog writing itself takes equally as long to write & check it as it is to do it.

Kasandra still runs but yeah the damn insurance is gonna be an issue when its due April.
Since I'm no longer working as a "low-risk" programmer, I dread to think what my renewal will be as a takeaway chef or jobless.

If it goes up, I may have to sorn or sell her :(
If it stays affordable, I'll have to either risk using her daily for work (plus trackdays & car shows) or sorn her to rust in garage & insure another car (no trackdays or shows).
Impossible to insure both cars.
 

Similar threads

C
Extractors + Exhaust installation ghetto style.
Replies
18
Views
309
CMF_evade
C
C
FS: Complete Air Con unit
Replies
2
Views
112
CMF_GMicra
C
C
Alternator A/C & Water pump PAS belts 1 ltr
Replies
1
Views
4K
mikey
mikey
A
Air Con diagnosis
Replies
3
Views
288
ardvaaark
A
Daniel
Removing air-con/remounting alternator to fit 4-1 manifold - HELP!!!!!
Replies
10
Views
2K
Daniel
Daniel
Back
Top